July 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On June 13, 2025, the plenary assembly of the Diocesan Permanent Pastoral Synod (DPPS) gathered in person and online after six months of prayerful reflection, dialogue, and listening to the Holy Spirit. The work of the DPPS is guided by the words of Luke 4:18–21:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
The Spring Plenary built on the foundation laid at the fall 2024 meeting, where Listening Facilitators from each parish—together with the Council of Priests and the Bishop’s Advisory Council—discerned the 2025 Listening Circle questions, guided by this first verse:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me.”
In the context of the Jubilee Year of Hope, these Listening Circle experiences became sacred moments of encounter, and the Spirit revealed three confirming graces at the heart of this journey of faith:
- I belong to Christ, and Christ participates in my life.
- There is a deep and consoling joy in encountering Christ—a joy that fosters the gift of trust in the community of the Church.
- This joy inspires a desire to share Christ with others, that all people—especially our families—may know His love in both the joys and sorrows of life.
Time and again, the word that surfaced from these encounters was “welcome.” It is a simple word, yet in the Gospel and in our lives, it becomes a powerful expression of faith. To welcome another is to recognize their dignity, to acknowledge that they belong, and to extend the love we have first received in Christ.
The plenary assembly itself became an experience of this belonging. People shared stories of vulnerability, insight, and grace. They spoke of how listening built trust, and how that trust brought real hope. Many times, we heard this conviction: My voice and my life matter in the Church. I am not alone. Christ is close. The Church/parish/school is my community of connection.
In Luke 4:18, Jesus reveals not only His mission but our own identity as members of His Body, the Church. He is the Spirit-led, anointed one—and in Him, we too are called and sent. This is the foundation of communion. A communion that is not abstract but lived. It is experienced in the sacraments, in our local communities, in our prayer, and in the small, faithful acts of love that mark our daily lives.
From communion flows participation, and from participation, mission. This mission is rooted in witness to the joy of the Gospel, in bringing what we have received: joy, hope, welcome, and belonging in Christ. We bring Christ Himself, not just ideas—His tenderness in our care, His strength in our solidarity, and His truth in our witness.
As we continue our Diocesan Permanent Pastoral Synod through the Jubilee Year of Hope and beyond, I invite each of you to return to this question: To whom am I called “to bring” the good news?
To further reflect on this important question, I invite each of you to join a local Listening Circle—to welcome and be welcomed, to build community, and to grow together in faith through prayerful listening and shared hope.
Let us continue to walk on the way together in the Spirit, listening with open hearts and trusting that Christ is indeed close to each of us, and to the Church He so lovingly gathers.
In Communion,
Most Reverend Gary Gordon
