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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Let’s Listen?
 “Let’s Listen” is the name of a series of listening sessions across the Diocese of Duluth.
During Lent 2022, sessions will be held to better understand the spiritual needs of the people of the Diocese of Duluth by sharing both what is hurting and what is hopeful in their lives.
Why are we doing it?
The church must constantly strive to discern how the Holy Spirit is inviting her to better evangelize in every era. Following an eventful past few years, the Diocese of Duluth is now entering into the dawn of a new era and is seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer and listening to each other.
To recognize how the Holy Spirit is speaking now, the church together will follow a path inspired by the account of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–32). Sharing both hurts and hopes will allow the Diocese of Duluth to realize how Jesus is near, just as those on the road to Emmaus experienced.
When will Let’s Listen happen?
Let’s Listen will kick off the week of Feb. 20-27. With a Lenten focus, Let’s Listen sessions will conclude by the beginning of Holy Week.
How do I get involved?
Look to parish bulletins, websites, newsletters, and announcements to find out about in-person Let’s Listen sessions near you. If you do not have a local pastor, email Andrew Jarocki at [email protected]. The Let’s Listen survey can also be found in the March issue of The Northern Cross as a mail-in option or online at www.dioceseduluth.org.
What should I expect if I go?
Expect a prayerful and open discussion of what is in need of healing and what offers hope about life in the Catholic Church in northeastern Minnesota. Sessions will begin with a prayer and are led by a facilitator. There will be opportunities to share your thoughts both verbally and in written form over the course of about an hour and a half.
Is this a referendum on controversial areas of church teaching?
The purpose of Let’s Listen sessions is not to debate over teachings of the church or to correct or solve the day’s problems but to listen. Everyone is welcome to share their perspective, regardless of their ideas. The sessions will always maintain a respectful tone.
Let’s Listen is about more deeply understanding the experience of the people of the Diocese of Duluth to help discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our next step in mission as a diocese.
What will be done with the information gathered?
Responses will be gathered in various formats, including submissions received through the online and mail-in survey options and from the in-person listening sessions. Participants at in-person sessions can submit their written responses. Notes taken by a notetaker at in-person sessions will be submitted.
After mid-April, when Let’s Listen sessions and surveys have been completed, the submissions will be reviewed and discerned and will eventually inform a Pastoral Letter from Bishop Felton about how the Spirit has spoken through the process, expected to be released on Pentecost, June 5.
Additionally, the findings will be used for a summary from the Diocese of Duluth that will be prepared and submitted to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as part of the global synodal process.
Can I participate if I’m not a practicing Catholic?
Yes. Everyone is invited to participate in Let’s Listen.
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