The WUCWO School for Synodality: The mission of women in the Synodal Church has crossed oceans, reaching countries such as Mauritius, East Timor or Guatemala with a participation of 526 women and men from 74 countries. In preparation for the second session of the Assembly of the Synod of Synodality to be held in Rome in October of this year and in order to continue walking together with the whole Church, in the synodal process initiated in 2021, the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO),  with its World Women's Observatory (WWO) and in collaboration with the Ignatian Encounter Ministry, organised a series of "Conversations in the Spirit" on 23 April, with a high level of participation.

The event took place via Zoom in three languages (French, Spanish and English), and was attended by more than 200 men and woman facilitators, previously trained by our School of Synodality, who moderated the different groups. The aim of the meeting was to enable people from all over the world to get to know and put into practice the synodal methodology, deepening the participation of women in a synodal Church in mission.

The meetings, scheduled for 1 p.m. (CET) and 6 p.m. (CET), began with a brief introduction to WUCWO and its Observatory by the President General, Mónica Santamarina. Afterwards, Robert Choiniere, founder of the Ignatian Encounter Ministry, began by explaining how the dynamics of the Conversations in the Spirit be, saying that the conversations themselves ‘are an invitation to listen and to let the Holy Spirit into us’. Ms. Nathalie Becquart, Under-Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, also sent greetings to the participants, saying that this methodology is ‘one of the most important fruits of the Synod’.

This was followed by a moment of prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to enter into each person present and to let Him guide the conversation. The participants were then divided into small groups where, led by the facilitator, each person was able to freely share their reflections and points of view and then listen to the rest of the group.

Initial questions were raised, such as how the Church has encouraged and welcomed their own gifts and charisms in the Church community or if they had ever felt excluded by members or structures of the Church.

In this first round of questions, each participant was given 3 minutes to speak, after which the other participants were given the opportunity to intervene. In the second round, with 2 minutes per person, the questions or issues that had most challenged those present were discussed in more depth, and, finally, each participant, in the last round, gave the conclusion that he/she personally drew from the conversation.

If the participants had to describe it in one word, it was an experience of ‘hope’ or ‘communion’, because it was an experience of ‘hope’ or ‘communion’, because it was a moment of sharing, with respect, what the questions raised suggested to each person.

About “Conversations in the Spirit”

The development of the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality has followed the methodology of 'Conversations in the Spirit', a participatory process of listening, reflection, dialogue and discernment. It begins with an opening prayer to invoke the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, followed by the presentation of a theme for reflection and the facilitation of an open and respectful dialogue among the participants.

During this exchange, active listening and attentiveness to the inspirations of the Spirit are encouraged, as well as personal and communal prayer to discern God's will on the topic in question. It concludes with a prayer of thanksgiving and a plea for the continued light of the Holy Spirit on the journey of the Church.

WUCWO School for Synodality: The Mission of Women in the Synodal Church

The initiative of the online meeting is part of the WUCWO School of Synodality: The Mission of Women in the Synodal Church, a project born out of the desire to promote the synodal methodology of the desire to promote the synodal methodology among all the members of the Church, so that together they can form a synodal Church in mission, where everyone can develop fully and with co-responsibility.

Among the activities carried out in the ‘WUCWO School of Synodality’, we can highlight the meetings which took place last February with participants of the Synodal Assembly, who expressed their personal experience. Other initiatives to be carried out will include a series of testimonial videos in which men and women who participated in the Assembly will be able to share their experience, how they lived it and how it impacted their lives. This will be followed by 'Walking with the Synod' conferences during the Synodal Assembly with members of the Synod to further explore the issue. Finally, a report will be produced summarising what has been done.

WUCWO, which represents more than 8 million Catholic women around the world, is confident that these conversations will help to promote within Catholic communities the formation, participation and promotion of these meetings of active listening to the Spirit, shared silence and shared discernment.