Taking the Synod Seriously

You may not realize it, but something important is happening right now in the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Francis has called a two-year "synod on synodality." What does that mean? The word "synod" refers to walking together, traveling a common road. Francis is asking the church to be less like a pyramid and more like a caravan.

What this means is that over the period of many months (through October 2023), the church is asking people to gather together and listen to each other. Here in the Diocese of Davenport, and at St. Ambrose, we are organizing these "listening sessions" around two questions: "what fills your heart about the church?" And "what breaks your heart about the church?"

To help fulfill Francis' vision of a caravan church, St. Ambrose has tried to take this synod very seriously. Listening sessions focused on those two questions above have been organized by SAU Campus Ministry and by the President's Office (including faculty and staff).

In addition, the Theology Department agreed to hold a listening session in every Theology class in Spring 2022 which captured nearly all undergraduate students. There's been a lot of listening!

As alums know from their time at SAU, not all of these students are Roman Catholic; some of them are atheist or non-Christian. We are committed to the idea, however, that any student at a Catholic, diocesan university – even if in the broadest sense – is part of the church. The synod's listening should not be construed as only flowing "up the ladder." The listening will enrich all those involved because all participants, and the universities themselves, have things to learn.

There have been reports in the catholic media that many universities are not taking the synod seriously; many are avoiding it altogether. At St. Ambrose, we have jumped in with both feet. In doing so, we hope to be following the advice of Saint Ambrose of Milan: "For the one who delights to listen, urges the other on to speak." (De Officiis 76)

–Micah D. Kiel, PhD