Sabrina M. Chiefari is a Catholic Environmental Educator from Tkaronto/Toronto. As Integral Ecology Specialist for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she is a long-time proponent of Deep Ecology and Integral Ecology.

By now, even the most disengaged and “lapsed” Catholic has heard something about the 2023 Synod on Synodality. Speaking for myself, I had first heard about it around this time in 2020, as Faith Connections was planning the next round of Theology on Tap talks.

We ended up hosting Father Greg Kennedy, SJ, who was adventurous enough to talk about “Synodality” before there was anything much to base it on, not even its tagline of “communion, participation, and mission”.

The first, and indeed most ambitious part of the Synod, the Diocesan Phase, is beginning to wind down in the Spring of 2022. The second part: the Episcopal Conference/Synods of Oriental Churches Phase, will be underway in late August.

Our CSJ Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care has participated in the process by:

• Attending and interacting with various Synod focused virtual gatherings from across North America
• Creating a dedicated section on our website for Synod resources on our CSJ website.
• Submitting a response to the theme of “journeying together” to the CRC, UISG, and the Archdiocese of Toronto

It is no secret that a robust response to this Synodal process has been lacking locally in Toronto and Ontario. But I have taken to heart what a speaker in a Synod webinar hosted by the Catholic Climate Covenant said which was to be “synodal, not cynical” when it comes to this process and, of course, the promise of becoming a more synodal Church in the long-run.

And it is with that “synodal” mindset that we will bring into our programs and campaigns going forward.