Reasons for Hope: The Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies
by Cathie Pead
The Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies is a mouthful!! But once you get past that, I am very happy to report that the gathering in Rome from Oct 24-26 to celebrate the synod on synodality was nothing short of inspiring!
The highlight for CLC is the fact that when Bishop Alain Faubert reported on Canada’s progress implementing synodality, the image he chose to accompany his remarks was the group photo from Journey of Encounter at St. Jerome’s last June! Those of us who attended in June and were also present in Rome, were thrilled to see all of us projected on the giant screens in Paul VI Hall while Pope Leo, staff of the Synod Secretariat and about 2000 pilgrims from around the world looked on. Safe to say, our gathering in June has entered the official Church story!
The Jubilee gave us many reasons for hope! I am pleased to share some of them here. We will provide further opportunities for CLC and Journey of Encounter folks to delve into the current state of synodality, globally and locally. For now, here are some highlights:
In the presence of Pope Leo, each of the 7 continents gave progress reports, and then got to ask one question, which the pope answered. Our own Bishop Alain Faubert (chair of the CCCB ad hoc Committee for the Implementation of Synodality) represented Canada well, speaking of the hope and the expectation that synodality has engendered in Catholics in Canada, while acknowledging that the process of implementation was just getting underway. His question to the Holy Father was “What would you say to bishops and priests who think synodality threatens their authority and how can we encourage co-responsibility, accountability and transparency?” This produced an immediate reaction. The room erupted in applause. To his credit, Pope Leo acknowledged the spontaneous outburst saying that clearly this was a question that resonates with many of the faithful.
The audience with Pope Leo was preceded by an inspiring keynote by Cardinal Mario Grech (Only Love can keep us at the table when understanding fails) and three powerful theological reflections which addressed aspects of synodality that will be critical to its success. Presenters were: His Eminence Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś (Poland), Rev. Prof. Miguel de Salis Amaral (Portugal), and Dr. Mariana Aparecida Venâncio (Brazil) who shared their reflections on living and building a #synodalChurch.
Passing through the Holy Door with the other Synodal Pilgrims, we crossed the threshold, both literal and metaphorical, signifying the transition we are making TOGETHER as a church and as humanity. Where will we land? My faith tells me that God will not be thwarted and in the end love, justice, care for creation and peace will prevail.
The Eucharistic celebration on Sunday October 26 in St Peter’s with Pope Leo presiding was moving and inspiring. Filled with Synodal pilgrims, Pope Leo affirmed synodality as central to the church’s mission. Here is an excerpt from his homily to us:
Being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed, but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with Love.
Dear friends, we must dream of and build a more humble Church; a Church that does not stand upright like the Pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge as the Pharisee does the tax collector, but becomes a welcoming place for all; a Church that does not close in on itself, but remains attentive to God so that it can similarly listen to everyone. Let us commit ourselves to building a Church that is entirely synodal, ministerial and attracted to Christ and therefore committed to serving the world.
I highly recommend you read his entire homily here. https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/homilies/2025/documents/20251026-giubileo-equipe-sinodali.html
It was hugely inspiring to spending three days getting better acquainted with the other Canadians and with Bishop Alain. We had rich conversations and established deep connections. I am especially encouraged that four of us who went to Rome from Canada were also participants in Journey of Encounter: Pilgrims of Hope Embracing Synodality at St. Jerome’s University in June. Two of those four, Linda Staudt and Lisa Polk, have been appointed to the CCCB ad hoc Committee for the Implementation of Synodality. To me, this is incredibly hopeful.
Another reason to hope: the Synod Secretariat is working actively and purposefully to support synodality in the Church around the globe: listening to the different cultural and political contexts, while creating mechanisms for local churches to report on progress. It is huge undertaking, but the sense of resolve is palpable.
The Secretariat is using social media very effectively to engage with the faithful directly and to allow for the sharing of promising practices. This means people everywhere can learn what is going on straight from the source. Follow on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/synod.va/?hl=en and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/synod.va/
Beyond the Secretariat, people are not waiting – here are just two exciting examples:
UK School for Synodality hosted a meet up in Rome and shared a brand new resource that can be used by parishes and small groups to practice synodality Find their small group resources, A Feast for All Peoples here https://www.schoolforsynodality.org.uk/small-group-resources-feast-for-all-people. Five sessions of Scripture reflection, excerpts of the Final Document and a guide to conversation, great for parishes and Catholic communities of all by Cathie Pead kinds.
Rob Choiniere with Ignatian Encounter Ministry is offering Global Virtual Conversations in the Spirit -a six-week program for Lent 2026. You can sign up to participate and also register to take the training as small group facilitator. Learn more here https://www.ignatianencounterministry.org/
Participation in Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, reinforced for me the importance of continuing the work we began together in Waterloo in June. I am convinced lay Catholics will play a central role in building a synodal church.