Synod Reflection Responses

PARISH MINISTRIES
Thank you to those who have completed the parish ministries form from last week.

What Happens Next ?

It’s great to see how many people want to participate in keeping St Joseph’s a living and fully functioning Parish.

For those who haven’t got round to it yet don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time to volunteer.

More volunteers in a team means less time each person will have to commit.
     Over the next month or so, if you have left your name and contact details you will be contacted and invited to meet with others who have shown an interest in the same ministry.

     Around mid-August there will be posters displayed with dates and times for each group to get together to find out more about what’s involved in the role.

   By September we expect you will be happy and actively involved in the role you have chosen, and our Parish will continue to grow from strength to strength !

• ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

Theme 1 - The journeying companions

As we journey together let us look around. Who are our companions in the Church and what

persons or groups are marginalised?

 1.     a)  The journeying companions

·       Parishioners especially those who collaborate in some act of service eg SVDP/children’s liturgy

·       Peers

·       Family and friends

·       Priest

·       Widows

·       Friends outside church can be companions within church

·       Those who only attend church at Easter or Christmas

b) Marginalised groups/people

·       People from broken marriages

·       People not allowed to go to communion because of remarriage

·       Sexual orientations – don’t feel comfortable – LGBTQ+

·       Women – their roles in the church.  No women priests

·       People with disabilities ie physical, learning, mental health problems. ( At times services too long for them to cope)

·       Single people.  Lots of emphasis on couples.

·       Single parents both fathers and mothers

·       Children/young people not included in decision making

·       Polish community and those who don’t speak English

·       Elderly

·       The lonely

·       Those who feel excluded due to the lack of inclusive language

Caritas Group

Companions:

·       Those who regularly attend church with us in our parish community.

·       Our parish members are our companions.

·       Anyone who practices the Catholic faith.

·       Our families.

Marginalised:

·       Women and young people are not very prominent. Women cannot become priests. Young people don’t have much leadership or service roles.

·       Many young people are unable to make mass at the weekends and feel excluded and penalised.

·       Those people who may have had an abortion feel like they are looked down on for their life choice.

·       Those members of the LGBT community feel like they cannot be themselves. The Church’s stance on gay marriage may drive people away.

·       People who may go to Mass because their partner is Catholic but are not members of the Catholic faith.

·       Those who do not attend Mass regularly.

·       Those who have stopped attending Church may view the faith negatively because of the way society views the Church.

·       People who may have married and then divorced.

·       It seems that young people and older people have different views about how society should be and how the Church should respond.

ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

Theme 2- Listening

How might our local Church better listen to lay people (and especially young people and women)

and minorities and those who are not respected?

·       Young people, women and minorities should be listened to and respected.

·       There needs to be the opportunity for people to meet within the church, perhaps on a regular basis and both ask questions and voice their opinions.  Possibly in small groups

·       To support young people, we need the church to acknowledge the world they are living in especially in the area of gender.  They need to know the church welcomes them and is there to listen to their needs

·       Have a co-ordinator for parishes

·       Ensure IT facilities are good in each parish and it is available to all parishioners.  Use of social media to help inform and support people

·       Treatment of people needs to be universal within the church

·       We should build on the positives we have within the church such as the SVDP

·       Perhaps we should speak to members of the parish that we don’t know to try to get to know them and help make them feel part of the parish.

·       Through schools and clubs

·       Welcoming attitude especially to the marginalised or to those of other faiths and beliefs

·       Be more aware of other people, help where we can and be less judgemental and not so set in our ways.

·       Teenagers need a youth group as a safe place to meet and share their ideas.

·       A mother and toddler to attract young families and give them the space and opportunity to share with others

·       Due to COVID lost the opportunity for social gatherings where old and new members could get to know one another.  Could social gatherings be restarted?

·       Invite those who feel left out / marginalised to meetings

·       Have regular opportunities for people to discuss faith issues and being a catholic in daily life eg. at the end of Sunday Mass- well advertised beforehand and in a focussed way

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·       By organising events for the wider community in a location that is not in the parish so that people might feel more welcome for the first time.

