In January 2017, Pope Francis called for a Synod of Bishops to take place in October of 2018 on the topic of, “Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment”.
All dioceses, including our own, have been asked by the Holy Father to provide input which will be used to help draft the Instrumentum Laboris, the working paper for the Synod participants.
The Synod of Bishops is a permanent institution established by Pope Paul VI on September 15, 1965 in response to the desire of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council to keep alive the positive spirit engendered by the conciliar experience. A Synod is a religious meeting or assembly at which bishops interact with each other in order to share information and experiences in search of pastoral solutions which are valid and applicable universally. The word synod is rooted in the Greek “syn” meaning “together” and “hodos” meaning “road” or “way”, so the word synod means “coming together”.
You can find more information on the preparation process and the upcoming Synod itself at the following link.
Mackenzie-Fort Smith 