Here is Bishop Folda’s letter announcing that the Diocese of Fargo will hold a Synod in 2014. Stay tuned for ways you can help prepare for this event. In the meantime, pray that preparations go well. For more information, visit the Synod page on the Diocese of Fargo website.
“Go therefore and makes disciples of all nations … teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19a, 20)
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
With great joy I announce to you an important event in the life of our Church in the Diocese of Fargo. Today, on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022, I am calling the Third Synod of the Diocese of Fargo, the first such synod since 1951.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that a diocesan synod is “an assembly of priests and other members of Christ’s faithful who assist the bishop by offering advice about the needs of the diocese and by proposing legislation for him to enact”. The word “synod” comes from the Greek and signifies “walking together,” or taking a common road together. This diocesan synod is distinct from the Synod of Bishops that will meet in Rome in 2023, and it will deal more directly with the needs and mission of our own diocesan Church.
In this era of change in our world and our culture, the Church must come to a renewed understanding of her identity as a communion in Christ, the People of God animated by the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Our diocesan Church is one with the universal Church, and shares in the mission that Jesus gave to his apostles, to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Through this diocesan synod, we will gather in communion and charity to reflect upon the times in which we live, to discern the grace of the Holy Spirit at work in our diocesan family, and to respond to the invitation of our Lord to proclaim the Good News of our faith to the world.
Our diocesan synod will involve a period of preparation and consultation with listening sessions to be held in early 2023 throughout our diocese. During this time I will ask all of you to prayerfully consider the needs of our diocesan Church and the mission that has been entrusted to us. The synodal assembly, which is planned for the spring of 2024, will include representation from all our parishes and organizations, clergy, consecrated religious, and the lay faithful. lt is my hope that through an openness to the grace of the Holy Spirit and the fervent participation of our entire diocesan family, we will live more fully our life and mission as the Church of Jesus Christ in the Diocese of Fargo.
As with any great initiative in the life of the Church, this upcoming synod must be prepared for and supported by prayer. The national Eucharistic Revival, which begins on June 19th, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, will be a special time of prayer and adoration in our diocese and in our parishes. This period of Eucharistic prayer providentially coincides with our own synodal preparation, and will be an opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to Christ in the Holy Eucharist and to reinvigorate our faith. We entrust the preparation and work of our diocesan synod in a special way to Jesus Christ, who offers himself to his Father and to us in every Mass, and who abides in every tabernacle with burning love for his people.
I look forward to praying and journeying with you through our diocesan synod, and I beg the Holy Spirit to pour down his abundant blessing and grace upon this endeavor and on all the faithful of the Diocese of Fargo.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
✠ Most Reverend John T. Folda
Bishop of Fargo