CLC’s Christine Way Skinner joins Sr. Nathalie Becquart and Professor Catherine Clifford on panel to discuss Synodality and Adult Faith Formation by Margaret Small
On Friday, February 9, 2024, St. Paul University hosted a webinar to explore the topic of adult faith education and accompaniment as relating to a synodal church. Chaired by Dr. Carol Kuzmochka, the event included introductory remarks on “Meeting People Where They Are” by Dr. Cynthia Cameron, Dr. Anne Walsh, and Fr. Daryold Winkler. They pointed out that programs are easier to control than processes (which are organic), that people search for meaning and how this affects their own lives, that our stories need to be connected to Gospel stories, and, as Paolo Freire said, that the Word and the world must be in conversation. All must listen, the highest level being generative (explained later by Christine); the Pope has said that the world is deaf! The “encounter” that Pope Francis called for (preceding synodality) means that both parties are called to transformation. And perhaps the biggest challenge within the church is to the conversion of pastoral practice.
The panel on “A Synodal Church is an Adult Church” included short presentations by Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Dr. Catherine Clifford, Dr. Murray Watson, and Christine Way-Skinner. Sr. Nathalie highlighted the Gospel story of the apostles travelling to Emmaus. Christ walked with them, listened to them, sympathized with their feelings, and toward the end “opened the Scripture.” The church is a learning church needing holistic formation of its members, team leadership, trust in the Spirit, and the building of relationships. She referenced Indigenous gatherings in a circle as a powerful image. And she closed by saying that we learn by doing, including learning how to be synodal.
Catherine Clifford said that we need to develop a permanent culture to include all in the journey and suggested that expanding RCIA might be an initial step. We need to listen, not to ideas but to lived faith experiences. Then we are called to discern as a community and evaluate our decisions as we journey toward deeper faith. She said that parents need these skills of accompaniment, that single people (25% of our membership) need faith relationships, and that people want to learn how to pray.
Murray Watson spoke of the fear in the LGBTQ communities and that all need places of safety where inclusion is the hallmark. He closed with “the community is the curriculum.”
Finally, Christine emphasized the need to be educated by the Spirit and gave examples of prayerful listening like “lexio divina” and reflection on art. We need to feel safe to speak with boldness, working toward an ecosystem embodying the common good. She explained Otto Scharmer’s theory of the levels of listening: downloading information, listening for facts, listening with empathy, and at the deepest level generative listening where the new and unexpected is created. Her final point was challenging: the greatest gifts come from those with whom we disagree.
You can access the February 9 event here: https://crec.my.canva.site/