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4 SEPTEMBER 2022 | DENVER CATHOLIC SY N O D 2021 -2 3 COMMUNION. PARTICIPATION. MISSION. Synodality represents the path by which the Church can be renewed by the action of the Holy Spirit, listening together to what God has to say to his people." POPE FRANCIS T aking to heart the invitation from the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Church of Northern Colorado embarked on a six- month long process of synodality, journeying together to listen to what the Holy Spirit desires for and from us for the sake of proclaiming the Gospel in the modern wilderness of our times. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila and his mis- sion leadership team were particularly moved through their prayer and reflection upon receiv- ing the Holy Father's invitation to see that this synodal journey truly was, "[unfolding] within a historical context marked by epochal changes in society and a crucial transition in the life of the Church," and that as a Church the Lord was very clearly inviting us, "within the folds of the com- plexity of this context, in its tensions and con- tradictions… to 'scrutinize the signs of the times and interpret them in light of the Gospel.'" 1 In the year prior to the announcement of this Synodal process, the Archdiocese of Denver had begun to embark on a journey of prayer and discernment, asking the Lord to bring clarity to what he desired for and from his church and his sons and daughters in our territory. One critical layer of clar- ity the Lord provided came from recognizing that we no longer live in Christendom, but rather in a new apostolic age. As such, the Lord was calling us to equip his Church for apos- tolic mission. What is apostolic mission? Simply it is the understanding that we live in a time where the culture and society in which we find our- selves no longer sees the world in the light of the Gospel. The culture no longer shares nor holds the same beliefs, ethical, or moral foundations that we do, and has become not simply adver- sarial, but rather blatantly hostile to the Catholic world- view and way of life. Even many of those who call themselves Christian today believe Christian- ity has very little to offer them in the A look into the Archdiocesan Synodal Process