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BISHOP ANNOUNCES DIOCESE’S FIRST SYNOD The Most Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski announced today (Sunday, September 12) that the Diocese of Metuchen will hold its first synod in conjunction with its 25 th Anniversary. In a Pastoral Letter read in all parishes this weekend, the Bishop said that last month he appointed a Synod Preparatory Commission that will plan for the Diocese’s first synod to be formally opened on November 19, 2005 , which also marks the beginning of the Diocese’s Silver Jubilee. Explaining that a synod is a gathering of the faithful of a diocese for the purpose of assisting the bishop in his role as leader and shepherd, Bishop Bootkoski told the parishioners that through the Synod they will have the opportunity to voice their concerns, offer suggestions, and help him develop a unified vision for the future of the Diocese. “Many Catholics feel estranged from the Church. There are many in the Church who are uninformed or confused about what the Church believes and teaches in the areas of doctrine, morality and social justice. The continuing decline in religious vocations raises questions about how we will adequately staff all our parishes in the future,” the Bishop wrote in his letter . He said it is these challenges and others that prompted him to convene the Synod. The Bishop noted, too, that since the Diocese’s Silver Jubilee will be a time of reflection on the past and attention to the future, it is the perfect time for the Synod. He added that he is hopeful the Synod “will affirm where we have been faithful to our mission as a Christian community, as well as identify those areas where we can, traveling the road together, better communicate the truth and hope of the gospel.” The Synod Preparatory Commission is comprised of 20 priests, deacons, religious sisters and other laity representatives of the four counties, and many of the ethnic groups and ministries that comprise the Diocese. They will help guide the Synod process, prepare the people of the diocese for the Synod, and direct the consultation process that will lead up to the actual Synod sessions. To better inform the 557,000 Catholics it serves, the Diocese also launched a Synod website this weekend at www.diometuchen.org/synod Besides the Bishop’s message, the website lists the members of the Synod Preparatory Commission, instructs individuals on how they can become part of the process and includes a prayer for the success of the Synod. The website includes the logo created to celebrate the Diocese’s 25 th Anniversary as well as its First Synod. It features an image of the Holy Spirit and the scripture passage, “Fill the Hearts of Your Faithful.” Bishop Bootkoski told the faithful he hopes the Synod together with the Diocese’s Anniversary “will be a time of special prayer and reflection as we celebrate our past and lay the foundation for the next chapter in our history.”
# # # The Diocese of Metuchen serves over 500,000 Catholics in Middlesex, Somerset , Hunterdon and Warren counties. The Diocese includes 108 parishes. It serves its faithful through 25 ministries that provide educational, pastoral and charitable outreach.
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