While in Rome, I think all of us were surprised by how our encounters with the people we met changed us. From undergrads traveling with our network, to archbishops we met in the street, to Dicastery staff who showed us behind the scenes of the Roman Curia,, each person we met revealed a new way of seeing the church and the world.
Some of you who are familiar with the synod may know about conversations in the spirit, a method of communal discernment that aims to help a group of people listen to the Holy Spirit through conversations – and deep listening – with one another.The synod has utilized this method to facilitate all synodal meetings and to help discern how we can move forward together as a “listening Church.” In conversations in the spirit you move from the “I” perspective to the “we” perspective. To begin, each member of the table takes a few minutes to speak from the “I” point of view in response to the question being discerned. Silence is observed in between each speaker in order for each member to think and pray upon what they have just heard.Next, each member has a few minutes to speak on what they heard the others to have said; the “you” point of view. Lastly, after more silence and prayerful reflection, the group engages in open conversation about what they have heard from the entire group - the “we” point of view - to discern where convergences and divergences exist, and how the Holy Spirit is speaking through the group..
With a posture of openness among the individuals in a group, conversations in the spirit foster environments where vulnerability can exist and diversity is celebrated, while at the same time cultivating a sense of unity – distinct from uniformity – which allows us to move together as a pilgrim church. Rather than be a forum of debate and hostility, it is a place where we hear each other's sincere stories of experiencing the world. However, in order to be listened to, we must be willing to take the risk of being vulnerable with sharing our stories. As Sr. Nathalie, CSTM student and undersecretary of the synod, said to us at dinner: “everyone in the church must decide what they're willing to risk.” As we journeyed through our trip, we experienced both how laborious and fruitful vulnerability can be, and how trust does not develop without this risk. A powerful moment came at a dinner with Synod delegates, one of the incredible opportunities we had on this trip. As the delegate at my table was hearing our personal stories, he asked us if he could take out his phone to take notes of what we were saying. Later that week, we had the opportunity to attend a Question and Answer forum in the Paul VI aula and sit in the very seats where these delegates have been occupying for the conference. During that session, I imagined the delegate from my dinner sharing what he heard from our stories with his Synod table - sharing about young people’s experiences in the church. Even though we can’t all be on the synod floor, every day of this pilgrimage has instilled in us a felt hope that we are excited to share. Our experience showed us that church leaders are listening to us, and they share our hope for continued renewal and transformation in the church.