Bishop Robert McElroy of the Diocese of San Diego has convened a diocesan synod to meet on Oct. 28-29 to reflect on the major themes of the recent apostolic exhortation “The Joy of Love.” The bishop believes the synod will not only help San Diego Catholics grapple with the modern challenges to family life and the church as they are explored in the exhortation; it will also offer the diocese a new model for “being church.” Bishop McElroy proposes turning the diocesan synod into a biannual, theme-driven event, an opportunity for spiritual renewal, reflection and “meaningful lay input into important sets of decisions within the governance of the diocese.” The San Diego synod may be the first such structured diocesan-wide response to “The Joy of Love” worldwide.

This article appears in June 6-13 2016.