Today, 8 April, marks the official opening of the Limerick Diocesan Synod, the first of its kind in Ireland in fifty years and the first in the Diocese of Limerick in eighty years.
The synod was called by Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick in December 2014 to look at ways to reinvigorate the Church and how it operates in the diocese in order to best meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of the people of Limerick in the years ahead.
The synod takes place over the next three days in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, finishing this Sunday, 10 April.
It will discuss the following themes:
- Community & Sense of Belonging
- New Models of Leadership
- Liturgy & Life
- Pastoral Care of the Family
- Faith Formation
- Youth Ministry
Bishop Leahy said today that the synod was going better than he could have imagined: “It’s the first time we’ve done a synod here in eighty years, the first time ever with such a massive lay participation; I didn’t know what to expect, but I was really impressed already with with our first sessions this morning”.
He acknowledged the tremendous amount of work that has gone into the synod: “We’ve had twenty-three meetings getting us to this point. The people have discussed a lot, been through a lot. This is a distilling of the wisdom of the listening that has gone on right across the sixty parishes of our Diocese of Limerick.”
“This is 400 delegates saying ‘this is a priority for us’, it’s not just me saying it, it’s the Diocese of Limerick saying it across all our parishes.”
For more information on the Synod of Limerick see Synod2016.com and limerickdiocese.org.