·       Allow women more leadership opportunities.

·       Women clergy?

·       Provide a platform for parishioners to meet to speak.

·       Use schools as a place of discussion and have more school visits to aspects of our Church.

·       Try to avoid the use of ‘lay people’ and ‘clergy’ as it seems to create a division in terms of categories of Catholics.

·       Reach out to those struggling to attend Church.

·       Try to avoid feeling offended if someone has a different view from ourselves. This can lead us to be very defensive.

·       Have someone from our parish keep our Bishop regularly up to date with matters in our parish and views of parishioners.

ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 3 SPEAKING OUT

How can everybody be encouraged to communicate properly what is important to them?

·      Encourage all to speak out by creating small groups, especially as some people feel intimidated in large groups

·      Create discussion groups on themes that might inspire people to share eg Laudato Si, SCIAF, J&P

·      Install a suggestion box as people may be embarrassed to speak out

·      Have meetings where people are invited to share what is important to them in church matters.

·      Encouragement to those who may feel their opinion isn’t important or worthwhile to speak out

·      By not judging what people have to say and respecting their opinions

·      Not forcing your opinion on others allowing for a difference of opinion /viewpoint

·      By allowing others to share why they no longer attend church – show understanding and empathy and perhaps through listening and responding to them they may feel confident in returning to church

·      Our use of social media and other digital formats may have helped communication with wider church.  Keep things interesting, visual and not too lengthy.

·      It is hard to communicate where there is no common ground, perhaps social media could be used more

·      By talking, discussing, listening and praying together

·      Encourage people to speak to the priest or parish pastoral council if they have concerns or suggestions.

CARITAS OLHS

·      By organising events that allow people to be heard without the fear of judgement.

·      If there were signs that the Church listened to us and this was shown in the decisions that were made.

·      The Church should ask us our own opinions more.

·      The Church should be made more accessible to young people.

·      Invite more speakers into schools from the Church.

·      Social media should be used as much as possible for outreach.

·      Allow young people to be kept up to date with issues in the Church.

·      Our Bishop should be more accessible.

·      If teachers express their views, pupils may feel more comfortable saying what they truly think or feel.

 ST JOSEPH’S CUMBERNAULD

THEME 4  - CELEBRATING

How do the Mass and other liturgies help us in our Christian lives and how might we participate in them at a deeper level?

 ·      The liturgy is still relevant today in our daily lives as it was in the beginning of Christianity

·      Alternative services – shorter masses/prayer services for people with busy schedule who cannot attend normal service.  Different times and days

·      Ability to fulfil spiritual obligation on another day other than Sunday

·      Services bring us together to celebrate out faith.  We could volunteer to be a reader/Eucharistic minister/ help at children’s liturgy/prepare bidding prayers/offertory

·      Have a music group

·      Try and use children and marginalised groups in services

·      Community is important to our celebration

·      Need other liturgies that are relevant to present day and use more appropriate translations of scripture – inclusive language

·      Priests need to be more responsive to the needs of the people/world in celebrating the liturgy.  They need to make it more dynamic and not be hide bound by rules and regulations.  Need for more spontaneity.

·      There is a need to introduce the many ways of praying and not just ‘prayers”

·      Read a passage of the bible daily or frequently to inspire our way of life.

·      Need for times of quiet and reflection as well as meeting others during mass

CARITAS OLHS

 ·      By properly listening to the readings and the Gospel to help us recognise how we should live.

·      By taking the opportunity to read at Mass.

·      By leading and being part of other prayer services in addition to the Mass (like a prayer service for Laudato Si’)

·      They are guides for our prayer life and we should draw upon them for the focus of our prayer

·      The liturgies give us a space for reflection and peace.

·      They bring us closer to God and then guide our prayer and actions.

·      Before Mass begins, there should be prayerful silence. Church should not be the place where people catch up and talk.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 5 CO-RESPONSIBILITY IN THE MISSION

How can each baptised person become a"missionary disciple"?

