They came in droves from all over the Diocese of Phoenix for a day of inspiration, training and commitment with an eye toward a Synod of Young Adults that will begin this summer in the diocese.
More than 100 young adults, including college students, working professionals, religious sisters, seminarians and youth ministry leaders, took part in a daylong event aimed at training them to facilitate listening sessions for the upcoming synod.
The historic, unprecedented Synod of Young Adults will launch at parishes in August and run through most of November. Essentially, the 110 young adults who were trained as facilitators and scribes will lead listening sessions that are rooted in the Jubilee Year and the Diocese of Phoenix 7-year pastoral plan. The topics to be addressed are marriage and responsible parenting; openness to new life; and relationships.
Pope Francis and other Church leaders are concerned about a declining matrimony and birth rate. The Synod for Young Adults in the Diocese of Phoenix will encourage young adults to speak their mind on these concerns.
At the listening sessions which are to take place in the coming months, facilitators will guide the discussion so that each participant’s concerns are heard. This kind of deep listening — not debate — will ensure that all have a voice.
The day of training began with a bilingual prayer service at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix led by Bishop John Dolan. He started off by thanking the crowd for being there.
“I’m grateful to God for you, members of the young adult community in the Diocese of Phoenix,” Bishop Dolan said. “Your presence here is an inspiration to the wider diocese … You’re an important piece of the fabric of life of our Church.”
Click here to watch the opening prayer service.
After the prayer service, the gathering of young people walked next door to the Diocesan Pastoral Center’s courtyard for a rock-paper-scissors ice-breaker activity. Noeli Barron, a member of the Arizona State University All Saints Newman Center, won the game and came with high hopes for the training event.
“I hope to learn how to become a better Catholic with the people around me and grow together with them toward our journey to Christ,” Barron said.
Aaron Acunin is a seminarian for the Diocese of Phoenix and also belongs to All Saints Newman Center.
“My hope is that young people grab a glimpse of a fuller, more flourishing life and that we return to that because life with Christ is really full,” Acunin said. “That’s my hope and prayer for the Church and for the youth here in the diocese.”
Kathryn Shakal, a parishioner at St. Mary’s Basilica, has high hopes for the Synod of Young Adults. She said she meets lots of young people who either don’t understand what the Church is or who only attend Mass and aren’t otherwise actively engaged.
“I want to be more actively invested in building up the Church and making it a community that is rooted in and centered on Christ, of course, but also in a way that also invites other people in,” Shakal said.
“Digital missionary”
José Manuel de Urquidi, the keynote speaker at the training event, shared his story of participating in the Synod on Synodality in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024.
A native of Mexico who is based in Dallas, Urquidi is well-known for being a digital missionary and Catholic influencer. He is founder of the Juan Diego Network which provides extensive digital content, including podcasts, aimed at Catholics.
He told the group that when he first heard about the Synod on Synodality, he had his share of misgivings, worrying that it would be one more meeting that produced a “dusty document” or that it might be a trojan horse to undermine the Church.
What he learned, he said, is that synodality was a feature of the ancient Church and not a threat to its existence. “What does a good doctor do first? He listens,” Urquidi told the crowd. “Synodality is not a 21st century invention. Jesus did not sit in an office. He was on the road with people — He taught them on the way.” Urquidi pointed to the passage in Acts 15:28 that describes the Council of Jerusalem and how the Holy Spirit guided the Church.
Urquidi expounded on the crucial role of listening as it pertains to being a facilitator or scribe.
“It starts with prayer and silence — conversation in the Spirit … you listen deeply, respectfully. No interruptions. No rebuttals.”
Nina Russillo of Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center in Flagstaff, Ariz. said she appreciated Urquidi’s remarks, especially regarding the importance of truly listening.
“I thought it was really cool to hear from someone who has been a part of a major synod,” Russillo said. “I feel like our generation, it can be a lot about me, me, me and it can be hard just to listen to people, especially with how diverse our area is.”
Junuee Castro, coordinator of youth and young adults for the Diocese of Phoenix, said Urquidi is someone young people could relate to, particularly those who are young parents.
“It’s helpful for young adults to identify themselves with a young person instead of having anybody else tell them, ‘This is what synodality is,’” Castro said. “They identify better with a young person who says, ‘I’ve lived that experience of synodality and I’ve been through it.’”
The April 12 training is one of the first steps in Bishop Dolan’s seven-year long pastoral plan on evangelization known as TILMA (Testifica, Oh Iglesia, a la Luz del Misterio del Amor — Testify, o Church, to the Light of the Mystery of Love) that will include synods aimed at various sectors of the Church in the Diocese of Phoenix.
“It amazes me that it’s young people who are leading the way,” Castro said. “They are setting the tone for the future of our Church here in Phoenix.”
“This is your voice. This is your story. This is your Church,” Bishop Dolan told the participants.
For more information, check out https://tilma.dphx.org/synodal/
LINK TO FACEBOOK ALBUM
