Facilitators trained to help people for Synodal Church

GLOBAL GOANS SPEAK

SPAIN

The desire to walk together as people of God was accomplished through a recent conference in Salamanca-Spain with a deeper thrust on ‘Ignite the Way’, an Ignatian programme for Discernment in Common facilitators. 

There were 103 participants from Latin America, Asia, Europe, etc., including 12 participants from India, who took active part in the conference from November 23 to December 3. 

THE CONFERENCE

The Discernment and Planning Apostolate initiated the project to train facilitators of discernment processes in response to a felt need for a Synodal Church with a basis on the charism of the Society of Jesus, Ignatian spirituality, and its experiences. 

The present context of the Church in India, places before us diversity, uniqueness, subtle persecutions, and fascism, which are seen in different ways. Discernment paves a way as a tool, skill, and method to find ways to face uncertainties of life. 

Addressing the participants, Fr Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, invited us to delve deeper into the conference and thereby profit from it to initiate Synodal processes in our respective provinces/conferences/dioceses. 

Fr Sosa stated, “Jesus’ Spirit is what will bring lasting renewal to our communities, dioceses, religious congregations, and institutions. Each of you must leave here with a plan, to share skills and train people in the discernment necessary in community and synodal processes.” 

Earlier at the beginning of the conference, a panel of three participants comprising Gabriel Coté, Susan Goncz, and Joe Xavier shared on accompanying Discernment in Common in a religious congregation and in a diocese. Later, James Hanvey, Hung Pham, Jossie de Mello threw light on Theological and Biblical foundations of synodality.

José Garcia de Castro spoke on the history in approaches to Discernment in Common, and stressed on appreciating the graces received. He noted that mistakes are made where discernment in common may have become ideological, or where the Society or the Church may have been too hesitant. 

Moreover, José de Pablo and Juan Antonio Guerrero launched a discussion on building a discerning group with an emphasis on psychology and spiritual disposition. 

Later, a long range of 29 case studies based on real issues prevailing in the Church-congregations-institutions were presented to the participants, who benefited a lot from them. 

The case studies gave a thrust and impetus to the participants to move towards contributing oneself to synodality.

THE IMPACT

The Salamanca conference concluded on a positive note and the trained facilitators are ready to take formation forward in their geographical areas. Through the umbrella of Jesuit Conference of South Asia (JCSA), the participants from India, affirmed that Synodality, discernment in common, and spiritual conversation are needs of the hour. 

The absence of lay collaborators is an invitation to promote mission partners. The initiatives will be actualised in four zones: North, Central, West, and South. Besides taking the initiative at the Church in India, each zone has decided to initiate programmes in their zones. 

Learning from these workshops, the group is ready to do more, eventually building a resource team at the conference level, which will include clergy and women religious. 

Along with other helpers, at the west zone level (Goa, Bombay, Gujarat, and Pune), Francis Pudhicherry will initiate training of laity, religious, and clergy. It will be on the aegis as Synodal Discerning Leadership – for provincial/congregational/institutional leadership teams for 4-5 days in 2026–2027. 

Individually, the facilitators will incorporate their learning in spiritual direction, retreats, programmes for religious, lay people, and dioceses.

It is with hope that each of us ought to strive to make the synodal journey initiated by Pope Francis to the Church to permeate in every corner of the universal Church through participation, communion, and mission. 

Thus, in moving forward from here and going back to our own different cultures and places of work life, we will be able to transform cultures, societies, organisations, and the Church. The fruits of this conference will be like a stone thrown into a pond with ripples across continents and cultures.  

[The writer is a Goan Jesuit presently based at the Jesuit Curia in Rome and a participant at the meet in Spain.]