The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis recently held a Pray for the Synod event that will run through Pentecost. According to the archdiocese’s website, several parishes will host a Mass through May.

“All are invited to pray for our Archdiocesan Synod in this special way!” the archdiocese said on Facebook. “Each month between now and Pentecost, a different parish in our Archdiocese will host a votive Mass of the Holy Spirit and Eucharistic Adoration. Join us for daily Mass and holy hour with lectio divina prayer.”

Minneapolis’s St. Stephen Parish kicked off the event on Jan. 14 with a Mass and Adoration. St. Peter Claver in St. Paul, St. Hubert in Chanhassen, St. Paul in Ham Lake and St. Peter in Mendota also will serve as hosts, according to the archdiocese.

According to The Conservation, synod is derived from the Greek word synodos, which means  “coming together” or “traveling together.” The Church’s synodic tradition began in its early days when ancient Christian leaders assembled to discuss and pray about issues that affected the whole Church.

Synods were occurring infrequently by the 16th Century until 60 years ago when Vatican II, which met from 1962 to 1965, made it a goal to reemphasize  the role of bishops as leaders of their communities and encourage more communication and cooperation between them, The Conversation reported.

Last October, Pope Francis formally opened a two-year process called “a synod on synodality,” officially known as “Synod 2021-2023: For a Synodal Church,” the website added.

The process will involve an expansion of the established “Synod of Bishops” in which bishops around the world are tasked with consulting with monks, nuns, parishioners and lay people in an effort to promote transparency in the Church.

According to Pope Francis, the synod isn’t something simple.

 “The Church as a whole is also engaged in a synodal process, and I count on your contribution,” Francis said in an address to a delegation of French Catholic Action groups at the Vatican on Jan. 13, National Catholic Register reported. “Let us remember, in this regard, that synodality is not a simple discussion. It is not an ‘adjective.’ Never ‘adjectivize’ the substantiality of life.”