04-16-24 – Interim Stage Diocesan Synod Report

Click the button to the right to download the Interim Stage Synod Report submitted by the Diocese to the USCCB as part of the ongoing Synod on Synodality.

In preparing the report, the Diocese conducted six listening sessions—one in each vicariate. While covering a wide range of topics, the listening sessions focused on two main questions that were provided by the USCCB.

The notes from each meeting were collected and given to the synod writing team, which consisted of three lay people who are not employed by the Diocese. The format for the report, as requested by the USCCB, includes a large majority of quotations; taken from the notes provided during the listening sessions.

Diocesan Synod Report

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston announced today that it has submitted the Final Synthesis Report to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as part of the Holy Father’s Synod on Synodality.

The diocesan synod process began in October, 2021 with Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark Brennan at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, joining Pope Francis’ charge to have the faithful to call upon the Holy Spirit to enlighten them as they discern, listen, and discuss how the Church can grow more fruitful in unity. The Holy Father’s plans for the global Synod for a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission were released in September, 2021.

Ninety-two parish reports from across the diocese were given to the writing team in May of this year. As a model of transparency, the members of the team were not employees of the chancery, but members of the faithful in the diocese. They included Sister Carmella Campione, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph; Jacob Manning, parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Joseph; and Dr. Tom Michaud and Dr. Kim Michaud, parishioners of St. Michael Parish in Wheeling. After a thorough review, they compiled a 10-page synthesis reflecting the parish contributions expressed by the faithful across the diocese. A draft report was presented on June 3 to all parish coordinators, giving them the opportunity to provide input and suggest changes.

The writing team thanked the bishop for the opportunity to serve. Sister Carmella Campione added that the synthesis report submitted by the diocese, “records the voice of the people in our diocese, which echoes what we are learning are the same concerns in other dioceses across the country.”

Where does the report go from here? Locally, Bishop Brennan has stated that he will use the information contained in the parish reports to develop new ministries in the diocese as well as make concrete changes to strengthen the Church in West Virginia.

The USCCB will compile all input and feedback to formulate syntheses that reflect the vision of the faithful. The worldwide conferences will submit their summaries by Aug. 15, 2022. The continental phase will take place from September, 2022 to March, 2023. All of this information from around the world that began at the ground level in our parishes will ultimately be used by the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October of 2023. This Vatican council of bishops, selected from around the world, will counsel and consult the Pontiff on how the People of God with the Holy Spirit as their guide discerned the Church should journey together to carry out her mission and continue the work of Jesus Christ.

Opening Mass Homily of the Synod

“We embark on the Synod process with the hope that it will help us to be a better church, more faithful to the Lord, more fruitful to good works, and more committed to sharing our faith.” – Bishop Mark Brennan’s message in his homily during the Opening Mass of the Synod in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, on Oct. 17, 2021, at the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Charleston. 

Watch the video to listen to the homily in its entirety.

Synod 2021-2024

Faithful Invited to Prepare, Reflect on Synod Process

As Pope Francis invited all the baptized around the world to journey together in a global listening process the Church has named, “Synod for a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission;” Bishop Mark Brennan is eager to move forward at our local level.

In preparatory documents, Pope Francis has said, “the purpose of this Synod, is not to produce documents, but to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.” Likewise, Bishop Brennan said as we begin the Synod process in the Diocese, we do so “with the hope that it will help us to be a better church, more faithful to the Lord, more fruitful to good works, and more committed to sharing our faith.”

The process of training Parish Coordinators on how to conduct listening sessions is underway with many moving forward with their individual sessions around the diocese. Each parish or in smaller congregations a group of parish(s) and missions will schedule local meetings. Once notified of the dates, the Diocese will compile a listing of listening session on its website, dwc.org. The documents from the local levels will be collected by May 1, 2022, with the diocesan level report finalized by June 30, 2022 (these dates have been updated with respect to the first phase deadline extension announced by the Synod of Bishops on Oct. 29, 2021). The report will reflect the spirit, attitude, and dreams of the faithful for the Church as presented during the parish listening sessions.

