As Archbishop Bernard Hebda stepped into a procession of priests at the beginning of the 7 p.m. Synod Opening Mass in St. Paul June 3, emotion washed over his face, and his eyes welled with tears.  

“It was just beautiful, really. Seeing all of those people and hearing them sing, I realized that the Lord indeed has a plan for our Church and that they’re part of it. Their presence reminded me that God never abandons us,” he said of that moment later that evening. 

What he saw that Friday evening was Holy Spirit Church in St. Paul filled to standing-room only with Synod Assembly delegates. Most represented their parishes — each parish could send two parishioners — but participants also included priests and consecrated women and men, and representatives from different Catholic institutions in the archdiocese, as well as members of several archdiocesan boards.  

The delegates included people of varied ages, races and life experiences, but as they sang the opening song, “All Creatures of Our God and King,” they seemed united in their purpose that evening and the weekend’s work before them. 

Two days later, on the final day of the Synod Assembly that completed a three-year Synod preparation process, that moment remained one of the event’s most poignant, Archbishop Hebda said: “Having that sense for how God had called so such a diverse group to be part of this, and looking around and recognizing that they’re all true leaders, I was both excited and moved.” 

The opening Mass kicked off a three-day event that had been years in the making. In June 2015, Pope Francis named Archbishop Hebda apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis after the resignation of the previous archbishop and an auxiliary bishop. Just 10 days earlier, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office had filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese for failing to protect children in a case of clergy sexual abuse. And in January of that year, the archdiocese had filed for bankruptcy to address mounting clergy sexual abuse claims. 

As Archbishop Hebda took what he believed then to be temporary leadership of the archdiocese, he convened a series of listening sessions with the aim of gathering information and ideas for the next archbishop as he took leadership in a difficult time. Archbishop Hebda thought the local Church could benefit from convoking a synod — a gathering of the faithful in a diocese to assist the bishop in his governance — and the suggestion topped a list he drafted for whomever Pope Francis would name as the archdiocese’s next archbishop. When that leader was unexpectedly him — the pope announced in March 2016 that the interim appointment would become permanent — the idea stuck as a way to discern pastoral priorities for the archdiocese’s immediate future. 

On the afternoon of June 5, standing on a balcony overlooking the Joe Mauer Fieldhouse at Cretin-Derham Hall high school, which hosted the Synod Assembly, Archbishop Hebda looked out over the roughly 500 participants as they were deeply engaged in table discussions. 

“It’s hard to believe it’s really day three,” he said. “There’s so much going on. On one hand, it seems like we’ve accomplished so much. But on the other, I know there’s still a lot to be done. I can’t help but feel blessed that God has brought together these wonderful people who are willing to share their very diverse views, and to really commit this kind of time to discussing what needs to be done so that our Church can be stronger.” 

‘Ready to roll up your sleeves’ 

In 2018, Archbishop Hebda asked a small group of Catholics to begin praying and discerning whether the time was right for an Archdiocesan Synod. In 2019, he announced the beginning of a synod process, with plans at that time for it to culminate in a Synod Assembly in 2021. It was the first synod the archdiocese was to convene in 83 years. 

“We are blessed here with a particularly well-educated and articulate laity with a strong tradition of service to the Church, who along with their clergy and consecrated brothers and sisters, want to be involved in shaping her future, seeing that appropriately as both their right and their responsibility,” he wrote in The Catholic Spirit in June 2019. “After the pastoral pause necessitated by the bankruptcy and related issues, I have sensed that many of you seem to be ready to roll up your sleeves to address some of the pastoral needs that had been placed on the back burner.” 

Backed by a Synod Executive Committee led by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, then the archdiocese’s auxiliary bishop, and Therese Coons, a parishioner of St. Anne in Hamel who had previously led part of the archdiocese’s Rediscover: initiative, Archbishop Hebda launched a series of Prayer and Listening Events across the archdiocese to hear from as many Catholics as possible, from daily Massgoers to those no longer practicing the faith, what strengths, challenges and opportunities they saw in the local Church.  

During those three-hour Prayer and Listening Events, participants spent time in lectio divina, listened to remarks from Archbishop Hebda, and then discussed ideas in small groups before some were randomly selected to share feedback aloud to the archbishop. All participants were invited to share written feedback. Ultimately, 8,173 people shared 35,026 comments. 

