The Tualatin Valley Vicariate of the Archdiocese of Portland met May 18, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Aloha to share the results of synodal discernment sessions held in their parishes.
The event was part of the culmination of the diocesan phase, that is, the first stage of the Synodality Synod in the parishes of the Archdiocese of Portland.
The jurisdiction of the Tualatin Valley Vicariate includes St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Francis of Assisi, Roy, St. Alexander, Cornelius, St. Anthony of Padua, Forest Grove, St. Matthew, Hillsboro, St. Edward, North Plains and The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Verboort.
Father Jeff Meeuwsen, vicar and host of the assembly, reflected with all participants by making a connection between the synodical process of the church and that of winemaking. “If each believer is like a grape, each parish is a cluster,” he said.
“I believe that, as clusters, all members of this vicariate, the Lord is ‘squeezing’ us in a good way, through these conversations, to produce “a wonderful wine”, said the priest at the beginning of the synodal meeting.
In an atmosphere of harmony and spirituality, pastors from six of the churches, members of the pastoral council, parish leaders and archdiocesan delegates prayed, shared meals and took turns listening to one another as they released reports from the talks synods through which they cited the joys, sorrows and hopes of the parishioners.
Participants also had the opportunity to dialogue in small inter-parish groups.
Arcie Pérez, a member of the pastoral council of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, at the beginning of the presentation, said that the synod has been a beautiful opportunity to live and deepen their Christian faith.
God is the way to happiness
Most reports cited God and the Holy Eucharist as the source that fills the hearts and lives of parishioners with joy.
“By receiving the Eucharist we are nourished and enriched. We receive the positive energy to face the challenges of family, work and society,” said Janet Rodríguez, a member of the pastoral council of the San Alejandro church in Cornelius.
“Being present in the church and in the mass fills many of the parishioners of San Alejandro with life, regardless of their origin, culture, age or language, expressed the majority of those who participated in the Synod process,” he added.
Jayson Strayer, a member of the pastoral council at St. Matthew’s Church in Hillsboro, cited the Sacraments, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confession, daily prayer as the common answer to the question of how or what in church fills you with life.
Sadness for spiritual wounds
The parishioners of the different parishes showed consensus in their opinions regarding spiritual wounds.
“Many faithful suffer the pain caused by the Catholic Church. The sources of this pain are multiple: sexual abuse by priests and church workers, issues related to marriage, divorce and annulment, rules governing the reception of the Eucharist, and priestly celibacy.”, quoted Jayson Strayer, a member of the pastoral council of the church San Mateo, in Hillsboro.
Arcie Pérez, of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, mentioned wounds cited by parishioners for aspects such as “racism, the annulment of baptisms in Arizona, families leaving the church, a Catholic church with polarized or divisive opinions, a church that doesn’t show love, doesn’t address social justice issues, and doesn’t show flexibility with people with disabilities, or with language,” he said.
The faithful also expressed their pain at the absence of women in church leadership and the treatment of the LGBTQ community.
Another nerve point pointed out was the closure of churches during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The way it was handled and the lack of communication was terrible,” said Christy Duyck of La Visitación Church.
Hopes and dreams
Parishioners turned their attention to the youth context and make an urgent call to action.
“The main recommendation of the participants is to focus on our young people, keeping the ones we have rather than attracting others.”
“Our children and young people are the future of the Church. Young people are being pushed out of the Church due to the interference of social networks and the influence of the culture of greed and ambition, disrespect, individualism and trust in the science of the actual society”.
“Young people are being pushed out by the patriarchal structure and language of the Church, by its focus on fear and sin, by an outdated view of sexuality and gender”, affirmed Strayer of the San Mateo church.
“The Church needs to support families and parents in these challenging times. Families expressed requiring support at all stages: newlyweds, people with small children, adolescents and young people, as well as in old age”, he added.
Parishioners dream of a more welcoming and inclusive church, specifically with the gay community.
Carmen Gaston, director of Mission Advancement for the Archdiocese of Portland, expressed thanks on behalf of Archbishop Sample.
Forward
Father David Schiferl, pastor of the San Alejandro church in Cornelius, described the synod talks as a very positive experience.
“Inviting people to speak and having the ability to listen has been very good,” he said. However, the priest said that the most difficult thing was also convincing people to come to the church and participate.
“People are hesitant to speak out for fear of what they might think in the church,” he said.
“There are people who had something to share, but they did not do it out of fear,” added.
“The greatest learning from the process has been learning what we can do as a parish, as a community, as a church to move forward.”
That is a very important question that we have in the parish of San Alejandro and in all the parishes: What can we do now with all this information?, Father David said.
Priest Jeff thanked the attendees for their participation and stated that the most important thing in the entire process has been “the opportunity to learn to listen to each other.”
patriciam@ocp.org
The voice of the parishioners in a synodal meeting of the Vicariate