Scottish Laity Network Gathering

The Scottish Laity Network was established in September 2017 with the core aim of 'seeking to enable Scottish laity to come together as disciples of Jesus, and through prayer, dialogue and discernment find "new ways" of being Church in Scotland in the 21st Century'.

During the time of lockdown, March 2020, we reflected on our core aim and rooted in prayer we felt prompted by the Spirit to go on a Journey of Discernment that sought to respond Pope Francis' vision of a discerning Church that has at its core mutual listening and learning.

We therefore invited fellow followers of Jesus to be our 'companions' and to share with us their insights into the 'signs of the times'.

Our initial companions were Fr Jim Martin, Massimo Faggioli, Austen Ivereigh, Mary McAleese, Lorna Gold, and Jim Wallis and they gave us 'food' for the journey but there was always the understanding that it was the participants who were to discern, both individually and communally, where the Promptings of the Spirit were calling us.

Responding to these 'promptings' set us on a journey that has resulted in over 100 zoom sessions with companions and participants from many different countries. Many of our sessions were co-badged with groups and organisations that were already involved in the area we were reflecting on.

We also fully engaged with the Synodal Journey and submitted three responses to the Synodal Office who responded very positively to them and shared details of some of our sessions in their Newsletter and in the Resources section of their website.

All our submissions were rooted in the insights gained through our various sessions and went through a rigorous process of discernment that enabled the full participation of all our members.

However, we are now at stage when we feel called to Celebrate our journey to date and Discern Together how we go forward.

We have therefore organised a Gathering for Saturday 7th November and the details are: -

Time: 10.30am - 4.30pm.

Venue: Conforti Institute, Coatbridge, ML5 4JS.

Participation: In Person or Online via Zoom.

Registration Form: https://forms.gle/YdJvY9UdvQLCqJxQ7

Website: https://scottishlaitynetwork.org.uk

YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/4if2AiV

You can access messages that several of our companions have sent for our Gathering.