What can parishes, schools, and Catholic communities do now?

The faithful are encouraged to be alert to their parish’s routine means of communication, such as bulletins, websites, social media pages, and emails, which will announce specific details about their local synod process.

Additionally, to give the faithful ample time for prayerful discernment, the following Synod questions among the ten categories that will be presented in the local listening sessions is being provided. Bishop Brennan echoes the Holy Father’s advice – in order to come into your local session prepared with open hearts, we must invite the Holy Spirit to guide all of us and our responses, so we are in sincere harmony to do what God calls us.

  • In our Church, who are those who we “walk” with on our faith journey?
  • Who are those most active in our parish?
  • Who are those who come to Mass quietly and leave quickly?
  • What can we do to be a more welcoming community, especially to those who feel left out or are less involved in the life of our parish?

  • How is God speaking to us through others we encounter?
  • How are the laity listened to in the Church, especially women and young people?
  • What helps or prevents us from listening to them?
  • Are we able to provide opportunities to hear the voices of minorities, those experiencing poverty and excluded from society?
  • What are some limitations in our ability to listen, especially to those who have different views than our own?
  • How do we listen to the contributions of religious sisters and brothers?

  • What barriers do we face when speaking up courageously, candidly, and responsibly in our parish and in our community?
  • What enables us to speak up when something is important to us?
  • How should we relate to and make use of the media?
  • Who speaks on behalf of the Christian community and how are they chosen?

  • Are we and other Catholics convinced that we truly receive Jesus himself in Holy Communion (the Eucharist) and not a mere symbol of him or just a piece of bread?
  • How do prayer and liturgical celebrations actually inspire and guide our common life and mission to society?
  • How do they inspire our decisions and our actions?
  • How do we promote the active participation of all the faithful in the liturgy?
  • How do we encourage parishioners to serve in a particular ministry?

  • Since we are all missionary disciples, how is every baptized person called to participate in the mission of the Church?
  • What might be some reasons that keep someone from participating in the mission of the Church?
  • How does the church community support its members who serve society in various ways (social and political involvement, scientific research, education, promoting social justice, protecting human rights, caring for the environment, etc.)?
  • How does the Church help these members to live out their service to society in a missionary way?

  • Do we make sure to include a diverse group of people in our church community when we have a dialogue?
  • Where does this dialogue take place? How do we promote collaboration with neighboring dioceses, religious communities in the area, lay associations and movements, etc.?
  • How are differences, conflicts and difficulties addressed?
  • What particular issues in the Church and society do we need to pay more attention to?
  • What relationship do we have with believers of other religions and with those who have no religious affiliation?
  • How does the Church interact with and learn from politics, economics, culture, civil society, and people who live in poverty?

  • What relationships do we have with members of other Christian traditions and denominations?
  • How can we come together with them to continue the mission of the Church?
  • What successes have we achieved working with other Christians?
  • What prevents us from coming together?

  • How does a Bishop exercise authority in the Church?
  • Who should he consult with?
  • How does a pastor exercise authority in his parish?
  • Who should he consult with?

  • How do we promote participation in decision-making within hierarchical structures?
  • Do our decision-making methods help us to listen to the whole People of God?
  • What is the relationship between consultation and decision-making, and how do we put these into practice?
  • What tools and procedures do we use to promote transparency and accountability?

  • How do we create a Church community that promotes inclusion, listening to one another, participating in the mission, and engaging in dialogue?
  • What type of formation do we need to offer our community to grow spiritually and ensure the participation of all the faithful?

Parish Coordinator Resources

          • Topics 1-10 | Downloads: 1487 | Updated: October 25, 2021

                  Vatican Links

                  Vatican Synod:  https://www.synod.va/en.html – select English (EN) on the top of the page by the menu bar

                  Vatican’s Synod twitter:  https://twitter.com/Synod_va

                  Vatican’s Synod FB: https://www.facebook.com/synod.va/

                  The following items are included in the document “Synodality For The DWC.”

