Spring gathering Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin As the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland continues, the National Team gathered on May 15 and 16 at Dalgan Park in Navan for a time of deep prayer, shared discernment, and careful listening to the Spirit. Our goal was to reflect on the rich tapestry of insights submitted over the spring of this year, and to distil these into clear priorities for presentation and dialogue at the Pre-Synodal Assembly taking place in Kilkenny this October.
Conversations
The home of the Columban Missionaries in Dalgan Park provided a fitting backdrop for this time of prayerful pause. Steeped in missionary zeal and with ample spaces for contemplation (both indoors and out), it became a space of holy conversation and silent listening for two days; a place where the past, present, and future of the Church in Ireland was held before God.
We spoke aloud our sense of where hope and invitation lay hidden in the submissions with each other”
Facilitated by Jim Deeds, we worked through 36 submissions from dioceses, religious congregations, lay groups, ecclesial movements and associations. The submissions captured the voices of several thousand who gathered in dioceses and other pastoral settings around the country over Lent. The rhythm of the two days was deliberately simple yet very profound. Anchored by prayer and Eucharist each day included a prayerful discernment.
On the first day, we shared our first impressions, listening not just for resonances or differing themes and priorities, but for the deeper pulse of the People of God. One particularly fruitful method was an Emmaus-style walk that Jim encouraged us to take. Strolling the leafy grounds of Dalgan Park in pairs certainly echoed the two disciples on the road with Christ. Here we spoke aloud our sense of where hope and invitation lay hidden in the submissions with each other. Returning indoors, these seeds of hope blossomed into deeper conversations in the Spirit, with time set aside for sacred silence; to hear not only one another, but God’s whisper in the “sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:12).
Proposal
What emerged clearly was a strong, consistent thread woven through every theme and concern: the longing for a Church where the full meaning of baptism could be rediscovered and lived anew. In the words of the National Team’s discernment statement, “Across the diverse range of themes, concerns, and priorities submitted, the National Team discerned a common thread: a deep yearning for a Church in which all the faithful embrace fully their baptismal dignity, identity, and responsibility, recognising it as the source from which flow co-responsibility, participation, inclusion, and missionary discipleship.”
To prepare for this assembly, the National Synodal Team is now drafting a preparatory document”
This recognition led to the hopeful proposal that baptism be adopted as the theological framework and pastoral approach for the Pre-Synodal Assembly on October 18, 2025 at the Kilkenny Convention Centre. In practice, this means that all the other priorities distilled from the submissions will be approached through a ‘Baptism, therefore…’ lens. To prepare for this assembly, the National Synodal Team is now drafting a preparatory document not just for the delegates invited to the assembly but for all – dioceses, parishes, groups, movements, religious congregations – all.
Trust
This is to ensure that the collective wisdom and continued reflection of the People of God in Ireland remains at the centre of this process, not at the peripheries as ‘now and again’ contributors or groups to be consulted, but as co-responsible companions on this journey. Synodality is a commitment to walking together, not just gathering feedback.
Moments like the days at Dalgan Park remind me that real listening is not about the management of a process or bringing about surface-level reform. It’s about trusting the Holy Spirit who speaks through the baptised. In the months ahead, I am encouraging everyone to stay informed and engaged; to pray for the Pre-Synodal Assembly, and above all to continue living the synodal way where it begins – in parish communities, schools, homes, and daily acts of witness. As Pope Leo XIV recently reminded us, “We want to be a synodal Church… a Church that moves forward.” In Ireland, that movement continues, one baptism at a time.
On the first day, we shared our first impressions, listening not just for resonances or differing themes and priorities, but for the deeper pulse of the People of God”
The collective wisdom and continued reflection of the People of God in Ireland remains at the centre of this process”
Julieann Moran is the General Secretary for the Synodal Pathway of the Catholic Church in Ireland. For more information on the Synodal Pathway in Ireland, you can visit www.synod.ie.