While traveling to Rome for the Jubilee of Synodal teams and Participatory bodies, I was filled with excitement and awe. What a privilege it was to be representing the Archdiocese of Atlanta at this worldwide event alongside several cohorts from our local Diocesan Synod Team.  

Jenny Miles

The Diocesan Synod Team is the group of employees, ministry leaders and volunteers that helped guide our Archdiocese through the Synod on Synodality, more formally titled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” We have spent several years learning, practicing and experiencing synodality at the behest of Pope Francis. And synodality is something I continue to grow in understanding of.  

Many of you were joyful participants in your own parish or ministry synodal listening sessions. These sessions bore fruit by those that left with feelings of being heard by the Church. Others left with the desire for more opportunities to share and listen to experiences.  

I also hope that attendees of listening sessions left with their hearts enlarged with the ability to see our neighbors through God’s eyes. One of my favorite quotes is from Victor Hugo in “Les Misérables,” “God is behind everything, but everything hides God. …To love a being is to render that being transparent.”  

As we walk with others and truly try to understand their challenges, it enables us to feel more compassion and to view others through the same lens of love and mercy as God. 

All of these fruits are worthwhile and goals in and of themselves. If everyone left the listening sessions knowing that they are seen and also changed themselves with deeper love of neighbor, that is enough.  

However, the church is entering the Implementation Phase of the Synod so there is more to be done. I was looking forward to answering the question of “What’s next?” during this special meeting in Rome. 

The Jubilee itself was a celebration. On the first day, we listened to experts who provided spiritual formation. A few moments have stuck with me. Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, explained that love in the context of synodality “is an active commitment to communion, even when the path is unclear or the conversations are difficult.” It is so easy for us to gravitate toward others who hold our viewpoint. But love challenges us to go out beyond ourselves and be present with others. Synodality, furthermore, gives us a concrete method to enable this mission of going out. 

Cardinal Grzegorz Rys, when speaking on synodality in the face of tensions in the church, looked at the temptation to view uniformity as unity. He beautifully compared Babel (where everyone spoke one language) to Pentecost (where the apostles spoke in many languages) as illustrations of this tension. True unity includes harmony amidst diversity. Synodality encourages us to hold space for the “other.” 

Following this first session, the excitement for our encounter-dialogue with Pope Leo was palpable. We spent over an hour with him. Each continent had a representative share their experience of synodality and then ask Pope Leo one question.  

One of Pope Leo’s most impassioned moments was when he spoke of encountering a bishop whose island nation was on track to disappear in 50 years. Care for the environment goes back to Adam and Eve as one of humanity’s first responsibilities, and yet, it is easy for many to ignore. Most of us in the U.S. aren’t facing the consequences in such an obvious, urgent way in our land of plenty. If we can hear the pleas of our sisters and brothers in other parts of the world, our hearts can be opened to hear where the Holy Spirit is asking us to act.  

Day two consisted of seminars and workshops that allowed us to interact with other diocesan representatives from around the world and gain practical application tools. As the Atlanta coordinator, I was in a large conference room with representatives from every diocese in attendance. A common theme was the ongoing fear many still hold about the synodal process. The response of the moderators was a reminder that a hierarchy in the church is NOT a pyramid, but oriented toward service. Also, they emphasized that many synodal structures already exist in the church but may need to reframe their ways of operation to be synodal rather than administrative.  

Our last day ended with a beautiful Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. It was such a joy to be there as Pope Leo commissioned us towards implementing the mission of the church. Exhausted after such a full weekend, I left with the concrete feeling that synodality was so wide-ranging that it truly covers every aspect of church. Synodality isn’t the ends itself, but rather the way of operating. I understood that in theory but left with that knowledge deepened into a more practical understanding. 

Now that I have had a few weeks to reflect on my experiences, I feel invigorated for what’s still to come with regards to synodality. It will be a lot of effort, but I believe that the Holy Spirit will be guiding us along and has given us this wonderful Jubilee moment to sustain us. Synodality will guide us on our mission, as we continue asking God how to be his light in the world.