The team at the Archdiocese of Denver that developed an online questionnaire to help bishops prepare for the October synod on the family has been pleased with the responses received from northern Colorado Catholics thus far.
“I am encouraged by the responses for the questionnaire so far. We have received close to 2,000 submissions and they express a wide range of concerns,” David Uebbing, chancellor for the archdiocese told the Denver Catholic.
As of Feb. 23, 1,926 respondents had completed the 38-question, multiple-choice questionnaire, according to David Hazen, associate director of communications.
The questionnaire, launched Feb. 9, was designed in response to Pope Francis’ request for input from all Catholics, including those of the Archdiocese of Denver, to help prepare for the Oct. 4-25 ordinary general assembly of the synod at the Vatican. The upcoming synod is the second and larger of two such Vatican gatherings of bishops to take place over the course of a year. Like its precursor, the focus of the October 2015 synod will be the family, specifically “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”
Once the information is received from Catholics in northern Colorado, it will be compiled into a report by Archbishop Samuel Aquila, and then delivered to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In turn, the USCCB will submit a report to the Vatican that summarizes the findings from the entire country. There are an estimated 557,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Denver, 76 million in the U.S., and 1.2 billion worldwide.
This feedback of the universal Church will be used to craft a working document that will help guide the bishops’ discussions at the synod. In addition, locally, Archbishop Aquila will also use the information to better serve his flock in Colorado, according to Uebbing.
“It is very helpful to know what people are experiencing as they strive to live their faith today,” Uebbing said, “since it enables us to improve the Church’s outreach and support.”
All Catholics in northern Colorado are encouraged to complete the questionnaire. To participate, visit www.archden.org/questionnaire before March 2.