DECREE OF CONVOCATION
OF THE THIRD SYNOD OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF HARTFORD
In nomine Domini, Amen.
I, the Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford, pursuant to canons 460 to 468 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the Instruction of Diocesan Synods, (March 19, 1997), and having consulted the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors on June 26, 2017, hereby order the convocation of a diocesan Synod titled "GROW + GO" to commence on June 29, 2017, and be concluded on Pentecost Sunday, June 9, 2019.
The last Synod for the Archdiocese of Hartford was held in 1996. The purpose of this new Synod will be to consider the future of this local Church from the perspective of the New Evangelization, as presented in the magisterium of the Popes from the time of the Second Vatican Council, including the challenge articulated by Pope Francis when he writes:
I dream of a "missionary option," that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church's customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 27).
Each particular Church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is the primary subject of evangelization, since it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and in it ''the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative".... To make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I encourage each particular church to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform. (ibid., n. 30).
A pastoral plan for the Archdiocese, now in the process of implementation, is meant to be a new way forward in the spirit of Pope Francis' words. As a next step, the Synod will bring together representatives of the clergy, religious, and lay faithful to engage in focused discussion and to make recommendations to me for reinvigorating the life of this Archdiocese and ordering it in the most effective way to serve the mission of evangelization. The Synod is meant to clarify priorities and identify practical steps to promote the life and mission of this local Church.
I entrust this Synod in a special way to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, and to her Spouse, St. Joseph, Patron of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
DECREE OF CONVOCATION
OF THE THIRD SYNOD OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF HARTFORD
In nomine Domini, Amen.
I, the Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford, pursuant to canons 460 to 468 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the Instruction of Diocesan Synods, (March 19, 1997), and having consulted the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors on June 26, 2017, hereby order the convocation of a diocesan Synod titled "GROW + GO" to commence on June 29, 2017, and be concluded on Pentecost Sunday, June 9, 2019.
The last Synod for the Archdiocese of Hartford was held in 1996. The purpose of this new Synod will be to consider the future of this local Church from the perspective of the New Evangelization, as presented in the magisterium of the Popes from the time of the Second Vatican Council, including the challenge articulated by Pope Francis when he writes:
I dream of a "missionary option," that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church's customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 27).
Each particular Church, as a portion of the Catholic Church under the leadership of its bishop, is likewise called to missionary conversion. It is the primary subject of evangelization, since it is the concrete manifestation of the one Church in one specific place, and in it ''the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Christ is truly present and operative".... To make this missionary impulse ever more focused, generous and fruitful, I encourage each particular church to undertake a resolute process of discernment, purification and reform. (ibid., n. 30).
A pastoral plan for the Archdiocese, now in the process of implementation, is meant to be a new way forward in the spirit of Pope Francis' words. As a next step, the Synod will bring together representatives of the clergy, religious, and lay faithful to engage in focused discussion and to make recommendations to me for reinvigorating the life of this Archdiocese and ordering it in the most effective way to serve the mission of evangelization. The Synod is meant to clarify priorities and identify practical steps to promote the life and mission of this local Church.
I entrust this Synod in a special way to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, and to her Spouse, St. Joseph, Patron of the Archdiocese of Hartford.