Alongside the universal Synodal Journey, the Catholic Church in Ireland continues to move forward on its Synodal Pathway, supported by national events, diocesan initiatives and widespread formation efforts. Within this dynamic context, a significant new step was taken with the recent “Workshop on Synodality Methods and places of Participation in the local Church”, hosted on 28th–29th June 2025 at the Focolare Centre in Prosperous, Co. Kildare.

This workshop emerged as a result of the pioneering three-year international online course on synodality coordinated by the Evangelii Gaudium Centre (CEG) at Sophia University Institute (Italy), run in close collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome. The course, launched in 2022 and concluded in 2025, was inaugurated by Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, whose opening address offered a profound theological and pastoral vision that has inspired participants across the world, including several from Ireland.

Lisa’s Experience

One of the participants in this online course was Lisa Feighery, originally from Limerick, Ireland and living in the USA for almost twenty years. So enthusiastic was she about the course content that she gathered some people from her parish in Texas, USA and invited course organizers, Maria do Sameiro Freitas (Portugal) and Andrew Spiteri (Malta)to conduct a workshop there. In June 2024, with the support of the local Focolare community, they held a 3-day workshop in San Antonio, Texas. This workshop brought together a variety of people from various dioceses around the state and countries including Brazil and Trinidad & Tobago. Lisa describes it as “a profound experience of being together as Church, learning to listen deeply to one another, practicing the Conversation in the Spirit method and learning to truly walk together as a Church on the journey of faith.”

Following its success, Lisa, felt that her home country would also benefit immensely from such an immersive experience of synodality. And so, the dream of a workshop in Ireland was born. She connected with some of the Irish participants of the international course, Sinéad Cullen (Wicklow), Paula Dowd (Kilkenny), Seán O’Donnell (Down) and Padraic O’Sullivan (Dublin), who responded enthusiastically. One year later, with the support of the CEG and the Focolare community in Ireland, that dream came to fruition. For Lisa personally, the Irish workshop was “one of deep connection with the people of Ireland. People came from around the country to gather and be together, to further explore this synodal pathway that we are all on together, to listen deeply to one another, to better understand one another most especially when we have differing points of view. We are all one family walking together on the journey of faith.”

The workshop received warm encouragement from Julieann Moran, General Secretary for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland, who highlighted the importance of “creating spaces of formation, dialogue and encounter” to deepen communion and co-responsibility in the Church. It also benefitted from the keynote contribution of Bishop Brendan Leahy, a member of the Irish Synodal Team and participant in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2023 and 2024, who brought fresh international perspectives to local reflection. He said, “Synodality is about a Church journeying together with the Risen Jesus among us through our love for one another, listening, being open, sharing our convictions, listening out to what the Spirit has in and through each other, so that we understand what direction God wants us to go.” His words resonated deeply with participants, underlining that synodality is not just about method but about cultivating a living communion rooted in Christ.

Facilitated by Maria do Sameiro Freitas (Portugal) and Andrew Spiteri (Malta), both members of the Focolare Movement and trainers deeply involved in the online course and in the whole Synodal experience, the workshop invited participants to explore the theological foundations and spirituality of synodality and to engage practically through methods such as “Conversation in the Spirit”, listening and communal discernment. As part of a broader effort to make the places in our churches more synodal, it reflected a shared commitment to foster a Church ever more marked by participation, mission and spiritual communion.

We interviewed Maria and Andrew and invited them to share their reflections on the spiritual heart of synodality, practical experiences (including from Andrew’s work as a facilitator at the Synod in Rome) and hopes for how this journey might continue, especially within the Irish context. Their words echo a central conviction: to walk together is not merely to adopt a method, but to enter into a shared spiritual path rooted in attentive listening, communal discernment and love — building a Church and society that truly listens, learns and acts together. In this spirit, we invite you to read on and discover how synodality is lived, learned and brought to life — in Ireland and across the universal Church.

1. Can you give us an insight into the spiritual dimension of the synodal pathway?

Maria: The spiritual dimension is essential in the synodal process. There can be no synodal process unless we are open to a spirituality that starts from the life of the Gospel and the new commandment. Synodality means walking together and walking together means starting from myself, from my relationship with God and with my brother. This is why we speak of spiritual conversion, because we are never ready enough to live mutual love, which is the typical commandment of Jesus. We are not talking about a method, but about coming together in history, in our personal history and with others, to reach out to others, to the world, to the mission. It is clear that this can only be done when we are truly rooted in the Gospel.

1. Can you tell us how to prepare for a conversation in the spirit? b) When the preparation is completed how does a conversation in the spirit evolve?

