By Matters India Reporter
Agartala, June 11, 2022: Nine months of the intense synodal meetings at different levels ended June 11 with the diocesan pre-Synodal meeting in Agartala, capital of the northeastern Indian state.
As many as 92 representatives of laity, catechists, women’s groups, youth religious and priests attended the day-long prayer, reflection, discernment and planning for the future of the Church in Tripura.
The participants have resolved to make the spirit of Synodality, “Journeying together” beyond the diocesan synod meeting into their daily lives.
“The meeting provided an opportunity for diverse members of the diocese to come together for a liturgical celebration, pray together, and reflect on their experience of the Synodal process,” said Jesuit Father Irudhaya Jothi, the contact person for the Synodal preparation in the diocese of Agartala.
He noted that diocese has completed different stages of the Synodal process. “It is time now to listen to the feedback from the synodal consultation meetings across the diocese and dialogue about the local Church’s current reality, read the signs of the times and discern the Holy Spirit’s call,” he added.
The priest, who introduced the art of active listening and intentional speaking, expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the process that passed the diocesan synthesis of pre-Synodal document.
Some objectives of the diocesan synod were to end the months of the diocesan phase of synodal consultations with the people of God, celebrate and reflect on the diocesan journey of travelling together on the synodal path.
The synod also highlighted the main themes of the diocesan consultations with a select group representing various communities in the diocese.
It also aimed at involving members of diverse communities to reflect on the experience and input of the consultation process.
Other objectives were to listen what God has been saying through the people in the diocese, discern God’s will for the local Church and the path he wants the Church to follow for deeper communion, fuller participation, and fruitful mission.
Manai Ranglong, a woman participant, said the diocesan synod meeting and the pre-synodal documents expressed her feelings and aspirations.
“It is time we owned up synod decisions such as promotion of local vocation and formation of the children and youth in the faith,” said the representative of Bagbasa, the northernmost parish of the diocese.
The 25-year-old diocese, covering 10,491 square kilometers, has 49,000 Catholics among roughly 4.1 million people, mostly tribals. They are served by some 310 priests and nuns who manage 40 educational institutions and hostels that cater to all irrespective of religions.
It has some 10 dispensaries and health centers that reach out to the rural poor.
The state was ruled by the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for 35 years until the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party snatched power in 2018.
In the last nine months, all 24 parishes in the diocese organised meetings under five deaneries to study the concept of ‘We are the Church.’
The Synodal meetings in parishes began with a Bible procession and enthronement an recitation of the prayer to the Holy Spirit.
They also had a short presentation on the What, Why and How of Synod on Synodality with the theme of Communion, Participation and Mission along with the pressing local issues – sociopolitical and economic challenges of people in general and religious minority and youth in particular.
The participants in the parish meetings were divided for “active listening and intentional sharing,” who then shared salient points in the plenary meetings.
Many parishes organized Mass and fellowship meals.
The diocese of Agartala was among the first to discuss the Synod on Synodality starting in September 2021.
Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala pointed out that the Church in Tripura has until now stressed the faith formation of the laity and the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
A group of lay people said the diocese’s “infancy period has been a bit prolonged and it was time to encourage lay leaders in the Church.
One of the synodal findings acknowledged that the diocese’s source of power comes from its educational institutions, social status and money and not in-depth spiritual experience among the people.
A challenge for the Tripura Church is the presence of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Rites. The local lay people are not adequately trained to understand the presence of different rites in the Catholic Church. Hence most view the Oriental Catholics as different denominations. “This creates a certain amount of misunderstanding hence proper education of the laity is needed,” Father Jothi said.
Soon after the synodal meeting, Bishop Monteiro met with Bishop Raphael Thattil, the Eparchy of Shamshabad, under which the Silchar Syro-Malabar Catholic Mission operates in Tripura.
Father Jothi says much good would have happened if Bishop Thattil too had attended the Agartala diocesan synod. “It was a missed opportunity,” he added.
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