A PASTORAL LETTER ON SYNODALITY IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF KANSAS CITY IN KANSAS – Part 2 of 7
ARCHBISHOP SHAWN MCKNIGHT, S.TH.D.
The following is taken from Archbishop Shawn McKnight’s Pastoral Letter “Renewal from the Heartland,” which explains the ongoing synodal process the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas is currently undertaking to determine the archdiocese’s future path. This series will be presented in seven parts. To read the entire pastoral letter, go to: https://archkck.org/renewal-heartland/.
LISTENING WITH THE HEART
For those of us who participated in the Listening with the Heart synodal listening sessions in April, our hearts truly were burning within us. Those sessions were moments of prayer, to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking both in our own hearts and through those who gathered with us. Some of us came with sorrow and fear in our hearts, and all of us are grappling with what Jesus’ death and Resurrection mean in our lives today, with so much turmoil and division, death, and destruction around us.
There were at least three sessions held in each deanery, and others were held in communities who might have otherwise been shut out, specifically our deaf sisters and brothers and those incarcerated in our prisons.
In addition, 7,252 responded to our invitation to participate in an online survey which was designed from the comments made at the listening sessions. We conducted this survey using the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), an internationally known research center that uses modern scientific methods to serve the church, to help focus our future pastoral planning.
The themes that have emerged from these two efforts to listen with the heart of Christ have informed my discernment, as the chief pastor of the archdiocese, to hold up a common vision for the people living in all 21 counties.
This vision will be pondered in each deanery according to the local realities there — the resources available, the cultures of the communities, the pastoral challenges, and the capacity among those who gather as leaders in the deanery. Each deanery (and because of the size of the Johnson County deanery, there will be two discernment groups in it) will discern a common pastoral plan for the parishes in the deanery.
Each parish will then discern how to implement their deanery pastoral plan according to the particularities of the local parish’s mission, people, and resources. Thus, the local parish realities will inform and be informed by its neighboring parishes and other local communities. We must avoid any parochialism that would negate our goal of building a stronger communion among the parishes and in the local church of the archdiocese, thereby strengthening the participation of the people in the life and mission of the Church.
The steps of our pastoral planning are taking place in this manner:
1. LISTEN – First, we listened. We identified signs of renewal and recognized God’s presence among us in the synodal listening sessions and online survey.
2. VISION – In collaboration with the universal and local church leadership, I am articulating in this pastoral letter a vision from our common experiences and tensions, thereby reading the signs of the times in the context of God’s living Word.
3. ORIENT – We will discern emerging paths forward and form common orientations, using the structure of the deaneries. This will require additional listening as we discern those unique pastoral needs in each deanery while focusing on the same archdiocesan-wide vision.
4. PARISH LIFE – As missionary disciples, together we will implement the aspects of the deanery plan that align with the reality of the parish, prioritizing the common deanery plan so that we are accompanying other parishes in actualizing the archdiocesan vision.
GOD’S PRESENCE IN THE HEARTLAND
What signs of renewal and God’s presence can we identify from the Listening with the Heart synodal listening sessions and survey?
Across all eight deaneries, parishioners expressed a deep love for the Catholic Church, a profound reliance on the sacraments, and immense gratitude for parish communities, Catholic education, and family faith traditions. God is, indeed, present here in the heartland. This is the Good News of the presence of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit worth celebrating!
Across urban, suburban, and rural communities, participants identified a strong desire for the Church members to move from passive participation to active discipleship. The collective voice of the archdiocese calls for a flourishing Church that is deeply rooted in Eucharistic spirituality, faithful to Catholic doctrine, and openly outward-facing — listening deeply, forming adults and youth intentionally, welcoming the wounded and searching, and serving those on the margins with real, concrete mercy. These are signs of and opportunities for renewal.
By listening with our hearts, we hear people seeking to:
• Belong in a community
• Deepen their relationship with God
• Be sent on mission
Like the disciples on the road from Emmaus, our hearts should be on fire with the desire to testify to what is happening and what can happen in our villages, towns, and cities.
