Pope Asks for More Synodality. New Ways Ministry Responds With a New Workshop.

The Synod on Synodality concluded in October, 2024, releasing its final document, which Pope Francis endorsed and promulgated to the entire Catholic Church. So we’re done, right?

Not so fast, according to the pontiff.

Pope Francis recently approved – from his sick bed at the Gemelli Hospital! – plans for the implementation of the Synod on Synodality, perhaps the most critical phase of the entire synodal journey. The Vatican envisions a three-year process of implementation of the synod, comparable to the multi-year process of preparation for the synod, with meetings at the diocesan, regional, national, and continental levels, culminating in a global “Ecclesial Assembly” in October, 2028. 

Cardinal Mario Grech, the Secretary-General of the Synod, stated that “the implementation phase of the Synod should be understood not merely as the ‘application’ of directives from above, but rather as a process of ‘reception’ of the orientations addressed in the final document, adapted appropriately to local cultures and the needs of communities.”

This new phase means that our work on creating a more synodal Church, and thereby a Church that listens to the voices of LGBTQ+ people, also continues. 

One entire section of the Final Document focuses on the importance of formation for our walking together in a synodal church. That involves both education on what synodality is and could be, as well as experience in the skills, habits, and best practices of synodality. It states that “must aim not only at acquiring theoretical knowledge but also at promoting the capacity for openness and encounter, sharing and collaboration, reflection and discernment in common.” 

I’m excited that New Ways Ministry is contributing to this work of formation by offering a workshop entitled “Walking Together: A Workshop on Synodality and LGBTQ+ Inclusion.” This program is designed to help parishes, pastoral ministry groups, religious communities, and other Catholic groups learn how receiving and implementing synodality can allow us to better listen to LGBTQ+ experiences and foster a church of dialogue, accompaniment, and welcome. 

As a theologian whose work focuses on the study and practice of synodality, I will teach participants about the theology and practice of synodality, particularly in relation to LGBTQ+ issues. The workshop will engage participants in synodal conversation to discern how your parish, campus ministry, or mission team may be called in the Spirit to grow in its mission to and with LGBTQ+ Catholics. 

The “Walking Together” workshop can be offered as either an online webinar or an in-person gathering at your parish.

And, thanks to the generosity of a sponsoring foundation, this workshop is available free of charge.

Whether your parish has a longstanding commitment to welcoming LGBTQ+ people or is just starting to reimagine how you might better reach out to those on the peripheries of our church, formation in synodality offers possibilities for growth and renewed mission. Learning about and practicing synodal habits of deep listening, authentic speaking, and shared attentiveness to the Holy Spirit is going to be crucial for all of us in becoming “missionary disciples” in a synodal church.

If you’re interested in learning more about this workshop, or inviting us to join you in your parish community to help become a more synodal church for our LGBTQ+ families, please click here and fill out an interest form. 

—Brian Flanagan, Senior Fellow, New Ways Ministry, April 14, 2025