Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Office of Synod Implementation

What You Can Do

The work of the Synod will only be successful if all the People of God take the Synod Initiatives to heart and work to make them a reality. If you’re asking “What is happening with the Synod,” perhaps you could ask yourself “What have I done to make the Synod a reality in my own life?” Here are some ways you can be a “mover and shaker” in Synod implementation.

On this site, we have attempted to model several Synod strategies. For example, the site itself models a response to a strategy of the First Initiative that requires better use of the Internet. We have provided resources for establishing parish councils and will provide full accountability here for the proceedings of the Regional Pastoral Councils in accord with the Second Initiative. We have extensive formation resources available on the site, including Whole Community Catechesis questions of the week, in response to the Third Initiative. Parishes can offer some of these resources as initial steps toward implementing the Synod.

Synod Initiative I: Evangelization and “The New Evangelization”

Proclaim the Gospel always. If necessary, use words. —St. Francis of Assisi

  • Learn what evangelization is. Evangelization is proclaiming the Good News by example and word. It is frequently confused with catechesis, which is explaining beliefs to members of the church, or apologetics, which is explaining church beliefs to those outside the church. A good place to start is Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi.
  • Live your life in such a way that others are attracted to the faith. The first step of evangelization is example. How do you visibly manifest the joy of the Risen Lord in your everyday life?
  • Liturgy planning. If you are involved with parish liturgy, how can you plan liturgies that underscore the Good News heard in the Gospel of the day?
  • Form a Small Church Community.  Small Church Communities are groups of parishioners who meet on a regular basis in their homes for faith sharing. You may want to approach your parish leadership with the idea of forming a trial Small Church Community with a format that can be expanded to the rest of the parish. Here are some resources to learn more:
  • Invite friends to your church. New neighbors, friends who do not already attend another church, and those you know who have been alienated from the church might welcome an invitation from you, extended in a warm and friendly manner, to attend your parish liturgy as your guest.
  • Inspire a personal, vibrant faith in your children. They may know the basics of teaching and their prayers, but have you helped them to internalize their faith rather than giving them a list of external rules? If their faith is only following rules, you can be sure they will spend a number of years estranged from the church in their young adulthood.
  • Form a parish evangelization committee. Approach your parish leadership with a proposal to form an evangelization committee. Spend the first several months in learning about what evangelization is and include opportunities to pray together, share your faith and discuss the special needs of your community. You may even want to have a committee retreat of a day or two. Then develop an action plan.
  • Ensure that your parish is a welcoming community. Attend a liturgy imagining you have never been to your parish before. Imagine yourself as a teenager, someone alienated from the church, someone unfamiliar with the Catholic tradition. Is the liturgy understandable? Is the music accessible? Is the assembly warm and inviting? What can you do to help address any shortcomings?
  • Is your parish community proclaiming the Good News to the poor and outcast? How are you living the Gospel in your community? Are you feeding the poor, offering clothes to the homeless, sheltering those who have nowhere to go? Do you have programs to reach out to divorced and remarried Catholics, to gay and lesbian Catholics and their families, to minister to the imprisoned? If your parish community does not do this work, who will?

Synod Initiative II: Structures for Participation and Accountability

  • Help set up a parish pastoral council. Extensive resources are provided on this site to guide you, your fellow parishioners and your pastor in establishing an effective parish council. This is one of the best ways for parishioners to participate in the life of the Church.
  • Help develop a parish annual report. More and more parishes are publishing annual reports. This is a great way to inform parishioners not only of the finances, but even more importantly of all the good the parish did over the year; numbers baptized and married, numbers received into the church, how many poor people were fed, programs initiated, educational events, etc.
  • Follow the workings of your Regional Pastoral Council. Their proceedings will be published on this site as they get started. This is one way to keep informed of the new ways in which all the people of the Church are working together to implement the Synod Initiatives.
  • Be a good Church steward. Giving of your time, talent and treasure will ensure that your parish has the wherewithal to implement Synod Initiatives in your local community. Nothing will happen without wider participation!

