From Fr. Oakland:

For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission
 
Pope Francis has set this as the theme for the 2023 Synod of Bishops, but is beginning with an extraordinary consultation process that starts at each parish.  Each parish community is invited to engage on a series of questions and topics for reflection, and to send these to their arch/diocese.  There is also supposed to be some wider consultations which reach out to individuals who have left the practice of the faith, our neighbors and community members, individual groups and apostolates, etc.  The arch/dioceses gather all this up and send lengthy summaries to their national conferences, who send their own summaries to continental gatherings, which then contribute to the worldwide Synod of Bishops.
 
On March 20th at noon, and on March 29th at 6PM, we will have our own parish synod gatherings.  These an atypical format.  We are all familiar with surveys and listening sessions.  Synodality is very different.  It isn't an “us” listening to “you” but all of us listening to one another.  More than positions or thoughts, we listen to one another’s stories as well, the way in which the Gospel has been real in our lives.  And the most important person involved in a Synod is the Holy Spirit. 
 
Pope Francis has been quick to point out on numerous occasions, given the example of democracy in so many places, that a Synod is not a question of majority rule, or setting up votes, or staking out positions.  It is instead an invitation to gather together with the Lord to hear where He is leading us.  Historically, this has been a problem in some of the Synod of Bishops, something which Pope Francis has himself noted.
 
So will start our sessions in the church, for prayer and reflection on Sunday’s session, and for daily Mass on Tuesday’s sessions, before we move into small groups for sharing and time for silent listening.  We will finish in the church, as well, as we begin and end all things with the Lord.
 
The main question is this: A synodal Church, in announcing the Gospel, “journeys together.” How is this “journeying together” happening today in your local Church? What steps does the Spirit invite us to take in order to grow in our “journeying together”? (PD, 26)
 
In responding to this question, we are invited to: - Recall our experiences:
-What experiences of our local Church does this question call to mind?
-Re-read these experiences in greater depth: What joys did they bring? What difficulties and obstacles have they encountered? What wounds did they reveal? What insights have they elicited? 5.3 The Main Question for Consultation
-Gather the fruits to share: Where in these experiences does the voice of the Holy Spirit resound? What is the Spirit asking of us? What are the points to be confirmed, the prospects for change, the steps to be taken? Where do we register a consensus? What paths are opening up for our local Church?
 
The Vademecum, the preparatory document, outlines the vision of our holy father and the areas for reflection unfolding this theme.  The International Theological Commission has undertaken their own reflections, as well.  Both of these might provide helpful for those wishing to know more in readiness for joining us.