Over 100 Canadian priests convened for a Zoom video conference Aug. 14 to discuss how to develop synodal and missionary Catholic churches from coast to coast.
Participants pondered the same questions posed to their clerical colleagues from around the world who attended the Parish Priests for the Synod International Meeting from April 28 to May 2 at the Fraterna Domus in Rome.
Father Pierre Ducharme, OFM, of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Richmond, Father Fabio de Souza of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Calgary, and Father Daniel Ouellet, the priest-moderator of 22 parishes in Quebec’s Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere diocese, led the proceedings.
Each host priest provided an overview of the reports they submitted to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) detailing their observations of the spring summit organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Vatican’s Dicastery of the Clergy. Calgary Bishop William McGrattan will also deliver an opening statement.
The two-hour agenda emphasized dialogue, with participants divided into small groups to discuss one of three topics:
- Experiences of synodality in the parish;
- Charisms, vocations and ministries in the life of the parish;
- Discernment and participation in the life of the parish.
“Part of the mandate was to use the same questions we used in Rome,” said Father Ducharme before the video conference. “My favourite is the second part, which speaks to our job as pastors to bring out the charisms of the laity and support the lay ministries. We sometimes forget about that as ordained. It is not at all about us. It is about how we can build up others, and therefore build up Christian community.”
Fathers Ducharme, de Souza and Ouellet were identified by their respective dioceses as optimal candidates to attend the international meeting because they were already implementing synodal practices in their respective parish communities. The dioceses conducted a similar invitation process for the Zoom conference, and pastors regarded as passionate about the cause of synodality were encouraged to register.
“I hope that all of the priests who participate try to take the process forward and experiment with it so they can become true leaders of a synodal Church,” said Father Ducharme. “The (official) word is ‘facilitator,’ but let’s face it: this is a matter of leadership. Pastors must have to lead, and part of leading is having the courage to say, ‘I believe in this, and we’re going to try it together.’”
