Archdiocesan Synod Assembly opens with buoyed spirits, Mass, procession

Marilynn Neuville, a parishioner of St. Dominic in Northfield, has been saying the Synod prayer since 2019. “It’s truly the most beautiful prayer,” she said. “Open our eyes, open our ears, open our minds, open our hearts and open our hands,” she recited from memory.

“I think it’s how we should live. And I think our world needs a deep joy, a deep peace, a deep understanding of humanity, especially as we see so many destructions and wars — and George Floyd and Ukraine,” Neuville said. “And I think at this time, the Holy Spirit is going to be telling us how we as an archdiocese can go spread the joy, the love and the mercy of God in the next 80 years.”

Neuville, 71, felt moved to volunteer at the three-day Archdiocesan Synod Assembly, which began June 3 at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, the first in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in more than 80 years. The venue is hosting about 500 delegates this weekend, representing most of the 189 parishes and other Catholic institutions in the archdiocese.

Participants streamed into the 7 p.m. Opening Synod Mass at Holy Spirit in St. Paul under sunny skies and a mild, early summer evening.

Tom Konrardy, 68, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Waconia with his wife, Beth, said he has been part of the three-year Synod process since its beginning, helping to organize participation at his parish.

“I see this (Synod) as so important to help provide some clarity of where we as a parish will go,” he said, “so that we can be collaborative, so that we can be cohesive in spreading our faith to the world. And I think this is how we’re going to be able to do it.”

Konrardy said he was honored that parishioners were asked to participate and provide input, saying many believe the Catholic Church is “all top down.” The Synod demonstrates that people in the pews can provide input if they want to, he said, by coming to activities such as the Prayer and Listening Events that were held early in the Synod process.

“For me personally, it was very interesting to understand how other parishioners were thinking and feeling about our faith,” he said. “And it was very positive. There were some challenges, but it was always done respectfully.”

Konrardy said it is not him, his wife, nor the other participants driving the Synod process. “It is the Holy Spirit driving us,” he said, adding that he has deeply appreciated the Synod’s prayerful nature.

After prayer and discernment, Synod Assembly participants will be voting on what they believe to be the best propositions, or action items, to take to meet the goals of the Synod’s three focus areas: 1. Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization, 2. Forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’s love and respond to his call, and 3. Forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young.

“It’ll be very intriguing to see how the Holy Spirit works with us with these very challenging propositions because I have really struggled trying to figure out which ones do I think are the highest priority for our archdiocese and … for our parish,” Konrardy said. The upcoming discussions will be interesting, he said, adding, “This is just what I needed.”

Alanna Halloran, 17, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, said it was a cool opportunity to be involved with the Church and where it is headed. Alanna and her twin sister, Elizabeth, are participating in the weekend’s discussions, and Elizabeth read the first reading at the opening Mass.

“At my age, I really want to try to take these steps forward in my faith and make sure I’m staying involved into my adulthood,” Alanna Halloran said.

Boyet Mangaliman, a parishioner of St. Bonaventure in Bloomington, said he is volunteering at the Synod because he is part of the larger Catholic community.

“And as a Catholic, I think we should be one (in unity),” he said. “We should be one of the arms of the Catholic Church by helping, by volunteering, giving of our time, talent and treasure.”

Pete and Tara Klatt drove an hour from St. Boniface in St. Bonifacius to participate in the Synod Assembly. They planned to stay in the Twin Cities for the weekend as they, too, looked to the Holy Spirit for guidance.

“Hopeful, prayerful, we’ve been praying a lot preparing for this,” Tara Klatt said. “The Holy Spirit is what we need. We are hoping it will reinvigorate our priests, our lay people, and provide unity.”

Pete said he is excited the local Church is seeking a path forward with everyone “on the same page.”

“We’re looking forward to spending time with Christ tonight, and the whole weekend,” Tara said.