Contributor

Peter Bierer

Articles by Peter

Why another assembly?

Over the past several years, we have been on a journey of discovery, or re-discovery, of synodality. The Plenary Council, our Diocesan Assemblies, Regional Assemblies, the Global Synod, pastoral councils, commissions and other advisory bodies have all been ways of exercising synodal listening, discernment and decision-making.

Steering a synodal caravan

Last year I wrote an article for The Southern Cross that likened synodality to a family road trip. These days, I’m thinking about synodality more like a caravan of several families on a road trip together.

Adventure of journeying together

Family road trips tend to be the stuff of lore. Growing up in the American Midwest, my family of six regularly piled into our Ford Econoline conversion van to drive several hours across state lines to visit grandparents and cousins. Even the short trips required planning, packing and multiple references to the road atlas

Being Church with young people

Shari is a good friend of mine from my parish in the USA. She’s a long time member of the community, a former music teacher and school principal, a trustee of the parish, and a faithful volunteer in the parish youth ministry. A single woman in her 70s, never married, no children, Shari is a sort of surrogate grandmother to young people in the community.