Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in Christ! On this holy Solemnity of All Saints, I wanted to share an important endeavor for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. As you may be aware, in October of 2021, Pope Francis called the entire Church to participate in a process of Synodality to strengthen the Church's unity and co-responsibility among her members for the sake of mission and evangelization. Over the past four years, the Diocese has been participating in this Synodal process as a way of strengthening our local Church through a series of meetings and listening sessions to better understand the signs of the times and the pastoral needs and concerns of our diocese. Pope Leo XIV has now called the entire Church to participate in the final Implementation Phase of the Synod where he has asked each diocese between June 2025 and December 2026 to take concrete steps to implement the work of the Synod in the life and mission of the diocese. Therefore, the Implementation Phase of the Synod is a providential opportunity for the Diocese of Colorado Springs to continue our Synodal path and embark on the creation of a three-year diocesan pastoral vision centered around humility, unity, and charity. The mission statement of this pastoral vision is as follows:
Centered on the missionary renewal of the Second Vatican Council and "reinvigorating its prophetic force for todays world"1 the diocesan pastoral vision will seek to increase the baptismal identity of all the faithful to become missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. The pastoral vision will focus on three pathways of renewal: By growing in humility through a personal encounter with Christ and strengthening the unity of the Body of Christ the Church, we are sent by Christ in charity to proclaim and witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.
The Implementation Phase in the diocese will formally begin on December 8, 2025, the 60th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. The phase will conclude on December 12, 2026, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of our Diocese, at which time the pastoral vision will be formally promulgated. During this Implementation Phase, there will be a process of diocesan-wide prayer, discernment, and formation that will serve as pastoral preparation for the entire diocese as well as assist me and our Diocesan Synod Team in formulating the pastoral vision. More detailed information will be coming in the next few weeks.
1 Final Document of the Synod, 5
Finally, I felt that the Solemnity of All Saints was an opportune time to announce the formation of a diocesan pastoral vision because it will be entirely ordered towards our calling to become saints of God and "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God." (Ephesians 4:12-13) As we embark on this process, I ask all to please join me in prayer asking the Holy Spirit will inspire and guide us in this imp01tant work in our diocese as we continue the mission of the New Evangelization.