Liam Bergin,
‘Baptised in Christ: Reborn for Mission’ in ‘Baptised and Sent’.
See www.synod.ie
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
6 September 2026
Discerning God’s voice in the midst of tensions
The submissions to the Irish Synodal Pathway reveal a Church in motion, a community grappling with its identity, grieving its wounds, and reaching for new life. What emerges is not a tidy consensus, but a Spirit-led ferment. There are cries for belonging, tensions over inclusion, and the hopes for deeper formation and shared mission.
There were those who felt that engagement with contemporary society, especially young people, required recognition of the reality of changed attitudes to sexuality and sexual identity, while others emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of authentic church teaching in these areas.
There were divergences with regard to the legacy of abuse in the Church. For some, a failure to acknowledge fully the suffering of victims and survivors and ‘to own our broken past’ as a precondition for renewal would contradict and undermine the life-affirming message of the Gospel; for others, while acknowledging the need for accountability and vigilance, there was a perceived risk of distracting from other tasks of renewal and mission.
There was frustration that liturgical forms and language constituted a barrier to engagement and participation, while others expressed the view that the integrity and beauty of the liturgy should be valued for their capacity to attract and engage.
From Baptised and Sent #38–41
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Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
13 September 2026
Discerning God’s voice in the midst of tensions
The submissions to the Irish Synodal Pathway reveals that for some the role of schools in faith formation and sacramental preparation was seen as a core responsibility of schools under Catholic patronage. For others, the problematic nature of current practice pointed to a need for greater responsibility on parish communities in support of parents in this regard.
The disappointment that social justice and the care of creation had not received greater attention during the process, given the importance of Catholic Social Teaching for the witness of the Church, was noted. Also noted was an undercurrent regarding the experience of synodality itself and expectations for its future. Many reported an energising effect and a rediscovery of joy through synodal engagement, while others reported disappointment at the uneven response and even the refusal of some communities and clergy to engage in the process.
Co-responsibility had been experienced by some as an affirming reality, while others had experienced it at best as a form of tokenism.
The likelihood of mobilising hope and energy through the next stages of the synodal pathway, given diminishing resources of personnel and finance, was viewed with scepticism by some.
From Baptised and Sent #41–43
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Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
20 September 2026
The Centrality of Baptism
Emerging from the discernment process was a remarkable consensus that there was a call to recognise the centrality of Baptism as the foundation of the Christian life and mission, and the key to the vitality of communities of faith. There is a clear invitation to see Baptism as a unifying paradigm whose power could energise and guide the development of a synodal Church in Ireland and which could better respond to the foundational challenge of the Irish Synodal Pathway.
Baptism had indeed been highlighted in the responses from most dioceses and groups as an important theme; it also headed the list of themes enumerated in the Final Document of the Universal Synod. However, it was not Baptism as a specific theme but rather Baptism as the root and unifying principle which:
- gives coherence to all of the priorities identified in the submissions,
- gives rise to fruitful and complementary charisms and ministries in the Church;
- provides the entry point and a fruitful focus for catechesis and faith formation;
- provides an unshakable foundation for inclusion and welcome.
The grace of the sacrament and the calling of all the baptised is an enduring source of unity within which the tensions and divergences reported in the submissions can be faced and lived.
From Baptised and Sent #47–49
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Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
27 September 2026 • World Day of Migrants and Refugees
The Centrality of Baptism
The grace of the sacrament and the calling of all the baptised is an enduring source of unity within which the tensions and divergences reported in the submissions can be faced and lived. Because Baptism is the root and inspiration for a synodal culture, it is the key resource for sustaining engagement, respect and dialogue.
Baptism provides inspiration for the framing of authentic consensus and the exercise of authority through respectful processes of decision-making and decision-taking. It is key to reconciling the tension between invitation and expectation. Deepening appreciation of the dignity of all the baptised and of the responsibility of the baptised to grow in faith, provide a basis for moving forward in renewal of discipleship and mission, even as the destination of the journey ahead remains uncertain and obscure.
This perspective on the radical nature of Baptism places the next stage of the synodal pathway firmly within ‘the priority concern to offer the people of God new opportunities to walk together and reflect on these experiences in order to reap their fruits for the mission’ (Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod).
Baptism provides the most effective lens for the journey ahead.
From Baptised and Sent #49–51
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