Synod Report: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
Speaking and Listening
- We need to be more welcoming and open to God’s teachings that everyone has value.
- The church and school should pool their resources for a Parish marquee to promote all parish (church and school) events, which would help them to “journey together” in serving our community.
- The church needs a program/support group for veterans (could also include police officers, fire fighters and other first responders) where they can share experiences and support each other.
- The LGBTQ community have not been openly embraced, and one commented that LGBTQ’s are ostracized.
- Superiority complex and arrogance from the faithful.
- The office volunteers should be given more training in order to better help the parish staff.
Celebrating
- Many expressed being involved at Mass makes it more alive and meaningful, such as being an EM, lector, usher or carrying the oils up to the altar.
- It is important to involve young people in the Mass. One comment received stated, “I was not excited about attending the Youth Mass at first, but Father Mike came down and interacted with the teens and asked us questions, which was awesome.”
- The homily could be shorter, to the point, and talk about social issues; people’s minds start to wander if it is too long.
- Some suggested that the priest include more historical background about the readings, explain why he wore certain color vestments, and why certain things were done during the Mass, etc.
- The setting of the Mass feels “disciplinary”; it needs to be more inviting, joyful, celebratory, upbeat, warmer, and youthful.
- Catholics should learn to pray more.
Going on Mission
- Our parish has done a good job of being open and inviting to the Community to participate in events such the Mass and free pancake breakfast for First Responders and the Celebration of the Life of Fr. Alan Phillip.
- We need to bring Christ into the home and be a witness by living our faith well.
- As Catholics, we need to Evangelize, be Christ centered and follow the Lord to fulfill our duties with compassion, non-violence, and service.
- Several members of our parish participated in the Respect for Life Rosary Walk to end abortion.
- It is hard to fix the problems of those not attending Mass or not being active in the church.
- Some came back to the Church because they found there was more good than bad; They returned because they were missing something.
Dialoguing
- Several parishioners have volunteered to assist people on the margin through ministries such as Friends In Deed and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.
- It is important that Pope Francis is bringing together people of other religions for discussions.
- There have been more opportunities for women to serve in the church.
- The sexual abuse scandal has hindered the growth of the Church and has had a negative impact on vocations.
- The World Youth Day is great; more young people should go and experience it.
- The Church has failed to be a forceful voice on what is and is not Christian behavior.
Leading and Deciding
- Several people expressed fond memories of participation in school required services while growing up, such as Adoration, school Mass, prayer, service to others, etc., which has helped guide them through life.
- We need guidance on how to evangelize within our family and in public, so we can show by our actions that we are followers of Christ.
- Our church should have an Assistant Pastor or other religious person to help with all the parish ministries, programs and other responsibilities.
- There is a need to have a person that oversees all the parish ministries and facilitates the coordination of activities.
- The church is too institutional; “It is too top-down and should be more bottom-up.
- The church needs to evolve to meet today’s needs.
Growing in Synodality
- The Pope wants us to start thinking about what it means to be Catholic, and he wants to listen to what we say.
- This Synod offers an ongoing dialogue and hope that people’s needs are being or will be addressed.
- Some expressed the need for us to hear from more people and suggested sending online surveys to all parishioners.
- Some felt that the one-day meeting format was rushed, and it did not allow time for a deeper dialogue about issues and ideas.
- There was a concern that some groups in the parish may not be represented in the SYNOD sessions.
- There was a concern about change actually taking place after the SYNOD was completed.
Comments Not Categorized into Themes:
None
Additional Context About the Listening Sessions:
The participants in our Listening Sessions were happy to share their ideas and opinions.
PARTICIPANTS
Total:84
| Female: | 38 | Male: | 28 |
AGES OF PARTICIPANTS
| 14-17: | 18-25: | 26-39: | 40-55: | 56-74: | 75+: |
| 17 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 19 | 7 |
ETHNICITY:
| Asian: | Black or African-American: | Caucasian: | Hispanic or Latino: |
| 7 | 2 | 26 | 21 |
| Native American: | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: | Other: |
| 0 | 1 | 12 (Checked multiple boxes or declined to state) |
| Active Catholic since birth: | Inactive Catholic: | Catholic Convert: | Returned Catholic: |
Non-Catholic:
|
| 34 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
MASS ATTENDANCE
| Never or Rarely: | A few times a year: | Once/twice a month: | Almost every week: | Every week: | More than once a week: |
| 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 10 |
Number of Participants in Ecumenical Session(s): 0
Date(s)/Time(s)/Duration(s) of Listening Sessions: 4/7/2022 2:00 PM, 4/11/22 7:00 PM, 4/12/22 6:30 PM, 4/19/22 10:00 AM & 6:30 PM, 4/20/22 10:00 AM. 6:30 PM & 7:30 PM; all sessions were approx. 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours in length.
Languages of Listening Sessions: English
Format of Listening Sessions: ADLA Format 1-Day Session
Submitted by: David L. Davidson
Email: dldavidson@me.com
Phone: 626-252-1265
(if information below is blank, report was prepared by individual named above)
Prepared by:
Email:
Phone:
Additional Recipient: Father Mike Ume
Email: pastor@abvmpasadena.org
San Gabriel
Sunday, June 5 the Cathedral of the Angels held the Synod Celebration Mass on the Solemnity of Pentecost
Father Mike concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Gomez as the archdiocese closed this portion of the synod. The synod is scheduled to be complete in 2023.
“We are deeply grateful to all who have made this synodal process possible: every person who had prayed, led, facilitated, listened, synthesized and participated along the way. Thank you for saying yes to our Holy Father’s invitation to listen to the Holy Spirit.as we continue to journey together as Church more fully in sharing Jesus with all.”