Your Invited

By H. Thomas Dotterweich, Director of Evangelization

I have written numerous times over the past couple of years about the Synod on Synodality and I come to you this month with yet another article on the topic. In 2021 I wrote about inviting everyone to prayer for and participation in our local Diocesan Synod on the Domestic Church. This Synod, and the delegate body, impacted the original contribution the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings made to the Synod on Synodality.

Since 2021 I have invited readers into prayer for the synodal process and for those delegates involved in the meetings in Rome this past October. It is my sincere hope that each of us has taken that call to prayer seriously. This process continues to be one which unfortunately has become a divisive topic within the Church. I encourage all of us to expand our prayer beyond just the Synod and the delegates. Let us all pray for unity within Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church.

In addition to prayer for the synodal process, the delegates who will gather again in Rome in October, and for unity in the Church, there is one other way you have the ability to impact the Synod on Synodality.

As part of the final stages of this synod, every Diocese in the United States has been asked to hold two additional listening sessions with specific guiding questions. Bishop Fleming held the first of these two listening session on Thursday, February 15th in Great Falls. The final listening session will be held at St. Pius X Parish in Billings on Sunday, March 3rd at 3:30PM. All people of good will who would like to participate in this listening session are welcome to attend.

The format of the listening session will begin and end with opportunities of silent prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to help guide our time together and to assist us in listening to one another. There will also be a brief explanation of the synodal process up to this point, and then time for listening to responses to the following guiding questions:

• Where have I seen or experienced successes-and distresses-within the Church’s structure(s)/organization/leadership/life that encourage or hinder the mission?

• How can the structures and organization of the Church help all the baptized to respond to the call to proclaim the Gospel and to live as a community of love and mercy in Christ?

While we recognize that there are other specific questions and concerns which have arisen regarding the synod, the purpose of these listening sessions is to garner responses/reactions to the above, and so we are only inviting responses surrounding these guiding questions.

If you are interested in providing your responses to the two questions above, but were unable to attend the listening session in Great Falls or will be unable to attend the one at St. Pius X on March 3rd, we welcome your responses in writing sent to: Diocese of Great Falls-Billings ATTN: Synod PO Box 1399 Great Falls, MT 59403. All written responses must be received no later than Friday, March 8, 2024, to be included in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings’ document which will be submitted to the USCCB before the end of the month of March.

Thank you for your prayerful support and active participation in this process.

March 3 Third Sunday of Lent
March 10 Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
March 17 Fifth Sunday of Lent
March 19 Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
March 24 Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
March 28 Holy Thursday
March 29 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
March 31 Easter Sunday
April 7 Second Sunday of Easter
April 8 Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
April 14 Third Sunday of Easter
April 21 Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 25 Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist
April 28 Fifth Sunday of Easter