Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic Church in Milwaukee, has notified parishioners that it will be holding a Synod listening session soon, giving the faithful a chance to make comments about the Church and how it can improve.

“Pope Francis wants your opinion,” it said on Facebook. “Over the coming months, Catholics from around the world will be participating in a worldwide Synod, or consultation process. OLOL will be holding a Synod listening session in the near future. Be sure to watch for details in upcoming bulletins.” 

The Church is soliciting feedback from all its parishioners, priests, nuns and others as part of an effort to better serve its people.

Pope Francis declared in October that “Synod 2021-2023: For a Synodal Church” was going to start, according to The Conversation. He encouraged participation, tweeting: "Participating in a #Synod means taking the same path as the Word made flesh: following in his footsteps, listening to his word and the words of others, discovering with amazement that the Holy Spirit always surprises us with fresh paths and new ways of speaking.” 

The Conversation says the two-year process involves expanding upon the “Synod of Bishops.” Bishops the world over are to spend the first part of the two-year venture consulting with monks, nuns, parishioners, and laypeople to bring more openness and transparency to the Church. Then, next year, the bishops will meet for a discussion on how to move forward as a church that “journeys together.” 

The word “Synod” comes from a Greek word meaning “coming together,” so it’s an appropriate description of the process. 

The Synodal tradition began with ancient Christian leaders. They would gather at times to discuss and pray about issues that affected the whole Church, according to The Conversation. But the frequency of such meetings fell off by the 16th century. It was only recently, with the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), that interest in having synods was revived, as the council set a goal to underscore the role of bishops as leaders of their communities and encourage more communication between bishops.