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Synod Session CommuniqueSession Two: October 18-19, 2002
Why
are you Catholic? Do you know
enough about your faith to explain it to others?
Do you know as much about your faith as your parents or grandparents?
Some say that the last two generations of Catholics know less about their
faith and have little enthusiasm about learning more.
Is this true? On October
18-19, 2002, members of the Tenth Archdiocesan Synod gathered to discuss these
and other topics at the second working session of the Synod.
The 250 Synod members, including priests, deacons, members of religious
orders and lay persons met at Drexelbrook
Conference Center in Drexel Hill, Delaware County.
This is the first Archdiocesan Synod in 68 years and the first to include
lay persons. Prior to the Second
Vatican Council, only clergy participated in diocesan Synods. During this session of the Synod, members young and old, priests and religious, lay men and lay women, persons of diverse cultures and age groups participated in dialogues and expressed their degree of support for each proposal dealing with the following three topics:
Much
of the dialogue during the second Synod Session focused on youth; addressing
ways to draw them deeper into the life of the Church and the examination of the
means we have for educating them in the faith from elementary school through
college. The Topical
Commission members who studied the topic of
Youth and Young Adults reported that “young people of today are
faced with an enormity of moral and social issues not faced by previous
generations... one cannot assume that just one hour per week attending Mass
prepares them to face 168 hours per week in which they find their faith and
morals challenged.” The Topical
Commission members who addressed Catholic Education of Youth challenged
all levels of Catholic education to embrace a “strong and secure Catholic
identity in all places of religious education.” The
Adult Faith Formation Topical Commission noted that "The people of our
Archdiocese are asking for programs for adult faith formation.
They are aware of the many changes in our Church since the Second Vatican
Council and recognize the need for education, understanding and spiritual
formation." The Chair of the
Commission noted that "despite
the many obstacles to overcome in bringing the Word of God to our adult
Catholics, it is a vision we hope to achieve."
The third and final working session of the Tenth Synod takes place on November 15-16, 2002. Topics for that session include: 1) Moral and Social Issues: A Pastoral Response 2) Liturgy and 3) Evangelization. After Cardinal Bevilacqua receives the formal recommendations from the Synod members, he will consider them for acceptance, modification or non-acceptance. |
The Archdiocese of
Philadelphia serves over 1.4 million Catholics in the five counties of
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