Andrew: Pope Francis often explained that “the Synodal path that the Church has undertaken constitutes a personal, communal and ecclesial spiritual experience and therefore requires each person’s individual work in his or her inner self”. The ‘Synodal method’, the Pope explained, is a spiritual experience in which speaking and listening aim to make the Holy Spirit the true protagonist. We must keep in mind that the Communion in the Spirit method is a process for communal discernment. Speaking on this method, Pope Francis continued: “To be effective it requires from all the participants the right interior predispositions, so as to enter into this Spirit, to “walk together as sisters and brothers, listening to the Holy Spirit”. With the attitude of ‘open and vulnerable listening’ we allow the Spirit to move us and make us change, to make us choose and lead us to concrete decisions. If each person remains entrenched in the positions he had previously adopted, there will be no real conversation, no real listening to the Spirit. He will find nothing that he can learn or assimilate from others and will be afraid of any decision involving change… It is only when we really listen to each other that we are enriched and deepen our communion and mission” .

So, first of all, in the preparatory phase of the communal discernment process, it is very important to have a clear idea of the topic on which the discernment is desired/necessary. The process then starts with the personal preparation by each participant, in an atmosphere of prayer and interior dialogue with God. Intentional actions by each member of the group characterize the three phases or rounds which follow. In the first, for a specific time (e.g. three minutes) everyone shares their personal discernment and listens to what all the others have to say. In the second round, while observing a specific time limit, each person shares what resonated with them most or what aroused the most resistance, in listening to the others during the first round. In the third round the group dialogues on the basis of what emerged earlier, in order to discern and gather the fruit of the conversation in the Spirit: to recognise intuitions and convergences; to identify discordances, obstacles and new questions; to allow prophetic voices to emerge. Here it is important that everyone can feel represented by the outcome of the work, guided by the question: “To what steps is the Holy Spirit calling us together?”

1. Andrew, can you share your experience of what it was like to be a facilitator at the synod? b) What is the most precious tip you can give us from that?

Participating in the two sessions of the Synod on Synodality in Rome (2023/2024) as a facilitator was for me a great gift in living an extraordinary and at the same time very normal experience of church and community. Typically, in each month-long session, the work was divided up around five modules, each of which took 3 or four days of group work to complete. For each module we formed a different group, composed of cardinals, bishops, religious (male and female) and lay people. Sometimes there would also be a fraternal delegate present (representatives of other Christian denominations). In every module each group had to discern together and contribute a shared document on the specific topic. The totality of these contributions formed the basis of the final document.

Facilitating this process is demanding and simple at the same time. The most precious tip, I believe, is to prepare the right conditions for all to fully participate. If this is well curated then everything is simpler, even when dealing with topics where there are diverse opinions or understandings. It allows everyone to be in an attitude of profound listening to the others and to God, rather than defending one’s own idea. We were blessed to be accompanied by deep meditations in the three-day retreat prior to each of the sessions and also during the sessions themselves and this prepared us all for the sacredness of the experience.

A facilitator must be neutral, must moderate the first two rounds of the method and help facilitate the group, particularly in its dialogue in the third session, ensuring full participation and mutual understanding in arriving at consensus and shared proposals. At various times I had groups with initially widely diverging opinions, but every time, the process and the attitude of profound listening to each other effectively helped us understand each other better and arrive at unexpected proposals in which all felt represented.

1. It was quite an achievement to run a 3 year worldwide online course on synodality while the synod was still ongoing. a) Can you tell us what that was like? b) What do you think the most lasting impact of the course will be?

Maria: The Sophia University Institute, through the Evangelii Gaudium Centre, organised a three-year course that followed the synodal process of the Catholic Church. There were 64 hours of online lessons per year, with various topics and speakers from all over the world. At the end of each year, there was a face-to-face module to focus on certain synodal dynamics and techniques. Participation was very high, partly because the course was run in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the Synod, which accompanied us throughout the process. More than 500 people enrolled, some for only one year, others for more. In addition, the third-year lessons were offered to the entire Arab world through a Lebanese university, La Sagesse. What we liked most was that many students used the course material for activities at the local level, in parishes or dioceses; others used it at the academic level, but above all, we believe that it served them in their personal lives. Each one potentially became an apostle, a multiplier of synodality!

1. How does the spirituality of the Focolare connect with the spirituality of the synodal pathway? Is there any difference?

Maria: In Novo Millennio Ineunte Pope John Paul II called for a spirituality of communion for the Church, as the spirituality that emerged from the Second Vatican Council and should envelop the third millennium of the Christian era. As members of the Focolare, we immediately thought of Chiara Lubich’s charism: the spirituality of unity, or communion, as she herself called it. Pope Francis then spoke of synodality in 2015, 50 years after the establishment of the Synod of Bishops by Pope Paul VI. The two realities are closely linked because they are about walking together, united in God and in relationship with our brothers and sisters.

