From the Editor
In March 2020, right as news of the coronavirus pandemic was gaining traction and we all started contemplating the possibility of a global shut-down, Pope Francis announced the topic of his next Synod of Bishops: synodality.
If the conversations you had with your communities was anything like mine, the reaction was something like: “Huh??” Followed closely by questions such as…Does the Vatican have to use so much jargon all the time? What does synodality even mean? What is this going to look like?
To be honest, the first year—or two—of the synod didn’t necessarily shed much light on these questions. Many of us went to parish or local listening sessions, where our answers to questions about the future of the church and our sense of belonging were listened to, recorded, and sent along to be incorporated into some nebulous report. Others showed up ready to share their experiences only to find that listening sessions had been cancelled due to lack of interest or scheduling mishaps. Regardless of people’s experiences—fruitful or frustrating, meaningful or rote—there seemed to be this sense that, OK, we did that. We shared our opinions. Now that’s done and it’s time for the church to listen (or not) and make change.
What has become obvious, four years later, is that Pope Francis wasn’t collecting all of our feedback like millions of Yelp reviews on the Catholic Church. Instead, he was teaching us a new way of being church together. In October 2023, Pope Francis gathered together 365 people—not only bishops, but also priests, women religious, and laypeople—to reflect and discern on where the Holy Spirit is leading the Catholic Church. The result of that gathering, for many of the participants and others in Rome during that time, was the idea of a new way of journeying together.
The articles in this issue of A Matter of Spirit show what this new way of being church looks like and how a diverse group of writers have been inspired by Pope Francis’ vision for the church. Each essay looks at the synod and a synodal church
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“The articles in this issue show what this new way of being church looks like... ”
from a different perspective: in peacebuilding (Rhonda Miska), at a university (Mollie Clark), through an ecumenical lens (Christine Delp), in community organizing (Tim McManus and Surya Kalra), in a parish community (Janet McDermott), on a personal level (Sarah-Marie Chan), and in community with one another (Cassidy Klein).
While putting this issue together, a member of our editorial board commented that the topic seems different than many of our recent issues, which have centered around a single topic or action. And it is true that in many ways, an issue on synodality and a synodal church is broader than one on, say Black Catholics or Sacred Salmon. But on the other hand, synodality grounds the work we do, both at IPJC and in our individual communities. It affects how we relate to one another and how we understand our relationship with God and creation. As Pope Francis said, “The world in which we live, and which we are called to love and serve, even with its contradictions, demands that the Church strengthen cooperation in all areas of her mission. It is precisely this path of synodality which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.”
What does a synodal church look like? It looks like a art show (pages 4–5), a house meeting (pages 7–8), or even just people making a commitment to live together in intentional community (pages 12–13). It looks like the People of God, traveling together and listening to one another without personal or political agendas. It is a church I am excited to be part of.
—Emily Sanna, Editor