“What is ONE thing that you would like to share with Pope Francis as he guides the Church?” That’s one of the key questions asked in a new survey from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to gather information for Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality.

The survey is intended for “all the baptized” and aims to reach both practicing and non-practicing Catholics, said Amy Tadlock, a canon lawyer and the archdiocese’s manager of organizational effectiveness.

Pope Francis wants “all the Catholics in the world is to come together, listen to one another, listen to the Holy Spirit, and provide feedback on how he should guide the global Church in the coming years. And every diocese is asked to participate,” said Tadlock, whom Archbishop Bernard Hebda has tasked with overseeing local efforts related to the Vatican’s Synod on synodality, formally titled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.”

The survey invites participants to share a written response to the “one thing” question, and then to select five areas “where you think the Catholic Church should focus its greatest attention” from a list of 30 topics, including “pro-life efforts,” “climate change” and “role of women in the Church.”

The survey also asks for some demographic information, but respondents remain anonymous.

In 2020, Pope Francis announced that the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops would focus on “synodality,” which the Synod’s website defines as “a style, a culture, a way of thinking and being, that reflects the truth that the Church is led by the Holy Spirit who enables everyone to offer their own contribution to the Church’s life.” The meeting of bishops is scheduled to take place at the Vatican in October 2023.

A poster advertising the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ survey responding to Pope Francis’ request for feedback for the Synod on synodality. TCS

Leading up to the Synod on Synodality is a two-year process that includes consultation of all the faithful, divided into four phases. The current phase includes gathering information on a diocesan level.

The archdiocese’s survey quotes the Vatican Synod’s preparatory document, which states that the “purpose of the Synod … is not to produce documents, but ‘to plant dreams, draw forth prophecies and visions, allow hope to flourish, inspire trust, bind up wounds, weave together relationships, awaken a dawn of hope, learn from one another, and create a bright resourcefulness that will enlighten minds, warm hearts, give strength to our hands.’”

The archdiocese will share the feedback collected by the survey with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the end of June.

The Vatican Synod’s emphasis on “a listening Church” dovetails with efforts well underway in the archdiocese through the Archdiocesan Synod process, which began in 2019. That process included 30 Prayer and Listening Events and focus groups in 2019-2020, through which Archbishop Hebda identified three focus areas for the local Church.

Catholics in the archdiocese gave feedback on those focus areas through Parish Consultations with six-session parish small groups in 2021, and Parish Synod Leadership Team meetings in February and March 2022. That work will culminate in the Archdiocesan Synod Assembly in St. Paul June 3-5, followed by Archbishop Hebda’s discernment of a pastoral letter, expected in November, and a subsequent action plan.

“What we have done here for our own local Synod process has already laid an amazing foundation for the Vatican Synod process that Pope Francis has called,” Tadlock said. “What we’re doing now with this survey is building on that foundation.”

Tadlock said she hopes the survey attracts participation from a wide range of Catholics, including those who attend daily Mass to those who no longer identify with the faith, and everyone in-between.

The survey option makes it possible for the local Church to hear from people “who have not been to church in years, maybe haven’t been to church since they made their first Communion. Or maybe they were hurt by somebody in the Church, or they left because of unfortunate circumstances or because of some pain or even betrayal,” Tadlock said.

“(For) people who have left, this is still their opportunity to say … how they would think the Church can be better. It’s important for them to know that they are still considered members of the Church and we still want to hear from them,” she added. “We still care about them and we still care about what they think. And we can only be better when we hear from all members of the Christian faithful.”