In March 2020, the final of the 30 general Prayer and Listening Events was canceled due to the arrival of COVID-19 in Minnesota, and the pandemic extended the Synod’s initial timeline. The Synod Assembly was rescheduled for 2022, and the process’ next step — the parish consultation with small groups — was also pushed off a year. To continue momentum, Synod leaders launched four virtual series that addressed some of the common challenges people addressed in the Prayer and Listening Events. The series, still available online, included Praying with Scripture, with talks from Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens; the virtual retreat Healing and Hope; a four-part Faith and Culture series on hot-button issues, and “Synod at Home” about intentionally living the faith. 

Meanwhile, Archbishop Hebda announced that with feedback from the Prayer and Listening Events, he had discerned the Synod’s three focus areas: 1. Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization, 2. Forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call, and 3. Forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young.  

In fall 2021, almost all parishes in the archdiocese participated in a six-week Parish Consultation with Small Groups, where all Catholics were invited to meet to learn, discuss and pray about the Synod’s focus areas. The six small group sessions resulted in about 68,000 feedback forms. With the upcoming Synod Assembly in mind, Synod leaders synthesized that feedback and crafted a set of propositions, or action items, related to each focus area. Those propositions were refined by participants in a daylong Parish Leadership Team Consultation in February and March 2022, resulting in 40 propositions that were discussed, discerned and voted on at the Synod Assembly.  

The results of that voting will inform a pastoral letter Archbishop Hebda plans to write and release Nov. 21, the feast of Christ the King. That letter will be followed by an action plan to help parishes and Catholics implement those priorities.  

‘God is not afraid’ 

The June 3-5 Synod Assembly opened with Mass at Holy Spirit parish in St. Paul, where Bishop Cozzens — since appointed bishop of Crookston — gave the homily. He spoke about the fears that people express about the world and the Church. “God is not afraid,” he said. He encouraged delegates to respond to God’s call, assuring them God always has a plan, even in the darkest moments of history, and today, “It’s you. You are his plan. I am his plan.” 

In addition to Mass, the Synod Assembly’s first evening included a eucharistic procession and adoration, with a reflection from Archbishop Hebda. He said he realized that some of the participants may have felt as if their pastor — or even the archbishop — had twisted their arms to get them to attend, but in reality, they were there by the Holy Spirit’s invitation. 

“I’m moved to see how much the Holy Spirit loves our Church — that he would place that kind of generosity in your hearts to say, ‘Yes,’” he said. “We’re blessed to have you here this evening, and indeed, throughout this weekend.” 

The Church describes a synod as being a help for a bishop, Archbishop Hebda said. “I must need an awful lot of help, with all of you here,” he quipped. 

“But I do,” he continued, turning serious. “We’ve been trying throughout these years of preparation to involve all of you, to hear those voices that need to be heard, as we strive to model in our archdiocese the unity that Christ desires.” 

Later Friday evening, after most of the delegates had left and volunteers were preparing the fieldhouse for the following day, Archbishop Hebda told The Catholic Spirit that the opening events had been energizing. 

“I’m pretty fired up,” he said. “It’s been a powerful evening. After all of these years of preparation, to see how the pieces fall into place, to see who the people are that the Lord’s brought to do this incredible work.” 

Spirit-driven discussion 

The Synod Assembly work began Saturday, with the morning dedicated to the first focus area (forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization), and the afternoon dedicated to the second focus area (forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call). Sunday afternoon was dedicated to the third area, forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young. 

Synod delegates sat with different tablemates for each focus area, which included a presentation from a theological expert and then two periods of table discussion, both followed by attendees being randomly selected to share feedback with the archbishop at a microphone. After a period of quiet discernment, participants voted via mobile devices on the three propositions they “believe the Holy Spirit is inviting the archdiocese to prioritize.” They were presented with the early results from each vote. 

The weekend was steeped in prayer, with a sincere belief that the Holy Spirit could — and would — work through the Synod delegates. Volunteers took shifts in the adoration chapel. Before each focus discussion, delegates listened and reflected on Scripture through lectio divina. Saturday afternoon included a sung litany of saints. The rosary was prayed a couple decades at a time, led by Synod delegates, in English, Hmong, Igbo, Ojibwe, Polish and Vietnamese.  