 ·      Waking up each day with question, ”How may I serve today?”

·      Leading by example ( easier said than done!). Live the gospel message.

·      By sharing our faith in our daily life

·      People need help, through preaching etc, to realise that being missionary is first and foremost putting our faith values into practice in all we do in our daily life

·      Clergy often act as thought their word is final and lay people then hold back from making or suggesting changes

·      When people are asked to be involved they need to be encouraged and told exactly what is involved

·      There can be a problem of the ‘clique’.  The small group who seem do everything which can lead to others saying ‘someone else is doing that, I don’t want to commit’

·      Take on charitable actions.

·      Have a friendly/attitude and be non-judgemental

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·      Ensuring we take responsibilities for different roles within our Church community.

·      Becoming readers at Mass.

·      By speaking to people who are not Catholic about your experiences to pass on your understanding and insights.

·      Helping out at Mass

·      Willing to be of service beyond the parish.

·      Put ourselves at service for charitable activities.

·      Have senior pupils share their experiences with younger pupils in school.

·      By supporting Catholic charities or volunteering to work with them. The church already has many initiatives that are worthy of our support.

·      Strive to continuously learn more about our faith.

·      This should be a key part of school life continuously and not just during the seasons of Advent and Lent. If there was a more consistent focus on putting faith into action and helping those in need, there would be more opportunities for more people to get involved.

·      Practice forgiveness in our daily lives.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

 THEME 6 DIALOGUE IN CHURCH AND SOCIETY

How might we improve our conversations within our diocesan family and also outside of it (for

example with people of different faiths, those who have no faith, and those who have particular

competencies)?

 ·      Creating/making time for interfaith /ecumenical meetings and prayer services

·      Not being afraid to speak out about what is at the heart of us and what makes us tick

·      Bishop needs to be seen more regularly in parishes and in general

·      Have meetings at diocesan level

·      Need to be more open about our faith in our relationships with others and in our social and political life

·      By being open and friendly to all people no matter their faith or none

·      By listening and interacting with others to understand their beliefs

·      Education in other faiths

·      Attend services in other faith groups and invite them to ours

·      Arrange open days to learn about each other’s faith

·      Join zoom interfaith groups

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·      Allow for regular dialogue and discussions built upon mutual respect and appreciation of difference.

·      Caritas meetings are a good platform for young people to discuss and bring us together. We should have opportunities to meet Caritas pupils from different schools and dioceses.

·      Caritas awards ceremony brings us together.

·      By understanding the ways in which different parishes or diocese work and get to know their culture.

·      We must strive to reach out to these people and dialogue with them, but we also have to be realistic that this can only go so far. Not everyone will follow our way of thinking.

·      We need opportunities to learn more about different religions other than Christianity to grow in understanding.

·      Recognise limits and understand there are people in the world who do not want to live religious lives. We should understand and respect this.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 7 DIALOGUE WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS

Are our relations with our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations good and how

might they be improved?

 ·      Relations have improved from how they used to be but there still needs to be a desire to improve relations as we need the unity between us to help improve society

·      Clergy need to offer more encouragement to parishes to get involved in ecumenism

·      We need to accept that others will not always agree with our beliefs, but we can still work to find the common ground.

·      In our daily lives we mix with people of different faiths, but we are still hesitant to discuss or learn about one another’s faith.

·      Better education in schools on the danger of sectarianism ( particularly Celtic and Rangers )

·      We need to listen and learn from other faiths.

·      We need to take up the opportunity to visit other places of worship to really begin to understand their beliefs and to welcome other faith groups into our churches.

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·      We have to remember we are all part of the Christian faith.

·      Reach out to our brothers and sisters locally from other Christian denominations. Try to focus on the common good and issues that unite us.

·      Set time aside to listen to our brothers and sisters from other Christian denominations

·      Find common ground on issues like conflict/war, refugees and care for the environment and work together.

