OLG Synodal Culture
Join the discussion. Be Involved.
In 2021, Pope Francis called for a Synod on Synodality, inviting Catholics to listen, pray and discern the Holy Spirit’s movement in the Catholic church. Our Lady of Grace embraces this call through Listening Circles and fostering unity, renewal and a thriving culture of synodality. You are invited to join us on this journey of faith.
For more information or questions, contact [email protected]
Overview: Synodal Church
Pope Francis’ vision for synodality calls for a Church that is inclusive and participatory, a mission that Our Lady of Grace Parish and School passionately embraces with dynamic community-building initiatives. The Re-imagining Parish Life and Leadership team is at the forefront of this effort, driven by enthusiasm and a commitment to transformation.
To tap into the Holy Spirit's guidance, OLG has created Listening Circles where parishioners can openly share their insights and personal experiences. This vital feedback will empower the Re-imagining team to pave the way for greater inclusion, ensuring that every voice is valued.
Furthermore, the team is dedicated to enriching our faith community by building meaningful connections among parishioners. This effort includes expanding access to the Sacraments and Eucharistic Adoration, warmly welcoming both new and returning members, and supporting engaging social, spiritual and educational activities. OLG strives to deepen its relationship with Jesus Christ and share His message more effectively as one united family.
Join us in this transformative journey!
Meet OLG’s Re-imagining Volunteer Team
Elizabeth and her husband Michael have been members of OLG for 28 years. Their daughter graduated from OLG School in 2006. Elizabeth is retired and serves as a Sacristan, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, Lector and an Ambassador. In past years, she was a catechist, teaching high schoolers. She volunteers with You Did It For Me, a nonprofit organization that accompanies adults who are unhoused or at risk of being unhoused in East County and connects them to people and resources that can assist them.
Ken is a semi-retired Civil Engineer. He has worked at OLG since 2018 as the Special Projects Coordinator. He serves as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, Sacristan, and an Ambassador and Altar Server. He has been a parishioner since 1990. He volunteers with You Did it For Me and Showered with Care outreach programs working with the unsheltered population of East County.
Mary has been a parishioner at OLG for over 30 years, since the birth of her youngest child. Now retired after 27 years as the office manager of her husband’s (Ken’s) business, Mary keeps busy as the caregiver for her young grandchildren and volunteering as driver for Meals on Wheels, East County.
Kelly is a wife and mother of four. She works as a conference and events planner for the Evangelical Catholic. Kelly and her family have been part of the OLG community for three years, after connecting with other OLG Vacation Bible School families. She enjoys meeting new people in the parish and continuing to build community.
Paul is Senior Vice President and CEO of Sharp Community Medical Group. He and his wife Carol have been members of Our Lady of Grace since1992. All six of their children are graduates of OLG School. Paul is an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and has served on the OLG School Advisory Committee and School Development Committee.
Our family came to OLG in the early 90's when our two children began religious education. Subsequently they were accepted into OLG School and we immersed ourselves in parish life. After being inspired by my son receiving Holy Communion, I participated in RCIA and became a fully initiated Catholic. I have been assisting in the coordination of the Holiday Angel Program for over 25 years and joined the OCIA (new acronym for RCIA) team about four years ago to share my experience with other adults who want to become Catholic. I have worked as a General Contractor in San Diego for 30 years. I live my Christian call in the community most vigorously by assisting with You Did It For Me, a religious nonprofit founded by my wife and a handful of Catholics, to assist people trying to emerge from homelessness in East County.
OLG became our family's faith community in the early 90's when our two children began religious education. Subsequently our children entered OLG School and I became a catechist. After coordinating Junior High classes and High School Confirmation preparation, I accepted the job of Director of Faith Formation. When our pastor changed, I moved into the Parish Office Manager job where I realized a call to assist people experiencing homelessness. With a handful of other Catholics, in 2018, I founded You Did It For Me, a religious nonprofit assisting people in East County to secure and maintain housing, food, healthcare, education and work. Currently, it is a blessing to serve as the Lead Catechist for OCIA, Lector, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, Finance Council member and on the Parish Reimagining Team.