Synod Initiative III: Ongoing Education and Formation: Adults, Young Adults and Youth

  • Learn more about your faith. Join with others in discussion groups or book clubs to read new books on various aspects of the faith. Attend your parish scripture study class. Classes are offered in various venues around the Archdiocese to learn more about many areas of the faith. None of us can lead the Church with what we learned as a child! Attend the annual Religious Education Conference, where you can hear inspiring presentations and see the latest in books available.
  • Become a catechist. Help pass on the faith to others by training as a certified catechist through the Office of Religious Education. You will be an invaluable asset to your parish by being trained in content and format of religious education classes for people of varying ages. If teaching others appeals to you, you owe it to them to have the best training.
  • Subscribe to a Catholic publication. Many fine Catholic publications offer insightful commentary on the Church and the world, such as America, Commonweal, U.S. Catholic, St. Anthony Messenger or The National Catholic Reporter. Order a sample issue and see which are right for you. And don’t forget The Tidings to keep abreast of what’s happening in our local Church!
  • Learn about what our bishops have said about faith formation. A good place to start is Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us, available on this site.

Synod Initiative IV: Ministry and Leadership: Lay, Consecrated Life and Ordained

  • Explore lay leadership. Our local Catholic colleges and universities are now offering programs in lay leadership. Try a class and see if this is for you. You can pursue various courses of study, including the Pastoral Associates Program of the Archdiocese, which trains lay parish leaders.
  • Be involved in parish ministry. There are many unmet needs in every parish, from sick and homebound people who need visits to working with the bereaved to helping organize clothing drives. If you see an unmet need in your parish, offer to start a ministry to address that need. There is no parish in the Archdiocese that is already doing everything it can do; will you make the difference?
  • Consider religious or ordained ministry. Are you called to be a priest or deacon, a woman or male religious? The Diaconate Formation Office holds periodic Information Days where you can learn about this ordained ministry, and the Vocations Office provides a full schedule of retreats and other activities to learn about priestly or religious life. And if you don’t think such a life is for you, have you suggested it to others you think would make good ordained or religious ministers? What about your child? Or do you think your best friends would make a good deacon couple? Talk about it!

Synod Initiative V: Eucharist and Sacramental Living

  • Consider liturgical ministry. Lectors, ministers of Communion, altar servers, musicians, cantors, writers, decorators, florists, sound technicians, lighting experts, artists, seamstresses, bakers, graphic designers, printers: these are all examples of how parishioners can give of their talents to enrich their parish liturgy. Offer to help do what you do best or what you feel called to learn more about, and get some training to make sure you do the best job possible for the glory of God.
  • Improve your liturgical ministry. If you are already ministering as a lector, minister of Communion, cantor or other such liturgical minister, have you ever undergone training? We could all use a little brush-up now and then. Look into the training and certification programs available through the Office for Worship to do your part to improve your parish liturgy.
  • Learn more about liturgy. Do you know the why and how of the way we celebrate liturgy? What’s the best way? What advice does our archbishop give? There are many great books on liturgy and many classes are offered throughout the Archdiocese, especially during the annual Religious Education Congress. One good place to start is by reading Gather Faithfully Together, Cardinal Mahony’s pastoral letter on the liturgy, available on this site.
  • Participate! How can your parish have a vibrant and moving liturgy if no one sings? How can we have a feeling of community and avoid distractions if people are arriving and leaving at various parts of the liturgy? How do we demonstrate our sense of strong faith and community if everyone is muttering the spoken parts to themselves at different speeds? It is only full and active participation by everyone that will revitalize our liturgies; otherwise, the best we can do is put on a good show!

Synod Initiative VI: Social Justice: Living at the Service of God’s Reign

  • Learn the Church’s social teachings. Our social teachings are sometimes called our best-kept secret. We have a rich tradition of learning and teaching how to make the Gospel come alive in our everyday communities. Just about every pope for the past 150 years has issued a social justice encyclical, and they provide rich material for each of us to reflect upon.
  • Become involved in social justice issues. What are the pressing needs of your community? What avenues exist for you to help address those needs? Homelessness, gang violence, poverty, access to health care: these are just a few examples of situations that might exist in your local community that you can do something about. Gather other parishioners to act together, and before you know it your parish has a new social justice ministry.
  • Read the Gospels. How does Jesus react to unjust situations? How does he tell us we will be judged? What parallels can you draw between Gospel situations and our current society? What can you do about it?

Pastoral Regions

Search This Site

Popular Pages

Page Tools

Print | Larger Type

Interested in the Church?
Baptized Catholic and want to come home?