·      Organise events that invite our brothers and sisters from other Christian denominations

·      Hostility and sectarianism are issues in Scotland but we should try to overcome those barriers or obstacles.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 8 AUTHORITY AND PARTICIPATION

How might we develop teamwork and a sense of co-responsibility in our local Church?

 ·       There seems to be very little lay leadership/authority in the Church

·       Priests/bishops need to listen to the people – shared responsibility for our Church is essential

·       Priests need to allow lay people to help and take responsibility where possible.

·       Atmosphere needs to be warm, welcoming

·       Small group meetings may encourage young people and adults to look at issues and take responsibility

·       Need to be willing to ask ,’how can we support?’

·       Don’t stifle good suggestions and take on board possible changes

·       Need to get more people involved.  It seems to be the same people doing things.  Every little thing helps. Offer talents no matter how lacking in confidence

·       Fr McKay won’t always be there to make decisions, and it is unlikely we will get a replacement, therefore if we want our church to survive, we will all have to take responsibility and help make decisions with the help of the Holy Spirit. Maybe deacons/deaconess

·       A committee would need to be formed to arrange meetings.  It would be great if young people could get involved as their thoughts/opinions are very important.

·       By inviting all members/parishioners of different groups to a meeting to explain each area of work and hopefully get others to volunteer to help

·       Hopefully portray that all are welcome, no cliques.  Encourage people to be involved especially by word of mouth

·       Need to do a parish audit of what needs to be done to make the parish work.  Then we need the parishioners to be willing to take on some of the tasks which would allow more people to be involved

·       Individual and group social contact should be encouraged

·       WhatsApp groups set up in parish

·        CARITAS OLHS

·       By allowing for regular opportunities for the parish community together to respond to pressing issues in the parish and in the local or wider community.

·       By trying to get to know others in our parish community.

·       By volunteering to support our parish in different ways.

·       Understand the needs of our older parish community and try to help them as much as we can.

·       Parishes should encourage more young people to be involved

·       Ensure that the responsibility in the parish does not belong to one lay person or one priest. Provide different areas of leadership.

·       There is a dependency on older parishioners to sustain our parish through leadership roles. Pass on more leadership opportunities to young people.

·       If events are organised in the parish, there should be a consideration that young people may struggle to attend due to work and school. Many work part time at the weekend and we feel isolated because of this. Weekday Mass is often during the day and we cannot make that because of school. Try to support young people through arranging parish events that make it accessible to us.

·       Have rotas where people have different responsibilities to service and leadership is shared.

·       We have worked as part of a team during Caritas and we would like to do more of this.

·       Try to bridge the gap between bishops and parishioners.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 9 DISCERNING AND DECIDING

How might we improve the process of decision-making in our loca! Church, such that we properly

take account of what the Holy Spirit is saying through each one of us?

 ·      We need formation on how to discern to enable us to make better decisions

·      Use prayer times and be prepared to listen and accept change

·      Be willing to speak up – create opportunities for people to share

·      A questionnaire on decisions being made - distributed at mass and in schools

·      Ensure that people are well informed regarding discussions/changes that may be happening in the parish/church

·      When any decision needs to be made, we invite everyone to pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance

·      Through meetings, questionnaires and discussion

·      By practising what we preach in everyday lives

·      Serious involvement of women/lay people in wider church

·      Improving the process of decision making would improve if we believed that we were all equal and that no-one is better than anyone else.  We need humility and a willingness to communicate.  Need to recognise the power of the Holy Spirit within us and pray that we will allow the Spirit to guide us

·      We need to establish who decides and who has authority and why them!! Authority should be seen as a partnership

·      Parish needs to have knowledge of what is actually happening within the parish. Better communication of what groups and activities are available and how to get involved

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·      Provide more opportunities to consult members of the parish community about decisions being made.

·      Remember that we should communicate with others as God intended us to.

·      Members of the parish who have more responsibilities should take the time to listen to parish members who may not be consulted at all.

·      By inviting members of parish communities into schools to help strengthen the relationship between school and parish.