Living as a Synodal Church
Synodality is the way we, as Catholics, embrace our mission as Christians. It calls us to journey together, guided by the Holy Spirit, to share the Gospel and live as a vibrant, active community where everyone has a role and is accountable.
Over the past few years, our parish has embraced the call to synodality in inspiring ways:
- 2022: Under Fr. Peter McGuine, our first synod brought our community together for the first time to reflect and share.
- 2023: Fr. Lauro Minimo continued this work, gathering hundreds of OLG parishioners whose reflections were combined with others in our Diocese and taken to Rome.
- 2024: During the Church’s Eucharistic Revival, seminarian Jesse Lopez led Body of Christ sessions, where small groups spoke and listened from the heart.
- 2024: In late spring, Cardinal McElroy invited OLG to deepen our synodal journey through an initiative called Re-imagining Parish Life and Leadership. Inspired by Pope Francis’ call for transformation, OLG saw an opportunity to build on our synodal momentum. With our Pastor Fr. Minimo’s guidance, seven volunteers facilitated Listening Circles across our parish, school, and ministries. More than 200 people participated, sharing their hopes and visions for our community. More circles will be planned as we continue to discern and pray for the future of our parish and school.
Reflecting on the Synod of Bishops in October 2024, Pope Francis envisions a future Church where “the laity is very involved,” emphasizing dialogue and collaboration between priests and parishioners. This dynamic, he said, will help the Church grow.
At OLG, we are answering this call by re-imagining our parish as a family of discipleship, where faith is not only personal but shared, active and alive. OLG is building a community that embodies the spirit of synodality—journeying together, listening to one another, and living out our faith with purpose and joy. Let us continue this journey with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we strive to fill the hearts of the faithful with purpose and unity.
Resource: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission
FAQs
A: The short answer is “Not exactly.” Pope Francis’ 8 Key Points to fostering a culture of synodality -- Communion, Participation, Mission, Mercy, Renewal, Rejecting a Throwaway Culture, Listening and Guidance by the Holy Spirit -- is multi-faceted, meaning that decisions are not made solely by the clergy or a select group of leaders without the involvement of the broader community. Suggestions and solutions resulting from listening, discourse and dialogue should be a collaborative approach. It is not about uniformity or forcing everyone to agree on every issue. With the 8 Points to renewing Church as our road map to synodality, ideas and suggestions are valued, respected and prayed upon, leading to informed decisions about the needs of the Church, parish and school... The actions will reflect the guidance of the Holy Spirit and enable everyone to contribute to the Church’s life.
A: Of course! Opinions matter in our mission to re-imagine our OLG parish family. The synodal model of Listening Circles offers a structured, focused way to engage in meaningful discourse without devolving to a complaint session. We share personal encounters with Jesus and other life experiences and discover those factors which unite us as well as those which might divide us. Recognizing and respecting the diversity of each voice within our parish-school community will surely lead to growth and understanding.
A: This is certainly one of the most frequently asked questions from participants at OLG’s Listening Circle events. Notetakers at the Listening Circles, who ensure participants’ comments remain anonymous, record in a general way the response of each participant to the session questions. When the session is over each notetaker transcribes his or her own Listening Circles’ notes and they are uploaded to a file for access for Re-imagining Team members for future reference. In addition, all of the notes for multiple session dates are periodically summarized into a single document for review, discernment and evaluation by our Pastor and for guidance in reporting to the Diocese as to the progress of OLG’s Re-imagining Team’s goals toward becoming a more synodal Church. Ultimately, the information gathered will result in actions which are the result of involvement of the broader community; the notes represent an ongoing process of dialogue, listening and discernment leading to a re-imagined OLG parish-school and a renewed Church.
A: Active listening is certainly one of the key points of the Pope’s Road Map to Renewing Church. It affords all parishioners the opportunity to “genuinely hear different voices” and share perspectives and suggestions for growth and extension of our parish-school family. These Listening Circles, as well as other examples of community outreach, create a respectful dialogue as we journey together toward union with Christ. By opening up our hearts to each other through active listening, we will in turn open our hearts to discernment of the Holy Spirit, who will guide and provide us with whatever we need to fervently participate in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.