Ciao, amici! I am enjoying a pilgrimage to Rome, Italy, with over 100 students and thirty faculty and staff from fourteen US Catholic universities this week. The Catholic Church’s four-year Synod on Synodality — or more properly, on Communion, Mission and Participation – is in the midst of the Second General Assembly, building on what was accomplished last fall, taking in global input gathered in the interim and creating a final advisory document for Pope Francis. Our pilgrimage is filled with interactions with synod delegates and staff. We are not here to lobby for positions on certain issues; rather we are here to let the world know that the young adults are the “Now” of the Church, they find synodality a wonderful way to participate and they wish to be part of the dialogue.
I have joined the trip in three capacities. I am part of the planning team and provide a spiritual perspective in the midst of these academics. I am co-chaperoning Maureen O’Connell’s La Salle University students. (Maureen is the grand orchestrator of this collaborative project.) I am advocating for deep listening among the pilgrims as well as with the delegates I am meeting. Many new relationships are being born!
Here are some highlights from the first two days:
- I have been LOVING time spent with Maureen, the five Lasallian students and Becky McIntyre, the trip’s artist! We have laughed and talked about anything and everything. “Our girls” have decided Maureen is their mother, I am the cool aunt and Becky is their older sister.
- I have also enjoyed numerous conversations with graduate and undergraduate students on the future of the Catholic Church, vocational paths, finding hope and why Roman menus do not feature more vegetables
- Sunday afternoon, all students were able to choose from a selection of tours, arranged or offered by faculty and friends. The LaSalle students opted for the Discerning Deacons’ tour, “Women of Courage and Confidence,” where we learned about nine women saints whose statues are among those that line St. Peter’s Square. These women were reformers, deacons, founders of hospitals, supporters of women exploited sexually and spiritual guides. The tour connected our lives to theirs through synodal dialogue and prayer. Inspiring!
- Sunday evening, Maureen and I had dinner with Marie-Kolbe Zamora, OSF, S.T.D. a theologian in the Secretariat of the Synod. She and I met last year in Rome and have kept in touch since. She sees synodality as a call to align our will with God’s, individually and communally. The three of us discussed the need for theology to be brought more fully into this spiritual process if it is to be a generative force in the Catholic Church. We need to bring bishops, theologians and spiritual directors into dialogue.
- Monday, the entire group met at the world headquarters for the Christian Brothers for a teach-in. We began with prayer and a level-set on synodality. My part here was to provide a brief talk on why deep listening is so important and key practices for it. Then, students and faculty clustered in “circles of co-responsibility” of pressing interest to young people, such as women in leadership, polarization, care for the earth, nonviolence, lay ministry, LGBTQ+ and interfaith dialogue. They used the synodal method of Conversations in the Spirit to shape the messages and questions they would share throughout the week with Synod delegates and leaders. I led the circle on polarization. CIS helped many participants recognize the complexity of the issue – and why, therefore, the solution must likewise be complex. The teach-in concluded with a large-group session where we created questions to be used during the globally livestreamed session with Synod leaders on Friday.
