I ask you to join me today in entrusting this synodal process to God and to the maternal intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and Mother of the Church. The first phase of the Synod for a Synodal Church, and indeed the entire process, is about prayer. Therefore, I ask that we begin by praying to the Holy Spirit, seeking Divine Guidance as we engage this marvelous expression of what it means to be Church, the Body of Christ.