Philadelphia Archdiocese reaches out to parishioners online

How well do you understand the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage and family?

The Philadelphia Archdiocese wants to know.

This October, bishops from around the world will gather in Rome for the Ordinary Synod of Bishops – not to be confused with the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this September.

Once there, the senior clergy will discuss the topics of families and marriage: how the family builds up society; provides community; and fosters relationships among people and with God.

In preparation, the Philadelphia Archdiocese is offering an “online consultation” for Catholics to reflect on their knowledge of the topics.

“It’s not a question of what do you think or what do you believe, but rather how aware are you and how well do you understand the Gospel and the teachings of the church on these particular topics?” said the Rev. Dennis Gill, director of the Office of Divine Worship.

His office will collect the responses through March 9, then pass them along to Archbishop Charles Chaput who, along with all the other bishops in the world, will use the information to process how well their parishes grasp the church’s teaching.

“It gives us the possibility of reaching a large number of people in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,” said Gill.

He said the church has used a digital form for a past synod with success. Parishioners can find this year’s form on the archdiocese’s website.

“We’re hoping, just like last time, we’ll have a fine cross-section of priests and people in the archdiocese,” Gill said.