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In the prime of their life, they had been active servant-leaders.  Their journey in the mission was momentarily  intruded by the virus.  The Covid pandemic forced them to stay in the confines of their homes, but definitely their commitment to serve still remained strong. From an invitation from their parish priests to attend the Orientation on the Synod on Synodality ,  they ended their hibernation. In the recently concluded Orientation for Parish Coordinators for the Synod on Synodality,   I was awed at the presence of a number of senior servant-leaders.  Coming from different parishes and mission stations in the Archdiocese of Capiz in the Eastern Vicariates, it was an inspiration to see them go out of their homes and brave the threat of Covid and turn a blind eye at the gloomy skies  just to participate in the Orientation. The smiles on their faces, their active participation and the energy were invigorating.  Cognizant that “cultura digital” will come at play, they seemed less trou

  On October 10, 2021, Pope Francis formally opened the “Synod on Synodality” with a Mass at the Vatican, and on October 17, 2021, all over the world, the Diocesan Phase also began with an Opening Mass.    Perhaps, for an ordinary layperson, it may seem another Church event, but, as news ensued, one will come to know that it is more than an event because it is a call to reflect and voice opinions on the communion and participation within and among the People of God in fulfilling the mission of the Church. From the very local church to all the churches in the world, the opinions and voices on relevant issues have to be synthesized in the form of an Instrumentum Laboris for deliberation in the 16 th Ordinary Synod of Bishops in Rome in October, 2023. Pope Francis emphasizes, however, that this Synod on Synodality is more than just a process; it is an experience of a church working as one whole living body towards fulfilling the mission. As an ordinary lay person, my notion of a synod