·      Ensure greater co-operation between younger and older parishioners.

·      People could meet in smaller groups, like a Caritas group, and feedback to the parish priest.

·      Ask those who have left our parish communities why they have done so in order to reflect but also to change and adapt.

·      More synod-like meetings in parishes.

 ST JOSPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

THEME 10 FORMING OURSELVES IN SYNODALITY

What formation is necessary within the local Church if we are to become better at listening to

one another and sharing our insights with one another?

 ·      Laity to be given opportunity to speak and expect to be listened to

·      Form small groups for discussion and a representative share groups thoughts in larger meeting

·      A committee would need to be formed to co-ordinate meetings/discussions.  Important that young people are involved in the co-ordinating group

·      Need to be willing to come together to share our views and listen openly to others, with no judgement– willing to work together

·      Willingness to let go of rigidly held concepts.  Allow Holy Spirit to breathe new life into the Church

·      Hierarchy need to see that decision making cannot be confined to Rome. Clergy and especially seminarians need to be more aware of the reality of people’s lives and the Church needs to adapt its thinking to today’s world and not the Middle Ages.

·      Adult formation on a variety of subjects – scriptural, spiritual, pastoral which would allow us to grow together

 CARITAS OLHS

 ·      Ensuring that we can meet people of different ages. We can learn from older generations.

·      When we meet, we can discuss things like this synodal model where one person speaks at a time without judgement and is not spoken over.

·      Invite other faith groups to our parish councils in order to learn from their ways of working.

·      Ensure Caritas pupils can share their experience with younger pupils to give them an insight into faith leadership opportunities.

 ST JOSEPH’S PARISH CUMBERNAULD

OTHER COMMENTS THAT WE FEEL ARE IMPORTANT

 ·       Child abuse scandal reduces overall faith in Church as moral organisation

·       Need inclusive language in prayers and the scripture.  We do not believe that ‘man’ means everyone.  Women feel excluded by this kind of terminology

·       Need to look again at the translation of the mass prayers. The recent changes are clumsy, not helpful in leading us closer to God in prayer. Too much emphasis on being not worthy/sinner rather that how much we are loved by God.  Liturgy needs to be simplified.

·       Church needs to rethink social issues teaching eg homosexuality, birth control

·       Stance on divorced and remarried should be changed – should be allowed to receive communion and should be allowed to remarry in the Church

·       Clericalism and male dominance hinders the growth of a gospel centred faith

·       Seminary training needs to change dramatically.  As it stands, they are isolated in a male community, living in another culture and preserved from the realities of everyday living.  Training needs to be local and relevant to today’s world.

·       Permanent deacons have clericalized the laity and once more pushed women to the side.  The money spent training the deacons would have been better spent on a formation programme for male and female laity who wanted to take up different leadership roles within the church.

·       We need an urgent discussion on ministry in the Church – male/female/celibate/married/ fulltime/ part-time.  The Church will die with an ageing male celibate priesthood

·       Marriage classes should not be led only by an unmarried priest.  Should be more educational on all aspects of married life.

·       Gay marriage – people feel unheard.  They should be allowed to celebrate their relationship and their faith

·       Need to develop a lived Christian faith through our worship but as importantly through our action on justice and social awareness

·       Young people don’t feel Church benefits their lives. Often described as boring

·       Priests are generally authority figures and out of touch through age, attitudes with younger people

·       Why do we have the archaic titles for the hierarchy - your grace, my lord etc.  Puts them in an elevated position.  The dressing up in cassocks, birettas, zucchetto and mitre keeps them apart and for most people the putting on and off of headgear during a service is distracting an unnecessary!

·       Need to find new ways to present our faith to young and old that is meaningful and supportive.

·       Online spiritual talks/lectures are more meaningful than most priest’s sermons

CARITAS OLHS

 ·       We would like the Church to be a more inclusive place, and for our Church to be open to change.

·       We would like young people to have more of a say in decisions that affect the Church. We are the future of our Church.

·       We would like our Church to be more open to interfaith initiatives.