In communion with Pope Francis and the ongoing Synod on Synodality that took place in Rome during the month of October 2024, The Lay Centre created different opportunities to welcome guests, share insights on the Synod and foster dialogue and participation in the mission of the Church.
During our community evening of October 16, a group of about 21 university students from the United States joined us for dinner, accompanied by two notable guests: Dr. Emilce Cuda, an Argentine theologian who is Secretary at the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; and Dr. Michael Canaris, a Lay Centre alumnus and Associate Professor of Ecclesiology at Loyola University Chicago.
Dinner with The Lay Centre community was followed by dialogue with the guests, who were in Rome as part of the Catholic Education Network to Experience Rome and Synodality (CENTERS) initiative. More than 150 students, educators and ministers from 15 institutions of higher education from across the U.S. made a pilgrimage to Rome from October 12 through 19, 2024. Young adults from across the U.S. accepted Pope Francis’ invitation in October 2021 to participate in a global Synod on Communication, Participation, and Mission. Institutions of Catholic higher education have offered pathways for that participation.
Among those who came to The Lay Centre there were representatives from Santa Clara, Villanova, Loyola New Orleans, and Loyola Chicago universities.
A week later, on October 23, our community invited three Synod participants to dinner: Dr. Sandie Cornish, who is a Lay Centre alumna and senior lecturer in the School of Theology at the Australian Catholic University, specializing in Catholic Social Teaching; Dr. Tricia Bruce, director of Springtide Research Institute and one of six new consultants appointed to the General Secretariat of the Synod; and Dr. Austen Ivereigh, a Synod expert, as well as a U.K.-based Catholic journalist, author, commentator and biographer of Pope Francis.
We we also happy to invite Lillian Bushway to the same evening. A student of Williams College, located in Western Massachusetts, she has been awarded the Chandler Fellowship to examine the experiences of women from diverse cultural backgrounds in relation to the roles prescribed to them by the Catholic Church.
The evening was filled with meaningful discussions and a warm exchange of ideas, all shared in a spirit of fraternity.
Finally, on October 27, about 20 members of our residential community had the honor of attending the Synod’s Closing Mass, in St. Peter’s Basilica. This provided an inspiring conclusion to a period of meaningful prayer and reflection.
Contributed: Malena Lanzetta
Photo: Karina Gandur
