Our Archdiocesan Synodal Council met for the second time in November, with delegates from across the archdiocese meeting at the St Margaret Clitherow Centre.
Every Deanery was represented by clergy and laypeople, both in-person and online. Also present were invited ecumenical brothers and sisters and representatives from various archdiocesan bodies.
Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP blessed the day, after giving a warm welcome to those in attendance.
He spoke about Cardinal-elect Timothy Radcliffe, and said he mentioned Liverpool in conversation recently: “At the bottom of an email talking about the Vatican Synod, he said Liverpool is being held up as an example of a diocese that is living synodally.
“That’s good that they know about it. We’ve been working very hard at living synodally.”
Monsignor Philip Inch, Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Organisation and Synodal Implementation, then spoke on what it means to be synodal, and how it relates back to our baptismal calling.
Following a prayer led by Chris Higgins, archdiocesan Parish and Deanery Development Adviser, Professor Emeritus at Liverpool Hope University John Sullivan gave a reflection. He focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in these deliberations, discussed Lee Strobel’s “Tour-bus Christians” analogy, and likened synodality to adventure.
This set the stall for two table discussions, one on the outcomes of the Strategy Day meeting in September, and the other on the questions/statements proposed by the Deanery Synodal Councils. Each deanery also had the chance to present their findings.
Archbishop Malcolm ended the day with an interesting point about the questions on faith.
He said: “What does the Bible say I should do? What does the Pope say? What do they both tell me I need to do? But I don't think like that. I turn the question now and I say, ‘What does what I do tell me about God?’ Because that seems to me to be the ultimate question. Now that's an adventure.”
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