Cynthia Bailey Manns, adult learning director for St. Joan of Arc Parish in Minneapolis who holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in spiritual direction, will be speaking at Christ Church Newman Center Jan. 28 following their 10 a.m. Mass.
Bailey Manns, who was selected by Pope Francis to be one of the 10 non-bishop voting delegates from the North American region for the first general assembly of the Synod of Bishops last October, will present “Synodality: Gathered and Sent to Love and Serve.”
“When I first discovered she was one of four lay voting delegates from the United States, and she’s only 70 miles away, I thought wouldn’t it be great for her to come speak at our parish?” said Kevin LaNave, peace and social justice coordinator at the Newman Center.
“She brings a lot to the table with her depth of education, but her spirit, the richness of her spiritual life and depth of this women.”
Bailey Manns felt touched by the stories shared during discussions at the Vatican, “We prayed for peace at the Synod, beginning with the ‘Gathering of the People of God and the Ecumenical Prayer Virgil.’ We increased prayers with the onset of war between Israel and Palestine, and participated in a morning prayer service that touched our souls, led by participants from countries in conflict.”
“Yet, what was most transformative to me, were the delegate witness stories of the pain and suffering of the people in their countries, including friends and family, who were hurt, killed, or taken as hostages. Their stories remain seared on my heart.”
Although the presentation will be livestreamed and a replay will be available on the Christ Church Newman Center website, participation in person is encouraged.
“I’m hoping that her sharing reaffirms and deepens people’s sense of the meaning, the process and the impact of synodal conversations in a parish,” LaNave said.
Bailey Manns also hopes people leave the presentation with a takeaway, “I want people to leave with the understanding that when we make the commitment to create space within ourselves for God to open our hearts to new understandings and responses to the different life experiences of others, we experience a deeper closeness to God.”
If you go…
Sunday, Jan. 28
Christ Church Newman Center, Terrace
396 1st Ave. S., St. Cloud
After 10 a.m. Mass
Hello Kevin and Amber,
We have a Journeying in Faith gathering for our RCIA candidates during part of this time that Ms Manns will be speaking. Could you share the livestream link so we could watch from our gathering?
The livestream is available here: https://www.scsucatholic.org/. Thanks!