Iowa diocese's Synodal Summit kickstarts yearlong focus on welcoming, belonging

By Barb Arland-Fye, OSV News

DAVENPORT, Iowa (OSV News) -- Catholics carrying banners, the Book of the Gospels and an icon of the most Holy Trinity led a procession into the Rogalski Center of St. Ambrose University for the Diocese of Davenport's Synodal Summit June 17.

Enthroning the Book of the Gospels served as a reminder for the gathering of several hundred people from parishes and schools throughout the diocese that "Christ is the true 'presider' of any council or synod," as the summit booklet stated.

"We gather under Christ's authority to discern: to listen to what the Word has to say to us; and then we are sent to follow what the Word asks of us," it said.

In his welcoming address, Bishop Thomas R. Zinkula summarized the Synod on Synodality initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021.

The Synod on Synodality began with listening sessions worldwide that addressed three dimensions -- communion, participation and mission -- and resulted in national, continental and universal reports that the world Synod of Bishops will address in October of this year and again next year.

The synodal process, which means journeying together as the people of God, inspired the Davenport Diocese to "continue on with this. Welcoming and belonging is a foundation we can build on," Bishop Zinkula told the Synodal Summit gathering. To move the needle forward in parishes and schools, he added, "there needs to be a greater collaboration among the clergy and laity … to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ together."

Bishop Zinkula said summit organizers planned three panels "to share thoughts and ideas" of how we can do a better job of welcoming people to our parishes and schools, thereby enabling them to feel a better sense of belonging."

He encouraged the representatives to assemble a small team to collaborate with their pastors, parish pastoral councils, school principals and school boards in the endeavor.

"Be reasonable in what you decide to take on," the bishop said. The diocese is planning some things in the arena of welcoming and belonging this year that parishes and schools can't pull off on their own, he added.

The process is going to be messy, he advised. "Life is messy. I don't know where this is going to go. Pope Francis doesn't know where this is going to go. We need to leave room for the Spirit to lead us."

Following the bishop's talk, participants conversed at round tables, sharing personal experiences of welcoming and belonging or lack thereof. A few babies babbled in the background and one little girl playfully ran from her mother. The presence of these few young children acknowledged the reality of participants needing to juggle busy lives with a daylong summit exploring what it means to be a welcoming church in which the faithful have a sense of belonging.

Parish, school and diocesan leaders shared their insights during panel discussions on communion, participation and mission, followed by Q&A opportunities and table conversations.

"The church is not a building. It's about people. We are the church," panelist Colleen Burke of the St. Patrick cluster of five parishes in Clinton County said during the communion panel discussion. She spoke about the cluster's efforts to build relationships among parishioners spread as far as 50 miles apart.

Deacon Frank Agnoli, Davenport's diocesan director of liturgy, painted a portrait of a mythical parish practicing perfect liturgical hospitality. These are some matters he asked the representatives to ponder: "How do we 'see' one another when we gather for liturgy? For how we 'see' will determine how we act." The Mass "calls us to conversion."

"It all starts with listening," said Dan Ebener, diocesan director of pastoral planning. He advised the representatives to enter conversations humbly, willing to listen to and learn from someone else. "Once you've listened to someone, they want to listen to you."

In the discussion on participation, Tasha Havercamp addressed the value of small faith groups, saying that formation of such groups requires "a thousand steps" before they come together. Building a relationship is essential to bringing someone into a small faith group, added Havercamp, director of evangelization and mission for St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Davenport.

Julia Jones, youth minister of St. Ann Parish in Long Grove, reminded the gathering that "youth ministry is the job of every adult in the parish." That job can be as simple as offering to help the youth minister with transportation to events or bringing treats for youth events or meetings. Empower youth, help them to feel needed in the parish, she said.

Sharon Roling, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in DeWitt, described how the school community strives to foster an environment that is welcoming and in which students, staff and parents feel like they belong. The school community asks itself, "How do we welcome students every day?" She added, "Smiling is contagious."

Trevor Pullinger, diocesan director of faith formation and catechesis coordinator, spoke about the domestic church, the household of faith, and encouraged an intergenerational approach adaptive to the whole family. He said families face many challenges. A sense of warmth is essential to faith formation in the family, which is a driving force in passing on the faith.

In a video message at the panel on mission, Amy Novak, president of St. Ambrose University, talked about the university's commitment to foster a sense of welcoming while also addressing the hurt that students deal with around issues such as divorce, LGBTQ+ and polarization in the church. "We have to show people they matter before they can feel like they belong."

Sister Irene Munoz spoke on cultivating unity in multicultural settings and the need to enlarge the tent -- a symbol of the synod -- religiously and culturally. A member of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Sister Munoz retired last year from multicultural ministry in the Ottumwa area.

She urged Catholics to listen to the stories of people who arrived in the U.S. to escape violence, poverty and upheaval in their homelands and to learn some simple words of welcome in that person's native language. "Sometimes our body language speaks louder than words." she said.

Father Thom Hennen, diocesan vicar general and pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, spoke about Courage, an apostolate of the church that helps same-sex attracted Catholic men and women to lead chaste lives.

In his Courage ministry, the priest has discovered "a lot of people who are and want to be Catholic and who love the church and their Catholic faith. … When it comes to this particular ministry and so many other things we're talking about, we should not feel forced into choosing between truth and love. The truth is ultimately loving. The way truth is expressed is not always loving and that's what we have to navigate very carefully as a church."

Marianne Agnoli, diocesan marriage and family life coordinator, addressed ministry to divorced and remarried persons, and ecumenical and interfaith marriages. She advised ministers and pastoral leaders to get educated on these topics and to educate their communities.

"There is so much misinformation about what the church teaches and what the church allows or doesn't allow," she said. Regarding couples in mixed marriages, she advised being intentional about programs and activities that nurture welcoming and belonging.

After the talks and lunch, participants sketched out action plans to take home, including both easier first steps and more challenging areas. The Synodal Summit concluded with prayer and a blessing of water and of the gathering, which sang as its closing song "Companions on the Journey."

"The synodal event exceeded my expectations by educating and providing me with information that will help me help my parish to be more vibrant," Marty Ryan of St. Patrick Parish in Melrose told The Catholic Messenger, Davenport's diocesan newspaper. "I am excited to go back and share and engage our young people."

Chris Meyer of the St. Patrick cluster in Clinton County appreciated the big picture approach offered by the Synodal Summit. Sometimes, it is easy to get caught up in the specifics of your parish or parishes' perspectives. "We're all in this together. We've got to bring everybody back," she said.

Bishop Zinkula said he was "pleased with and uplifted by the energy of the representatives and others who attended the Synodal Summit, their love of their Catholic faith, and their desire to better welcome people to participate in the life of the church so they have a greater sense of belonging."