The Synod on Synodality: Becoming a Co-Responsible Church

An interview with Prof. Rafael Luciani of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry where we discuss the synodal process beginning this month that will culminate in the 2023 Synod of Bishops "For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission"

Professor Luciani explains how the current synodal process is an opportunity with a responsibility for all Catholics to contribute to the direction of the Church. He also points out ways in which people in the grassroots can participate in the synodal process and practice synodality in their local ecclesial contexts.

You can find the Preparatory Document Prof. Luciani mentions here:

Check out Prof. Luciani's new book on synodality:

Learn more about what it means to be the Church in the STM Online: Crossroads course

You can also find Boston College research on Hispanic presence in U.S. Catholic church conducted by Prof. Hosffman Ospino here:

Catholic Schools in an Increasingly Hispanic Church

[brianum]

This work by Pope Francis, with the whole Church, is the effort to revivify the Spirit of Vatican Ii and the synod of synodality provides great hope for the future of the Church. That said, there will be some considerable pain - and so resistance - to what this means for us as Church, both locally and universally. It will be important to address the grief that arises from this pain and anxiety. It will be necessary to honour that grief by reminding everyone of the many gifts, traditions, experiences, inspirations that we will be bringing with us from the “recent” expressions of Church to the “original” expressions of being Church. That we have, with the Trinity at the heart of our journey, “what it takes” as Church to begin the great journey to rediscover our roots. Our honouring the grief that we experience will allow the creative energies of the Holy Spirit to be expressed through the life of God’s people, rather than being dammed up, restrained, or resisted. Those released creative forces are vital in order for the Church to look outward and to face the many challenges that we share with the global community.