                  Two-year journey to guide the future of the Church begins at the local level

                  How is your parish journeying together; and how should we be journeying together into the future as a universal Church? These are the fundamental questions the Holy Father wants the faithful to prayerfully and reflectively consider and document as the Church moves further into the third millennium.

                  Pope Francis opened the worldwide Synod on Synodality on October 9, 2021, to give a voice to the faithful and a roadmap for the Church. The process begins now for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. 

                  In early September, Rev. Msgr. Eugene Ostrowski directed all pastors in the diocese to select a representative to coordinate their parish(s) synodal consultation process presented by the Vatican. These coordinators are tasked with conducting listening sessions in the local parishes (and missions), and maintaining records of those conversations to be presented to the diocese. This first phase of the two-year process which begins at the parish level gets to the heart of the synodal process, according to the Pontiff. The purpose is not to dwell on a church in peril, but to work together and guide the future of the Church with the Holy Spirit as our guide. 

                  “Synodality” is the new buzzword coming from Pope Francis. While many Catholics may not be familiar with this word and its meaning the Holy Father wants to change that.  

                  So, what is “Synodality” according to the pontiff? It “is much more than the celebration of ecclesial meetings and Bishops’ assemblies, or a matter of simple internal administration within the Church; it is the specific modus vivendi et operandi (way of living and working) of the Church, the People of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly, and take an active part in her evangelizing mission,” the synod documents state. 

                  The General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops with the Holy Father declared the theme “For a Synodal Church: communion, participation, and mission.” Pope Francis said the key to success is having the faithful “to journey together” toward Christ and discern how the Holy Spirit is guiding us to grow as a Church into the third millennium.  

                  The diocese will conduct training sessions in the six vicariates – Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Parkersburg, and Wheeling – for the local coordinators of the  parishes and missions “to prepare and gather the People of God, so they can give voice to their experience in their local church,” the Vatican handbook for the Synod states.   

                  In order for the parish listening sessions to be truly productive and on task, the local gatherings will be held in a “spiritual setting that supports openness in sharing as well as hearing.”  

                  The Vatican guidelines call for listening, dialogue, and community discernment sessions in which each and every person can participate and contribute. Coordinators will be trained on how to avoid pitfalls including the temptation to only focus on the problems of the Church, noting “fixating on the problems will only lead us to be overwhelmed, discouraged, and cynical.” When we allow ourselves to foster the negative, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to show us how God can work more fully in our lives and the life of the Church. The goal must focus on “walking together” forward into the future.  

                  While we learn from the past, the journey is not about where we have been, but where we are headed. The Holy Father wants this process to strengthen our unity in Christ as we pray that the Holy Spirit will “work in us so that we may be a community and a people of grace.”  

                  This synodal journey will involve all the baptized – pastors, deacons, lay faithful, parish associations, consecrated men and women and other participatory bodies of the local churches. Pope Francis notes in the documents that special care must be made to personally reach out to those who otherwise may be excluded, including “those who have left the church, those who rarely or never practice their faith, those who experience poverty or marginalization, refugees, (youth) etc.” The document also states that “no one – no matter their religious affiliation – should be excluded from sharing their perspective…, insofar as they want to help the Church on her synodal journey of seeking what is good and true.” 

                  Further the Vatican documents note it is critical in the local diocesan phase to foster participation. The training for coordinators will encourage involving others who hold different views. “Listening to those who have the same views as we do bears no fruit,” the documents state. “We must make a special effort to listen to those we may be tempted to see as unimportant and those who force us to consider new points of view that may change our way of thinking.”  

                  Pope Francis’ vision for synodality includes having specific attitudes such as humility, patience, openness to conversion and change, ability to turn away from prejudices and stereotypes, the will to learn from one another, hopefulness, and forward thinking. 

                  Once the information is collected a synthesis will be written about the discussions. These documents will then go to the diocese in March, and then to the episcopal conferences in April, where they will compile the input and feedback in order to formulate syntheses that reflect the local level contributions. This phase is to be completed by September of 2022.  

