A synodal journey: unpacking the North American experience

When I talk with everyday Catholics about the Synod on Synodality in Rome, two things become evident. 1. There is a great deal of anxiety, fear, and worry about the process and what might come out of it. 2. Many actually know very little about the process.

I try to calm their fears by encouraging them to trust in the Holy Spirit. Then I offer them some important background about the synod and how we got to where we are.

When Pope Francis called for this new synod, I was happily tasked with chairing and coordinating our diocesan efforts. People were ready to gather again, especially as COVID was becoming a memory. They wanted to talk and gather.

Then I was amazed to be invited to join the CCCB delegation to the Official Opening of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, October 2021. We were five people representing the Church in Canada, and it was a true privilege.

As we opened ourselves to the presence of the Holy Spirit, our instructions were clear. We were to listen intently to each speaker in turn. We weren’t to think ahead about what we would say, but rather fully concentrate on the person speaking and what was being said.

Anyone could speak; whoever felt inclined to share, in no order. We now call this the Popcorn session, as all kinds of things came to the surface, both positive and negative.

This was so rich, deep and honest; it was emotional and challenging, but it was the final sharing where the fruits of listening truly emerged. It was a powerful start in the art of listening to the Holy Spirit. The silences gave pause for thinking, listening to the Holy Spirit, and for a kind of comfort knowing we were indeed in the presence of God.

For me, it was a lesson in understanding the art of accompaniment, listening with “an ear of the heart,” as Archbishop Miller often says. It was an example of “leaning in” to hear the other better. It was a time of great grace.

We left there more connected to one another and appreciative of the many gifts around that table. We were energized, excited, and full of hope for what was to come. It was an amazing feeling, one that remains with me today.

Our small group returned home; deadlines came and went as writing teams around the world prepared national submissions to their respective Episcopal Conferences. We continued to meet and spent three days working on the final document to be submitted to the Holy See from Canada. It proved to be a comprehensive overview of the Church in Canada, showing how vast our country is in terms of land but also in terms of culture and lived experiences. Much of this made its way into the Continental Document for the Synod.

From December 2022 to the end of January 2023, virtual assemblies took place across the U.S. and in Canada. In February 2023, our small Canadian group was invited to a retreat in Orlando where we would work with our U.S. counterparts to prepare the North American report. The process was complicated. We were eight bishops including two from Canada, two religious sisters including one from Canada (Sister Chantal Demarais who is a karate teacher!) Then there were two Canadian priests, two laymen, and three laywomen – two from the U.S. and me. We were English, French, and Spanish speaking; there were strong voices and opinions on all aspects of the submissions.

Some of my thoughts from that week include:

The realization of how sheltered and somewhat immune we, in North America, must appear to readers of our report. There was little or no mention of human trafficking, war, abject poverty, anti-life issues, pornography, or religious persecution. It may just be me, but I wonder if we missed something … if there should be more urgency in what we are hoping for. When we talked about being bold, I wish we had come across stronger or more empathetic to the issues above, as well as the reduced participation by clergy.

Are we even touched or influenced by world events, or are we just content to live out our lives in this bubble of joy and goodness? The tensions that are mentioned seem mild in contrast. In some ways, this puts even more pressure on the Church in North America to step up and realize the great responsibility we have to be an evangelizing Church, one that is even more mission-oriented.

By the end of the week, consensus was reached and the document completed. Whether you like the report or not, I believe it was consistent with most other parts of the world. It was good to see that some of the more contentious issues made it into the Instrumentum Labouris – the working document for the Synod Assembly. I believe our labour will produce good fruit in the end.

We know it is the spiritual component or conversation in the Spirit that is critical to set the stage for what is to come. The retreat master for the three days leading up to the Official Opening was Father Timothy Radcliffe, who gave a series of meditations on “Hoping Against Hope,” “Conversation on the Way to Emmaus,” and “Friendship,” among others.

Father Radcliffe on conversation: Conversation needs an imaginative leap into the experience of the other person. To see with their eyes and hear with their ears. We need to get inside their skin. From what experience do their words spring? What pain or hope do they carry? What journey are they on? The question should be “where are you?” This is how the Synodal Assembly will proceed.

He reminds the delegates that everyone needs a home, and it is in this context we see how Pope Francis wants everyone to have a safe place, a sanctuary offering safety and comfort.

From the very beginning of this synodal journey, we heard about “enlarging the space of our tent” so all are welcome. Welcome and radical hospitality means a place to call home, but we know that many homes do not fit this image.

Think about the tent for a moment: “Enlarge the space of your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly, lengthen your ropes and make firm your pegs.” (Is. 54:2)

Synodal documents explain it this way: the words of Isaiah invite us to imagine the Church as a tent, a tent of meeting, which accompanied the people on their journey through the desert; called to stretch out, therefore, but also to move. At its centre stands the tabernacle, that is the presence of the Lord. The tent’s hold is ensured by the sturdiness of its pegs, that is, the fundamentals of faith that do not change but can be moved and planted in ever new ground, so the tent can accompany the people as they walk through history.

Finally, in order not to sag, the structure of the tent must keep in balance the different forces and tensions to which it is subjected: a metaphor that expresses the need for discernment.

As the People of God, do we know who is in the tent now? Who was there first? How does one get invited in? It was interesting to unpack this image and to see how people interpret the tent! I think those who are already in the tent are the ones who need to go out and invite new people in; once in, they are then prepared to be sent out. If everyone only wants to be in the tent, then what are they doing there?

On a personal note, for me, the most important theme I felt there was a great divide when it comes to the contributions and reflections from women during the continental level. There were those who felt women’s voices should be more carefully considered, especially when it came to matters around leadership roles and those calls for the ordination of women as deacons and priests. On the other hand, it was widely and loudly noted that the voices of many women and their issues were reported and included, as were other minorities, the underprivileged, the poor and the destitute.

Determining if there really is a divide and acknowledging how great it is will be an important theme going forward, and delegates will need to listen attentively to the Holy Spirit.

Clericalism is often cited when addressing the lack of progress for women in leadership roles. So much of what was unspoken is, in fact, a reality that is perpetuated. There are those who fear a male-dominated Church would be threatened and the status quo challenged. While great strides are being made on one hand for women in the Church (Pope Francis and his appointments of women to the Vatican), there is still a great amount to be done. The tent needs to enlarge.

Barb Dowding was Coordinator of the Office for the Vancouver Archdiocesan Synod from 1998 to 2006, Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese, and is special assistant to Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller.

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