‘Baptised and Sent‘ – a preparatory document for the 18th Oct 2025 Pre-Synodal Assembly in Kilkenny – has been published by the Irish national synodal team.

A document of just 36 pages, it summarises the national team’s analysis of feedback from diocesan and other Irish church bodies convened to follow the synodal process begun in 2021 – and to express views on the ideal priorities to be followed by a church experiencing radical change. All in the wake of internal scandals, a shrinking clerical cohort, the coronavirus pandemic and a rapidly changing and media-frazzled society.

The dominant theme is the primary importance of the sacrament of Baptism as the basis of the Christian ‘call’. This in itself is a radical step in a society where for centuries Baptism had no status as an almost always infant event, in comparison with the adult and ‘men only’ sacrament of Holy Orders (Ordination).

The document lists seven priorities for the pre-synodal assembly on Oct 18th and poses a series of questions for discussion beforehand.

Seven Priorities

1. Belonging: fostering a Church of welcome, inclusion, and safety where each person finds a home in community and in Christ.
2. Co-responsibility and Lay Ministry: empowering all the baptised, women and men, to share responsibility for leadership and mission through new models of ministry and decision making.
3. Family: supporting the domestic Church as the primary place of faith transmission and belonging, and strengthening its connection with parishes and schools.
4. Formation and Catechesis: deepening faith through lifelong formation that is Christ-centred, experiential, and equips the baptised for discipleship in today’s world. Rooted not only in learning but also in liturgy and sacramental life, so that prayer and worship become living sources of faith, understanding, and mission.
5. Healing: acknowledging wounds, especially those caused by abuse; committing to accountability, justice, and reconciliation; and ensuring safe spaces for survivors and all who carry pain.
6. Women: recognising and including women’s gifts, leadership, and co-responsibility at every level of Church life, as a matter of justice and credibility.
7. Youth: engaging young people with authenticity, offering them meaningful roles in leadership and mission, and listening to their hopes and challenges.

To download the complete document – including the questions for discussion – click here.

Nothing Higher Than Baptism

One short passage quoted in full from the final report of the 16th universal synod in Rome in 2023-4 can be said to summarise the document’s main emphasis:

“Baptism is the foundation of Christian life. This is because it introduces everyone to the greatest gift, which is to be children of God, that is, to share in Jesus’ relationship to the Father in the Spirit. There is nothing higher than this baptismal dignity, equally bestowed upon each person, through which we are invited to clothe ourselves with Christ and be grafted onto Him like branches of the one vine.”