In my last reflection, I looked at how the expansion of voting privileges at this October’s Synod of Bishops emerged from lay participation in previous Synods, ...read more

I mentioned in my last reflection that the Synod Secretariat has released a communiqué outlining the new make-up of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops this October. ...read more

Last week, I wrote about three stand-out themes from the North American Ecclesial Assembly's Final Document: Communion through co-responsible structures, Naming the tensions alongside the opportunities, and Formation for synodality and mission. ...read more

The Continental Stage of the Synod on Synodality is now complete, which among other things means that the North American Ecclesial Assembly has released its Final Document. ...read more

What is the connection between synodality, Lent, and Easter? In what sense is our journey through Lent and Easter synodal? The answer can be summarized by two key ideas: “walking together” and “transformation.”  ...read more

What is the "Pope Francis legacy?" Ten years in, we can start asking the question. ...read more

In his message for Lent 2023, Pope Francis reflected on the Transfiguration of Our Lord and the “’retreat’ on Mount Tabor” as an image of the Church’s journey to Easter as well as of the synodal path. The Holy Father said that “Lent leads to Easter: the ‘retreat’ is not an end in itself, but ...read more

Facing (controversial) issues In Part One, I raised the possibility that the Synod on Synodality is both a microcosm of the millennia-long process of Tradition and an active participant in that process. In Part Two, I explored what it might mean for lay people to take part in this encounter, to themselves be more active ...read more

Partnering with the Faithful In Part One, I raised the possibility that the Synod on Synodality is both a microcosm of the millennia-long process of Tradition, and an active participant in that process. I then paused to explore the Scriptural meaning of the word “Tradition,” specifically, the way the first Christians handed on and widely ...read more

Handing on the Faith As I was writing my reflection on the Working Document for the Continental Stage last month, I mulled over multiple ways to describe this synod process. In that post, I called it a “conversation.” TheWorking Document represented the participants of the Diocesan Phase, in conversation with the regional assemblies of the ...read more