In 2021, Pope Francis invited all Catholics to gather, listen and discern what it means to be Church and where the Holy Spirit is calling us. When the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops released the Preparatory Document, the Cleveland Diocese formed a synodal team made up of a diverse representation of ministries in the diocese including: Parish Life, Missionary Discipleship, Interfaith/Ecumenical Affairs, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Human Life, Marriage and Family, Lay Ecclesial Ministry, Child Protection, Cultural Ministries, Catechesis, Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, Prison Ministry, Continuing Education and Worship.

On October 17, 2021, we celebrated the opening liturgy of the Synod in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. We trained over 200 facilitators from November 2021 through January 2022 to coordinate and lead the listening sessions in parishes, schools and organizations. Listening sessions began the first week of Advent and the online survey opened in February 2022. In February 2022, Bishop Edward Malesic also participated in a listening session with local ecumenical judicatory leaders. The consultation process ended at the end of March 2022 and all reports were due by the end of April 2022.

On June 11, 2022, we held a diocesan pre-synodal gathering with nearly 300 delegates from across the diocese. This gathering was an opportunity for diverse members of the diocese to come together to pray, reflect on their experience of the synodal process in the diocese, listen to feedback that has emerged from the listening sessions, dialogue about the current reality of the local Church and the signs of the times and discern the Holy Spirit’s call for the diocese on the path of synodality. The conversations focused on the three primary themes of the Synod: communion, participation and mission. Delegates reflected on the common themes that emerged during the consultation process and identified action steps for us to take as we continue to journey together.

The following synthesis report outlines the process that was developed and implemented in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. It highlights the common themes from the listening and discernment process. It also includes the recommended emerging actions identified during the diocesan pre-synodal gathering.

REPORTS:

• Synod Synthesis Report
• Synod Synthesis Outline