Having one’s perspective validated is vital – and facilitators of the parish Listening Sessions for the Diocesan phase of the Synod have witnessed a profound recognition among participants for another’s experiences.

“Sometimes people are surprised by it,” said Jairo Torres, who has served as both facilitator and note taker for eight Listening Sessions in St. Joseph Parish, Trenton. “After the Session, they say, ‘Wow, this is nice.’ The experience is positive … and some people have asked if we will continue.”

A parish religious education teacher for the Confirmation class, Torres also works on the Diocesan Synod and Pre-Cana teams. He noted that within the Spanish-speaking community most people who showed up for the Listening Sessions did not understand the Synod’s meaning and purpose.

“I explain it’s a huge opportunity for us, because the Pope wants to hear what the community thinks and feels, and the answers are very important,” he said. “In the Hispanic community, they are not very open to talking” about personal experiences, but when Torres provides an example, they begin to open up.

“People are happy [with] the Sacraments, the people at church and how they are treated,” Torres said. “Others are feeling segregated because of their condition … it’s both the good and the bad.”

Jen Petrillo, director of religious education and youth minister in St. Aloysius Parish, Jackson, also found it important in her facilitator role to explain the Synod’s purpose and offer response examples. She has facilitated at least seven of the 10 Listening Sessions in her parish – the first being with the youth group in January.

“Once we got the conversation going, they had some wonderful feedback,” she said. The young Catholics talked about “how they experienced their faith and how we can grow as a Church. They had some beautiful insights … including ways the Holy Spirit may be calling them to encounter others.”

Petrillo was surprised by the teens’ “positive experience with the Mass as a place of peace and comfort, [where they’re] not weighed down by what overwhelms them in daily life.”

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St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel, has been hosting sessions both at the church and in peoples’ homes, and even virtually on Zoom.

“We’ve had a variety of topics come up,” said parish Synod team member Diane Laskowski, including the aging Church population, faithful practices of young Catholics, the Church’s stand on divorce and gay marriage, and many others. “People weren’t sure what they were getting into when they signed up, but [have been] glad they participated,” Laskowski confirmed.

In all three parishes, the Sessions began with members of established ministries, branching out to include the less involved or unaffiliated. To encourage additional participation, Torres noted an announcement was made during Ash Wednesday Masses about the final Listening Sessions.

“When you open your experience to other people, you get close to those people,” he stressed. “When you spend 45 minutes in a small group discussion, you [begin to] understand each other.”

Reflecting on the process, Laskowski said, “Sharing what resonates in us … and then talking about how the Holy Spirit may be prompting us to improve our living as ‘Church’ really brings home that WE are the Church, and we need to keep it alive by continuing to listen to one another and bring each other along in our daily Catholic journey.”