Below you will find a letter from the Archdiocese regarding the upcoming Synod on the Family, introducing the central points of the discussion. Please use these links to access the original letter, a full text of the working document, and a list of questions for discussion.
January 15, 2015
Dear Pastors and Administrators:
Attached with this letter please find the Preparatory Document (Lineamenta) for the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family scheduled for October 2015. The theme of the Synod will be The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World.
As is noted in the Relatio Synodi, 4, the ongoing work of the Synod is intended to be a rethinking “with renewed freshness and enthusiasm what revelation, transmitted in the church’s faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family.” With this purpose in mind, His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, has asked for the Lineamenta to be distributed widely throughout the world in order both to participate in and inform the continuing work of the Synod. The entire process of the consultation for the Extraordinary Synod this past October, and this period of reflection and response prior to the upcoming Ordinary Synod is, as Pope Francis noted in his closing address to the Synod Bishops, a path of “spiritual and pastoral discernment.” The task at hand is “to read both the signs of God and human history in a twofold yet unique faithfulness that this reading involves.” (Lineamenta, 3)
Therefore, Cardinal Seán is asking for the Pastors and Administrators of the Archdiocese to consult with parish leadership and parishioners on the important themes raised in the attached Preparatory Document, organized in 46 questions within 15 headings. In addition, included is a 6 question summary to capture the essence of these themes; I trust you will find this summary most helpful. Whichever method you choose to use to proceed, I encourage you to set the context for this consultation by asking for a reading of the Lineamenta from your people prior to their offering a response. If it would be helpful for you to receive these materials in a language other than English, please contact me at parrish@rcab.org. In addition, to assist in education, 5 regional sessions will be offered throughout the Archdiocese, as well as through iCatholic Media, the details of which will be communicated to you. The Cardinal also plans to contact the presidents of Catholic colleges and seminaries within the Archdiocese for their participation.
So as to respect the schedule given to us by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, D.D., President of the USCCB, please return a summary of your parish responses directly to your Vicar Forane by March 1, who will then send to me his summary of responses by March 8. Thank you for your leadership in this significant consultation of the People of God regarding the unique value and dignity of the human family and its vocation and mission in the church and our world.
Fraternally yours in Christ,
Very Rev. Bryan K. Parrish
Assistant Vicar for Administration
Special Assistant to the Vicar General
