The Church wants to hear from you!

We are being invited to share our ideas and experiences on how we can better live out the mission of Jesus Christ. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of your relationship with the Church.

Our goal is to listen both to the Holy Spirit and to one another, in order to understand how we can better engage and teach about Christ. All of the responses from around the diocese will conclude in a public document outlining what we have heard and how we can act going forward, which will be shared with Pope Francis.

Everyone is invited to participate,
regardless of your relationship with the Church
or if you haven’t been practicing the faith.

Our listening in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown will conclude in a document outlining what we have heard and our actions going forward. This synod gives us a chance to pray, listen, and act. The diocesan phase, which will conclude with a summary, will be sent to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and will be available in late Summer 2022.

Prayer For The Synod

Prayer of Invocation to the Holy Spirit for an
ecclesiastical assembly of governance or discernment

We stand before You, Holy Spirit
as we gather together in Your name.

With You alone to guide us,
make yourself at home in our hearts;

Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.

We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.

Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth
and what is right.

All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son,
forever and ever. Amen.