Consultation and Pastoral Planning for
The Archdiocese Of Washington
The voices of the lay leadership who participated in the synodal dialogues conveyed the story of more than 130 parish communities within our Archdiocese that have distinct histories, achievements, graces and challenges. It cannot be emphasized how deeply the dialogues spoke to the individuality of each parish community and its pilgrimage of faith. In doing so, the dialogues also pointed to common themes and needs which radiate across the Archdiocese as we look to the pastoral needs of the coming five years.
Between March and October of 2025, His Eminence Robert Cardinal McElroy met with more than 400 parish leaders in groups of 15 and they conveyed to Cardinal McElroy with honesty, depth, faith and insight their understanding of how our local church in the District, Saint Mary’s County, Calvert County, Charles County, Prince George’s County and Montgomery County could grow in faith and witness to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each meeting consisted of representatives from five or six parishes. Using a synodal method of dialogue, the meeting began with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles, followed by a period of reflective prayer. Then each parish representative gave a prepared statement of what they thought Cardinal McElroy should know about parish life and the Archdiocese. After these presentations were completed, there was a general discussion on the points that had been raised, and which ones merited the greatest attention. The following summary in the Pastoral Plan below represents the major elements that were raised in these synodal dialogues.
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