Four years after releasing a pastoral letter calling for the Diocese of Dallas’ third synod, Bishop Edward J. Burns on Ash Wednesday 2025 has released a new Post-Synodal Pastoral Letter offering insights and updates on the synodal process.
Diocese of Dallas Synod
Cuatro años después de publicar una carta pastoral convocando al tercer sínodo de la Diócesis de Dallas, el obispo Edward J. Burns publicó el Miércoles de Ceniza de 2025 una nueva carta pastoral que ofrece información sobre la Carta Pastoral Post-Sinodal de la diócesis.
I saw a need for a Diocesan Synod during the historic pandemic, when our pews were empty, our pulpits silent, and our altars were barren. I knew we needed to do something historic to compensate for this pandemic.
This December, the Diocese of Dallas is preparing to enter an extraordinary phase in its history with a diocesan synod. This four-day assembly, being held Dec. 1-4, is a culmination of years of preparation, input, and discernment that brought together representatives from across the diocese to offer feedback to Bishop Edward J. Burns in his decisions on governance of the diocese. Here are five essential things to know about this historic event.
“My friends, we have work to do.” Those words are how Bishop Edward J. Burns closed a Mass for nearly 300 faithful who gathered Sept. 14 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe for a Mass to be commissioned as delegates for the Diocese of Dallas Synod assembly later this year.
In December, nearly 300 delegates from throughout the Diocese of Dallas will gather to discern a catalogue of resolutions as part of the third diocesan synod. The Diocese of Dallas Synod Assembly will be held Dec. 1-4, signaling the conclusion of the synod’s preparatory process as it transitions into its implementation phase.
As a member of the synod preparatory commission, one of the exciting things I have seen is the synergy between clergy and laity in our diocese. Of course, we are still a pilgrim people, and the data we received from the listening sessions shows the need for further growth. Nonetheless, it has been beautiful, as a priest, to work shoulder to shoulder with so many dedicated lay people and priests on the commission and elsewhere, all of us wanting to try our best to give ourselves away for the good of the Church.
A pair of decorated cakes added a celebratory spirit, but for those in attendance, a workman-like demeanor fueled discussions Oct. 21 at a Diocese of Dallas synodal listening session at Cristo Rey Dallas College Preparatory School. The gathering marked the final of 30 listening sessions over nearly two-and-a-half years, planned as part of the preparatory phase of the Diocese of Dallas Synod.
More than 300 young adults gathered under the cozy lights of Community Beer Co. to sip beer and share their perspectives on today’s Church. This Oct. 3 synodal listening session, titled “Conversations Unfiltered: The Church and the Future,” was an opportunity for young adults, ages 21 to 35, to discuss their experience as young people within the Dallas diocese. The session was the 28th of 30.
Lay leadership in the Diocese of Dallas is a critical component of our future success.