I am in awe:  3/4 of the delegates to the diocesan synod will be laity and 1/4 clergy.  2000 people participated in the listening sessions leading up to the synod.

 Good heavens above!  Is Bishop McElroy really creating a forum in which laity have both - BOTH - a voice and have a vote?  Has some bishop magically finally realized that the laity really do have some expertise to lend to the subject of marriage?  

One more point that is important.  Bishop McElroy has made a point of including those of different cultural backgrounds.  The culture in which we are raised and the cultural background of our families plays an enormous part in how we view marriage, commitment, how the family carries on a faith tradition within the family.  

I hope Pope Francis makes Bishop McElroy a cardinal soon.  He is only 62 now and is surely the stuff from which popes should be made.