“It will consist of a discernment period of six months, followed by a two-year part-time course,” he said. “We have now selected 19 people from throughout the diocese.”
These lay people will specialise in one of two areas.
“One is pastoral care, and the other one is nurturing faith. The unique feature about this course is that it is part academic, but also it consists of accreditation for pastoral reflection.”
That is something, the bishop said, “that we’ve been preparing for over the last year. Something that we’ve been doing in consultation with our Synodal conversations of faith with parishes assessing the needs. We got a good confirmation from our parishes saying that ‘yes’, they would like to have lay people in these roles.”
Bishop Hayes’ expectations for the Year of Hope are also “around putting into practice the findings and the recommendations of the Synod and Synodality, and the whole emphasis there upon the fact that by the virtue of our baptism they’re [lay people] are called to be protagonists on our mission.”
The bishop hopes to continue “with our national Synod path and that those people who have been trained during the past year in different dioceses, in facilitating leadership, they will be enabled to accompany people, in particular our Parish Pastoral Council, in putting this Synodal method and spiritual conversations into practice. The whole idea of listening to each other carefully, responding to what you hear and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak.”
Bishop Hayes wants to bring the Synod conversations to ordinary people into the parishes. “I prefer to use the term ‘conversations about faith’ rather than the term synodality.” He believes the language used is important, as it can interfere with people’s understanding.
“I would like to see people given the opportunity to talk to each other quite simply about their faith, not about the Church, but about their faith and their journey. I would hope that, in doing that, they would encourage each other and become pilgrims together.
“Walking along and knowing that our faith is something that can sustain in the difficulties of life and help to rejoice in thanksgiving when there is something to give thanks for,” Bishop Hayes said.