A key liturgy was the Pentecost vigil Mass June 4 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, which was followed by praise music and charismatic worship until 10 p.m. Archbishop Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams prayed with hands raised to heaven, as did many in the pews. 

Pentecost, when Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit, was the prominent theme throughout the weekend. The Synod was scheduled for the liturgical celebration of Pentecost, which closes the Easter season, and the Holy Spirit was frequently invoked throughout the Synod Assembly, with the request that his will for the Church would be expressed through the Synod’s work. Participants said they felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in their table conversations. 

At the Pentecost vigil Mass at the Cathedral, Archbishop Hebda juxtaposed Pentecost and Babel. Instead of using different languages to scatter the people, as God did to squelch their arrogance at Babel, God used language at Pentecost to unite and bring people to Christ, he said. 

“It’s the Holy Spirit who enables us to converse, to say the things we need to say and to hear the things we need to hear, to accompany one another in even the most difficult of circumstances,” he said. “The Lord does that, not through the proud and the powerful, but through the lowly and the humble.” 

Asked at the Pentecost Vigil Mass what stood out during the first full day of the Synod Assembly, delegate Mary Kennedy, a parishioner of Ascension in Minneapolis, said she sensed that the Holy Spirit was present. 

“It was palpable,” said Kennedy, 63. “You could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in our work today. And such a positive outpouring of faith in the archdiocese. It was really just exhilarating.” 

Chris Kostelc, director of faith formation at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina and a Synod Executive Team member, said he was moved by the Synod leadership team’s shift from planning and logistics to trusting the Holy Spirit will lead the rest of the effort. 

“To see the delegates, the leadership, the bishops hand over the future of this archdiocese to the Holy Spirit and say, ‘This is yours, Lord, how can we do what you want?’ I think it’s been inspiring to everybody who’s been here,” he said. 

Just the beginning 

On the afternoon of June 5, Archbishop Hebda said the Synod Assembly had exceeded his expectations. 

“It’s far in excess of anything I could have imagined. Really, the positive discussions that are being held, the willingness of people to give up their time, but also to share their opinions in such a respectful way, is really more than I would have ever anticipated,” he said. “I feel really blessed this day.” 

The assembly ended as it had begun, with Mass at Holy Spirit. Bishop Williams, who had assumed the role of the Synod Executive Committee chairman after his January ordination, gave the homily and asked the Synod delegates to be witnesses to Christ, connecting Pentecost to Jesus’ words to his disciples as recorded in Acts 1:8, before his Ascension: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

The power to witness is the true power of the Church, Bishop Williams said. 

Being Christian is primarily about bearing witness to Jesus, which is what the Apostles did, he said. “And this is why Christianity spread throughout the world,” he said. “It’s not about money. It’s not political influence. It was a group of humble people convinced that Jesus was raised from the dead, who received the fire of the Spirit. And they converted one of the greatest empires in the history of the world.” 

He added: “That’s why our archbishop brought us to this place, this upper room,” referring to the Upper Room in Scripture, the place where the Apostles celebrated the Last Supper and received the Holy Spirit.  

Because of what they had experienced at the Assembly, Bishop Williams said he hoped delegates were ready for the next step, which is implementing the pastoral priorities their work will help Archbishop Hebda discern.

While the Synod Assembly marked the culmination of a three-year process, the work was at the service of the pastoral plan to come, Archbishop Hebda said. That pastoral letter is expected to shape the focus of parish ministry as well as individual Catholics. 

“We want people to continue to pray,” he said. “That was one of the really positive aspects of this gathering, is that people prayed so deeply and recognize how important that is for our discernment, especially for me as I work with my team to figure out what’s the best way for moving forward with our pastoral letter.” 

And, like everything with the Synod, that will be handed over to the Holy Spirit. 

“We’ve had a prayer team that’s been supporting this work even before the Synod was announced,” Archbishop Hebda said, “and I’m going to put them to work again, to help me to really process what we’ve heard here. I think that’ll be a next step.” 

Barb Umberger contributed to this story.