Over the course of six weeks in the fall, parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will share a single focus: a small group series centered on the three focus areas Archbishop Bernard Hebda has chosen for the 2022 Archdiocesan Synod.

During that time, Archbishop Hebda has asked that parishes suspend other adult faith formation events to focus on Synod small groups. Sacramental preparation, such as preparation for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and confirmation, as well as children’s formation, will continue without interruption during this time. Parish small group discussions will help shape the Synod and a resulting pastoral plan for the archdiocese’s immediate future in 2023 and beyond.

Parishes plan to hold the six-week series between mid-September and mid-November, but schedules will vary by parish location. As fall draws near, Catholics can expect communications from their parishes regarding their specific timing for small groups.

At each two-hour session, participants will be guided via videos through prayer and teaching before discussion around the Synod’s three focus areas. Those areas are: Forming parishes that are in the service of evangelization, forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call, and forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young.

The focus areas were discerned following 30 Prayer and Listening Events throughout the archdiocese in fall 2019 and winter 2020, which were attended by Archbishop Hebda and, in most cases, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens. More than 8,000 people attended, sharing more than 35,000 comments. After prayer and consultation, Archbishop Hebda announced the three focus areas in August 2020, and invited Catholics to join the parish small groups to discuss them and help arrive at creative ideas and solutions for the Church moving forward.

“These are the topics that your neighbors and parishes chose as being the most important things facing our local Catholic Church today,” said Jean Stolpestad, the archdiocese’s director of Marriage, Family and Life.

“This is your opportunity to come in and be part of the solution — to enliven your Catholic faith and address those things that you’re worried about as well as those things you’re excited about,” she said. “This isn’t just about learning. This isn’t just a catechesis lesson. This is an opportunity for you to bring your Catholic faith to the mat … to live it with intentionality and impact.”

A member of the Synod Executive Committee, Stolpestad, along with Synod Director Therese Coons, have been leading weekly trainings for “parish small group process managers” and their teams who will oversee the small group process at their parishes. Parish ambassadors — those Catholics who have served from the start of the Synod as ambassadors of prayer, invitation and communication at their parishes — along with parish staff are welcome to attend the trainings, too.

Father Joseph Bambenek, the Synod’s assistant director, called the small groups “an opportunity to engage with fellow parishioners on what’s important in the Church.”

After months of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the social dimension of parish life, the Synod small groups also create a natural way for Catholics to come together with their fellow parishioners for an important purpose and deep discussion about important matters, Synod leaders said. For that reason, the small groups are expected to benefit the archdiocese, the parish and parishioners themselves.

At this time, parishes may be seeking parishioners to be small group facilitators or scribes, who will receive training on their roles in the small groups in August and September.

Stolpestad said she hopes that Catholics from all backgrounds and experiences will participate in the small groups. “Whether you’re a daily Massgoer or maybe you’ve been away from the Church for a while, everybody can address the issues we’re talking about,” she said. “The greatest thing would be to come with an open mind, and not to be afraid to invite others with you.”