Felician Sisters offer their perspective at synod listening session
The Felician Sisters of Lodi, N.J., experienced a rich sense of belonging to the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of Pope Francis as about 40 of them participated in a synodal listening session on March 31.
Guided by Sister Patricia Wormann, O.P., the Delegate for Religious in the Archdiocese of Newark, participants may have been hesitant at first, but then as the evening progressed, they were engaging in a spirited meeting of hope for the future.
Sister Patricia assured the sisters that group sessions should motivate them to search for God’s Spirit in discussions. Ideas came forth and were accompanied by sharing of pains and struggles in the Church the sisters have known during their lives. But also, there came forth an awareness of how much the Church has progressed since Vatican II.
The two core questions were: “How is this ‘journeying together’ happening today in your religious community and ministry?” and “How are we ‘walking together’ as a Church, and what steps does the Holy Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our journeying together?”
The listening sessions brought joy but also some challenges in the different perspectives of the sisters. The majority of sisters felt it was a positive experience and an opportunity to be active in the Church they love – especially as religious women members.
Assisting Sister Patricia was Sister Mary Honorata Grzeszczuk, who presented the slides and video.
This article was reprinted with permission from The Felician Sisters of Lodi, N.J.
Featured image: Guided by Sister Patricia Wormann, O.P., the Delegate for Religious in the Archdiocese of Newark, 40 Felician Sisters of Lodi, N.J., participated in a synodal listening session on March 31.
