“Being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed, but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with Love.”
— POPE LEO XIV
A diocesan synod is a time of prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit and to one another, culminating in a general assembly with representatives of the clergy, vowed religious, and laity to assist the local bishop. Synod 2027 will be an engagement of our whole archdiocese to consider what the Holy Spirit may be asking of the Church of Cincinnati at this moment. The goal will be to discern needs and recommend pastoral priorities for the future to Archbishop Casey.
Engaging in an archdiocese-wide synod is appropriate at this time for several reasons:
It is a priority of the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the Church be intentionally synodal so that pastoral plans and decisions are made in a spirit of prayerful discernment. In this spirit, the results of our Synod will serve as input to that of the universal Catholic Church.
Synod 2027 will be particularly useful to Archbishop Casey as he continues to get to know our archdiocese and establishes priorities for the future.
Our last archdiocesan synod was in 1971 and much has changed in the intervening years.
The two-year timeframe of Synod 2027 corresponds to the conclusion of the timeframe designated for Beacons of Light. Synod 2027 will be a valuable tool to set in place the foundations of Beacons of Light as the way of life in our archdiocese.
Throughout Synod 2027, clergy, vowed religious, and laity – in other words, you – will lead and be invited to participate. This participation will be facilitated through open local gatherings and through discernment of delegates to the culminating General Assembly planned for the second half of 2027.
More details will be forthcoming in spring 2026. In the meantime, please pray for the fruitfulness of Synod 2027.
Synod 2027 will proceed in five movements:
2026
Formation and Preparation
A time for orienting everyone – clergy, vowed religious, and laity – to the meaning, purpose, and scope of Synod 2027.
Initial Synodal Conversations
These will consist of multiple small sessions, conducted in prayer and conversations in the Holy Spirit, about local needs, opportunities, and issues. This will be everyone’s opportunity to participate.
2027
Synthesis, Prayer, and Preparation
This time period will be dedicated to prayerful distillation of themes and issues to be treated during the General Assembly, as well as logistical preparation for the Assembly. Delegates will be chosen and prepared to appropriately and knowledgeably represent their constituents.
General Assembly
A two to two-and-a-half-day gathering for prayer, listening and discernment by delegates from each Family of Parishes and other institutions across the archdiocese, resulting in the recommendation of pastoral priorities to the archbishop.
2028
Implementation
Following the General Assembly, Archbishop Casey will discern priorities and next steps for implementation.
The synodal spirit of prayerful discernment while listening to the Holy Spirit and one another is the foundational approach of Beacons of Light. While Beacons of Light is a distinct pastoral planning process for Families of Parishes, it shares in and contributes to the hopes for Synod 2027.
The Synod will include prayer and discernment of priorities and goals for the local Church, specifically how to faithfully live and share the apostolic mission of the Church across the 19 counties of western and southwestern Ohio that comprise the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Points of doctrine or dogma of the universal Church will not be debated.
The General Assembly will include representatives of all the faithful across the archdiocese: lay people, consecrated religious, priests, and deacons. Details regarding specific events will be released as plans come together.
Consistent with the last archdiocesan Synod in 1971, the outcome of Synod 2027 will likely include insights and guidance for Archbishop Casey regarding pastoral priorities, some of which may include recommended Church legislation for his consideration.