                  The initial working documents then become part of the international meetings of the seven continental assemblies in order to produce a working document for the Vatican by June 2023. All of this information that began at our local parishes and missions will ultimately be used by the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023. The Vatican council of bishops, selected from around the world, will counsel and consult the Pontiff on how the People of God around the world with the Holy Spirit as their guide discerned as the way the Church journey together to carry out her mission and continue the work of Jesus Christ on earth. 

                  Prayer for the Synod:

                  We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
                  as we gather together in Your name. 
                  With You alone to guide us, 
                  make Yourself at home in our hearts. 
                  Teach us the way we must go 
                  and how we are to pursue it. 
                  We are weak and sinful; 
                  do not let us promote disorder. 
                  Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path 
                  nor partiality influence our actions. 
                  Let us find in You our unity 
                  so that we may journey together to eternal life 
                  and not stray from the way of truth 
                  and what is right. 
                  All this we ask of You, 
                  who are at work in every place and time, 
                  in the communion of the Father and the Son, 
                  forever and ever. 
                  Amen. 

                  What to expect at the Parish Level

                  Each parish or in smaller congregations a group of parish(s) and missions will hold a consultation and listening session. The faithful are encouraged to be alert to their parish’s routine means of communication, such as bulletins, websites, social media pages, and emails, which will announce specific details about their local synod process.

                  These gatherings will be sensitive to COVID-19 and offered in-person. Other accommodations may be made to adapt to the needs of the community.  These will be determined at the local level and communicated by the parish. The focus will be on maximum inclusion and participation. 

                  The experience will be structured in order to keep the conversation productive so the coordinator can write the working document effectively. It is not a time for defamation, but a time for authentic reflection and prayerful discernment as we journey together. The Holy Father emphasizes the synodal process “is first and foremost a spiritual process. It is not a mechanical data-gathering exercise or a series of meetings and debates.” 

                  Coordinators will pose two fundamental questions:  

                  1. How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church?  
                  1. What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”?  

                  Before responding to the coordinator, we are asked to: 

                  • Recall our experiences: What experiences of our local Church does this question call to mind? 
                  • Reflect on these experiences in greater depth: What joys did they bring? What difficulties and obstacles have they encountered? What wounds did they reveal? What insights have they elicited? 
                  • Gather the fruits to share: Where in these experiences does the voice of the Holy Spirit resound? What is the Spirit asking of us? What are the points to be confirmed, the prospects for change, the steps to be taken? Where do we register a consensus? What paths are opening up for our local Church? 

                  Synod documents state, the two interrelated goals of the process are to listen to God, so we may hear the cry of His people; and to listen to His people until we are in harmony to do what God calls us. 

                  The process from October 2021 to April 2022 will include information gathered from discussions not only among parishes, but also Catholic schools, religious congregations, and other groups whose voices are seldom heard, but together desire to deepen communion, obtain fuller participation, and strengthen the mission of the Church. 

                  The documents from the local levels collected by March 2022, as well as the diocesan level finalized in April 2022, will not be generic notes that record everything that was said, but rather a document that reflects the spirit, attitude, and dreams of the faithful for the Church. 

                  Bishop Mark Brennan’s Role

                  The primary role for Most Rev. Bishop Mark Brennan will be to listen to the People of God he shepherds. In order to complete this task, he has appointed Rev. Msgr. Eugene Ostrowski as the diocesan contact person for the synodal process in the diocese to assist the priests and parish coordinators in the diocese.

                  Bishop Brennan will also communicate with the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Presbyteral Council, and other pastoral ministries, as well as listen to their feedback to be included in the diocesan synthesis. He will also oversee Monsignor Ostrowski with the formation of a diocesan synodal team, who will be charged with creating a document reflective of the local parishes’ reports. This team will reflect the diversity of the diocese in laity, clergy, men, women, young, old, etc. Bishop Brennan is to also ensure the diocesan synthesis is an honest report of all that was shared in order to build and strengthen the Holy Church.