The spirituality of communion is the theological foundation of synodality. Synodality is the structural aspect (in the most beautiful sense of the word) or, rather, the style with which the spirituality of communion is lived. The spirituality of communion is experience, synodality is the path. What we experience on the synodal path is Trinitarian communion. Synodality emphasizes the popular (People of God), historical (apostolic and catholic-universal) and missionary character of communion in the Church.

Andrew: I would add that the aspect of the Focolare spirituality regarding Jesus Forsaken, especially in having faith in the Father’s love, notwithstanding feeling forsaken, is at the very heart of the attitude required for each group discernment within the church and is key to going forward as a community. It was very significant for me that Pope Francis published his last encyclical – Dilexit Nos, right in the middle of the last session of the Synod, in October 2024.

1. What was your impression of the workshop on the synodal pathway in Ireland? Any advice to give us for going forward?

Maria: Every Church has its challenges, and certainly the Church in Ireland has its own. The synodal process invites us to immerse ourselves in our own realities. We hope that the workshop has been a small contribution to providing suitable skillls to respond to the challenges facing the Church in Ireland.

Advice? Everyone is encouraged to try to put into practice what they have learned, perhaps with the help of others, walking together! Moreover, get involved, as much as you can, in the synodal journey of your parish or diocese and make your own concrete contribution.

1. Will you both continue to work in the field of formation of people in the synodal pathway and if so, what do you see are the next steps?

Maria: Certainly. Next November, after the Jubilee of the synodal teams in the Vatican in October, we will begin a course that will focus on the final document of the Synod and on the implementation of the guidelines published on 7^th July. We will follow further instructions that would come out from the Jubilee.

In addition, we will offer courses on the art of facilitation, combined with the synodal spirituality that animates it. There will be workshops and courses for pastoral workers… We will keep you informed.

Padraic’s Reflection on Patience in the Synodal Journey

“At the workshop in Prosperous, as Andrew Spiteri, our facilitator, was speaking to us about how to prepare for Conversations in the Spirit, I found myself getting more and more impatient: “why is he delaying with all these words? Why can’t we just be divided up into groups and get down to work? Why all this beating around the bush?” Later, I had to admit Andrew’s approach was the right one; he knew what he was doing. As Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 13, love is patient and for this synodal caravan to truly get on the road, we must be ready to love with patience. There is a need in each one of us for a deep conversion and a deep commitment to the process so that the Holy Spirit can be at work among us, melting hearts and opening our eyes to the road ahead together. The Spirit will not be rushed.

Treading the synodal pathway is “no quick fix” to stem the tide of declining numbers in our churches. It’s a journey where we learn to listen, to really listen to each other with respect for even diametrically opposed opinions, making room for the Spirit to work. This is not an easy path or a short cut. Together we go to God, to be gathered into the family of believers; by living for each other in a spirit of mutual love and respect we become more ecumenical, more carers for our planet, more sensitive to God’s presence in nature as together we live God’s word. Let’s listen with patience to what the Spirit is saying to the churches”.

The Path Ahead: Phase 3 – Implementation of the Synodal Process and Ireland’s Journey

The synodal journey continues and now moves into Phase 3: The Implementation. This crucial phase, outlined in documents like the “Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod” from the General Secretariat of the Synod, aims to provide local Churches worldwide with a shared framework for walking together and to promote dialogue leading up to the Ecclesial Assembly in October 2028.

For Ireland’s Synodal Pathway, this global emphasis on implementation is particularly relevant as the local Church continues its own journey of renewal and discernment. The implementation phase is rooted in the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and emphasizes that local Churches are the primary protagonists in applying its proposals. It calls for preserving the overall vision of the synodal process and investing in concrete practices, with clear responsibilities for diocesan bishops, synodal teams and participatory bodies. The General Secretariat of the Synod serves to accompany, support and foster the exchange of gifts among local Churches, ensuring that the synodal form of the Church remains at the service of its mission. This crucial phase will involve ongoing discernment and concrete actions to make the Church more capable of fulfilling its mission in the world, with Ireland playing its part in this global movement.

As the synodal journey enters this decisive phase of implementation, it becomes ever clearer that synodality is not an abstract concept, but a call to action rooted in love and communion. Bishop Brendan  reminded us, “Now the all-important implementation phase begins. … The task now is to help as many as possible to come on board. We need to unpack what it means for all of us in our communities, our movements, our parishes, our dioceses, our religious congregations or groups or church agencies.”

This is a journey that belongs to all of us. It asks us to translate what we have learned into concrete steps,  fostering participation, deepening our listening, building bridges and opening spaces where every voice can be heard. In doing so, we make the Church ever more capable of walking with every man and woman, radiating the light of Christ in the world today.

May the Holy Spirit guide us on this journey, so that together we may walk humbly, listen deeply and help build a Church that truly reflects the love and light of Christ for all.

For further information contact: Juanita Majury, jmamajury@gmail.com +447907929608