Following a three-year Synod process in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda is releasing his pastoral letter this weekend during the solemnity of Christ the King. Why this weekend? Joe Ruff, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, asked that question during an interview for an upcoming episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show.  

“We certainly always want to have our eyes fixed on Jesus,” Archbishop Hebda said, adding that has been a recurring theme throughout Synod preparations. “We want to make sure that everything that we’re doing as an archdiocese leads people to Christ and that we’re able to make Jesus known and loved throughout our archdiocese.” 

Archbishop Bernard Hebda

Archbishop Bernard Hebda

While the letter is relatively long, Archbishop Hebda hopes the faithful make time to read it, even in smaller sections at a time, as it includes what he heard during the course of the Synod, how to understand how he tried to make sense of what was said “and how it might be something that sets us on a path for moving forward.”  

Archbishop Hebda said he hopes those reading the letter experience the Church as guided by the Holy Spirit and that people are willing to use their gifts to help build up the Church and respond to the Spirit in a concrete way. It will have an immediate impact on parish evangelization team members, he said, and looking ahead, parishioners will be trained in the ministry of small groups in fall 2023.  

As a result, “we might see a real expansion of small group ministry” in each parish in 2024, he said, “and that excites me because I think small groups … really has the opportunity to address both those people who are always in the pew and also those people who may have drifted or may feel some alienation or distance from the institutional Church.” 

The letter includes “lots of Scripture quotations,” quotations from the Second Vatican Council and items from the magisterium, Archbishop Hebda said. “We’re really hoping that people will talk about this with their spouses, with their kids, with their parents in a way that helps us to discern further how best we can move forward to be that witnessing Church that we know Jesus wants his Church to be,” he said.  

To hear the full interview, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Nov. 18 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Nov. 19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 20. Listeners can read about the pastoral letter at noon Nov. 19 at TheCatholicSpirit.com and on the archdiocese Facebook and Instagram pages at archdiocesespm. The letter itself will be available on the archdiocese’s website at noon Nov. 19 at archspm.org/synodletter. 

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Father David Blume, director of the Office of Vocations for the archdiocese, who discusses the state of vocations and tips for talking about answering God’s call; and Amy Miller, author of the book “Last Life Lesson: a Guide for Aging Adults and their Families,” and Kevin Gearns, a member of the St. Joseph Business Guild, which is sponsoring an upcoming retreat, “Abundance — in Life and Death.”  

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show.