CHARLOTTE — Across the Diocese of Charlotte, people are preparing to enter the Church’s worldwide conversation on the theme “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.”
Dr. Alessandro Rovati, department chair and assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey College, was appointed by Bishop Peter Jugis in November to serve as the official contact person for the diocesan phase of the Synod. His work is already well under way.
Rovati has given prayerful consideration to the Synod documents in order to create the discussion questions and procedures that will be used in the Synod conversations.
“December was a month of study, research and prayer,” Rovati explained. “I collected all documents on the Synod and studied them to make sure I would incorporate best practices and ideas, and to enter into the vision of the Holy Father.”
In January Rovati reached out to all 92 parishes and missions, some of which have already begun creating committees. Parishes including St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte are now communicating to parishioners their plans for Synod conversations.
Synod discussions will begin this month across the diocese’s 10 vicariates. Discussion groups will include parishes, schools and colleges, auxiliary groups, lay movements, third orders, charitable ministries, religious communities, minority communities, immigrant populations, campus and youth ministries, and more.
“In order to allow us to have a common conversation across groups, I have created a script with three guiding questions for the Synodal discussions. All the groups will respond to all or some of the questions,” Rovati said.
“These are questions that I did not just make up, but have come out of what the pope and Synod of Bishops have said and are from documents I studied in the course of my research,” he added.
The goal is to conduct all Synod conversations, either in person or via online meetings, before April 30. Individuals will also be able to share their input online via the Synod website.
Rovati said he needs all input turned in by the end of April so that he can generate an interim report in May that will identify the key topics being brought forth.
On June 11, he will use the findings of the report to lead a day of prayer and discussion with more than 100 Synod representatives from across the diocese at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
“The goal of the Synod is to encounter the Lord and one another, and we cannot do that unless we are centered in the Lord and open our hearts to what He wants to say to us in our encounter with one another,” Rovati asserted.
Rovati will summarize the information and compile a final report, which will be given to the USCCB by June 30. The USCCB will then send a synthesis of all the U.S. dioceses’ work to the Vatican.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter Patricia Guilfoyle contributed.
For more information
To learn more about the Synod 2021-2023, go online to www.charlottediocese.org/synod2023. For inquiries, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..