The 10 Themes to Facilitate Reflections In Simple English

Some Alternate Questions for Reflection

Below are suggestions for simpler wording of questions to reflect the ten themes.  These were suggested to help reflect on “lived synodality,” taking the time to be together as a community and reflect together about your parish as a community of people that lives out the Gospel, both in the way it is concerned about its members and is concerned about impacting the local community beyond itself. 

• I’ve offered adaptations for all 10, so there is a selection for whichever themes are selected.  These are only general suggestions. Feel free to adapt based on the people you are engaging with.
• It would be good to come up with some good illustrations of the selected themes.  They could work for everyone. 

Companions on the Journey

• Who makes you feel good in your parish?
• Who looks lonely in your parish? 
• Who doesn’t have any friends?
• Do you feel lonely in your parish?

Listening

• Who do you not like to listen to? 
• Why do you feel that way?
• Who do other people not listen to?
• Why do you think that?

Speaking Out

• Do you feel like people listen to you in your parish?

Celebration

• Is attending mass important to you? 
• Do people at mass say hello to you? 
• Do people at mass show they care about you?
• What is your favorite part of mass?
• What don’t you like about mass?

Sharing Responsibility for Our Common Mission

• Does your parish work together to help people outside of the parish?
• What does it do?
• Who does it help?

Dialogue in Church and Society

• Do you think that different kinds of people work together in your parish?

Ecumenism?

• Does your parish make friends with other faith communities to help people in your town that need help?

Authority and Participation

• Who decides what your parish will do together?
• Is it one person or is it a group of people?
• How is it done?

Discerning and Deciding

• Do you think decisions about what your parish will do could be made in a different way?
• Are there other people you think should be involved?

Forming Ourselves in Synodality

• How does your parish teach about working together?
• Who teaches how to do this?
• Is it one person or are there more people that lead this?