Congresso mariano nella diocesi di San Pietroburgo

20 May 2022

North America

Archdiocese / Diocese

Choose your language:

Il 14 maggio scorso, nella Cattedrale di San Giuda Apostolo, si è tenuto il IV Congresso mariano della diocesi di San Pietroburgo (Stati Uniti), sul tema "Ascoltare come Maria", con una Messa per rinnovare la consacrazione al Cuore Immacolato di Maria, guidata dal vescovo diocesano Gregory Parkes.

Il Congresso mariano si proponeva di avvicinare i cristiani della diocesi alla Vergine Maria, modello di discepolato nella sequela di Gesù. Maria è anche un modello perfetto di ascolto.

The focus is on dialogue and sharing, not debate or formulating immediate conclusions.

The topic that was discussed in the listening circle during the session was: How is this journeying together happening in your local church (parish/archdiocese)?

After this exercise, Father Botha shared common mistakes that facilitators should avoid. These include:

    • Dominance and bias, by talking too much, driving a hidden agenda, reacting instead of adapting and modelling teaching behaviour instead of learning behaviour, denying members the chance to think freely.
    • Poor management of group dynamics, by allowing dominators to take more than their share of time, ignoring quiet participants and ignoring conflict by allowing discussions to become personal, emotional or confrontational rather than focusing on the theme.
    • Letting sub-groups disrupt by allowing side conversations or cliques to affect the team’s performance, losing focus and not managing time.

The next workshop will be on 18 July, focusing on spirituality, governance and mission, ahead of the closing of the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality, on 18 and 19 September 2026.