Dear fellow parishioners,
Last Fall Pope Francis asked parishes throughout the world to join Him on a Synodal Journey. This process called for all children of God – laity, consecrated and ordained – to engage in deep and respectful listening to one another. This listening was intended to create a space for us to hear the Holy Spirit together, and guide the Church of the Third Millennium.
The Pope expressed His hope that the Synodal process would inspire trust, deepen our unity as a Catholic community, and begin healing the broken part of our Catholic family. Simply put, the Pope was trying to create bridges, so we can Journey Together in our Faith!
Here at St. Michael Parish, four delegates coordinated Listening Sessions with over one hundred fellow parishioners. The sessions focused on four fundamental questions:
What are the strengths of the Catholic Church?
What are some of the challenges you see for the Catholic Church?
What hinders us from being active in the Church’s mission?, and
If you could send one message to Pope Francis, what would that be?
We are very pleased to release our Parish Synod Report, a summary of the responses organized by theme. It has also been sent to the Diocese of Bridgeport, to ultimately be incorporated into the USCCB Report in preparation for the Synod of Bishops in Rome, October 2023. We hope you will prayerfully read this thematic Report in the spirit of faith and hope as we look to building a stronger Church and parish community.
If you have any questions, please contact one of our parish delegates. It has been our honor to serve as your parish delegates throughout this Synod Listening Process. Paul Huston, Joe Barragan, Carmen Penaranda, and Sue Stone
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We are also very thankful to the many parishioners and friends who volunteered to be our Facilitators, Scribes and Communications teams during the small group listening sessions, as well as the other participation options, They jumped in with great energy, and with listening and brave hearts… thank you very much.
Facilitators Scribes
Lavelle Shields Jack Schmeltzer
Liz Fitzroy Anne Marie Reilly
Elissa Moran Denise Camacho
Ina Shea Danielle Esposito
Anne Marie Reilly Cristina Lazaro
Lynda Withiam Jill Gussis
Loren Procaccini
MariCarmen Losada
Communications Team
Jill Gussis
Ann Robertson
Patti Geanakos
Kristi Hutter
As we continue to journey together, we ask for your prayers. We have learned a great deal in this process. God is always inviting us to something new… we pray that we have learned to be better listeners and that we may hear and follow where God is leading us.
Please contact one of your Synod delegates with any questions.


The Process
We invite you to participate by attending “Synod listening sessions.”
During these sessions we will be discussing the following questions:
What are the strengths of the Catholic Church?
What are some of the challenges you see for the Catholic Church?
What hinders us from being active in the Church’s mission?
If you could send one message to Pope Francis, what would that be?
Because of the spiritual nature of this walking together and our desire to be inclusive,
ZOOM meetings will be available upon request as well as the opportunity to respond in writing.
Read the Documents Below
from our St Michael Synod Delegates
Synod Letters & Links (click to read the entire message)
How to Prepare to be a Good Participant
Participants are encouraged to share with honesty and openness about their real-life experiences.
Inclusive Process (12/05/2021)
How does the Church dialogue with, and learn from, other sectors of society?
Sharing Responsibility (11/28/2021)
The Synodal process has a deeply missionary dimension to it. It is intended to enable the Church to better witness the Gospel.
What enables or hinders speaking up courageously, candidly, and responsibly in our local Church and in society?
Discernment & Reflection (11/14/2021)
The Synodal path invites us to “reread” the experiences brought forth in our listening to discover joys and challenges, insights and opportunities.
Listening Together (11/07/2021)
The Synodal Process provides us with the opportunity to open ourselves to listen in an authentic way, without resorting to ready-made answers or pre-formulated judgments.
We all seek God’s direction through the journey that we encounter in life that at times may seem overwhelming.
Read the vision of the St Michael delegates about how the Synod will be rolled out in our parish.
Synod in the Media
November 12, 2021 -
Read an article from America Magazine on How Bishop Caggiano Agrees with Pope Francis: We Need a Listening Church
October 16, 2021 -
Read an article from the Fairfield County Catholic on the Diocesan Delegates Commissioned To Synod On Synodality