Prayers for the Universal Synod
The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference prayed for all of the participants at the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which formally opens today in the Vatican today, 2 October and will deliberate until 27 October on the theme, ‘For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.’ The task of this second session is to complete the discernment begun at the first session in October 2023, and thereafter to offer the result to Pope Francis in a final document.
Attending the Synod as representatives of the Bishops’ Conference are Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick, and Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ of Down and Connor. Also attending as representatives from Ireland are Sister Mary Teresa Barron OLA, President of the International Union of Superiors General; and, Sister Patricia Murray IBVM, Executive Secretary of the International Union of Superiors General. Rev Professor Eamon Conway, a priest of the Archdiocese of Tuam, is serving the Synod as an ‘Expert and Facilitator’;
The Irish Catholic Bishops said, “We invite people of faith to pray throughout October for all members of the Synodal Assembly as, in the words of Pope Francis, ‘without prayer there will be no Synod.’ Since 2021 synodal listening has moved through parish, diocesan, national, and continental stages, fostering continuous dialogue with the Universal Church. While the synodal process nurtures participation and co-responsibility, the discernment of the Pobal Dé has been at the heart of the journey, guiding the mission of the Body of Christ into the future.”
Irish Synodal Pathway
Membership of the National Synodal Team of the Irish Synodal Pathway has been announced as:
- Father Declan Hurley (chairperson) is a priest of the Diocese of Meath. He is the Administrator of Navan Parish and Vicar General for the Diocese.
- Ms Patricia Carroll is the Director of Mission and Ministry in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
- Dr Gary Carville is the Executive Secretary for Social Issues and International Affairs of the Bishops’ Conference, and for the Council for Justice and Peace.
- Sister Anne Codd, PBVM is a Presentation Sister and co-ordinates Leadership Development for AMRI (Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland).
- Mr Paul Corcoran is the Chief Operating Officer for the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
- Ms Sheena Darcy is Diocesan Secretary for the Diocese of Elphin.
- Bishop Paul Dempsey is Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin.
- Father Eamonn Fitzgibbon is a priest of the Diocese of Limerick and Director of the Irish Institute for Pastoral Studies.
- Mrs Janet Forbes is the Youth Director in the Archdiocese of Armagh.
- Bishop Martin Hayes is Bishop of Kilmore.
- Mrs Julie Kavanagh is a member of the Faith Development Services team in Kildare and Leighlin.
- Bishop Brendan Leahy is Bishop of Limerick.
- Father Timothy Lehane, SVD is the Provincial of the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries and President of AMRI.
- Mr Stephen McAnee is the chairperson of the Diocesan Pastoral Council in the Diocese of Down and Connor and the chairperson of the Pathways Programme in the diocese.
- Rev Dermot McCarthy is a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
- Father Kevin McElhennon is a priest of the Diocese of Derry and Parish Priest of Cappagh, Co Tyrone.
- Dr Jessie Rogers is the Director of the Centre for Mission and Ministries in Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth and lecturer in Sacred Scripture.
- Bishop Michael Router is Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh.
- Ms Julieann Moran is General Secretary for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
- Ms Crysta Gunn is the Senior Communications Officer with the Bishops’ Conference.
As part of the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Irish Synodal Pathway is preparing for a pre-synodal assembly in October 2025. This national pre-synodal assembly will identify key priorities in advance of the first official synodal assembly for the Church in Ireland in October 2026.