As we bring our journey of exploration, deepening, and collaboration to a close, we do so with great joy and gratitude for our international online course on discerning leadership for a synodal Church.
Over 4 weeks and 12 days of intensive formation, participants from diverse backgrounds and corners of the globe engaged in a transformative experience that has left a profound and lasting impact on both their professional and personal lives.
Within a dynamic learning environment that blended theoretical insights with practical applications, delivered in five different languages – English, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, and Vietnamese – over 250 superior generals and general counsellors earned their certificates.
Participants expressed deep appreciation for the rich and comprehensive content presented throughout the course, highlighting the seamless integration of diverse elements.
Key themes that resonated strongly included the importance of leader self-awareness, discernment rooted in spirituality, intentional listening and effective communication in interpersonal relationships, as well as navigating intercultural dynamics and conflict styles, and the crucial role of vulnerability and courage in leadership.
Additionally, participants lauded the modelling and guidance provided by our presenters, facilitators, and interpreters, who worked tirelessly as a cohesive team with a singular purpose: to support church leaders in their personal and professional development.
Emphasis was given to small group work as a modality for learning and cooperation. Participants were organized into groups where they engaged in deep discussions, shared personal experiences, and collaborated on practical activities. This approach not only fostered stronger connections among them but also created a supportive environment for peer learning and mutual empowerment.
“I was struck by the common problems in the congregations represented in our small groups”
“It was a time of real introspection as a person and as a team and the congregation members”
“It was a wonderful way of learning together. The team is a real inspiration on how the leadership would work. I enjoyed it and felt that God had been walking all along with us”
“There is a shifting within myself, especially in my inner disposition. Leadership ministry is a gift from God that I would embrace”
As we bid farewell to our international online course, we do so with a profound sense of fulfilment. The journey we embarked on together has been rich, leaving a mark on both the participants and our collective understanding of transformative leadership.
By cherishing the valuable lessons learned and bonds forged, let us serve as agents of positive change, working towards building the capacity for senior Church leaders in the path to synodality.
Fr. Giacomo Costa SJ did studies in philosophy and theology, and he also obtained a master's degree in Political and Moral Sociology at the EHESS in Paris.
He is the responsible for Formation at the Society of Jesus.
Prof. Rafael Luciani received his licentiate and doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a degree in educational sciences with a philosophical orientation from the Universidad Católica "Andrés Bello" in Caracas (Venezuela). He also studied philosophy at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome and did post-doctoral work at the Julius Maximilians Universität in Würzburg (Germany).
Nathalie Becquart serves as Undersecretary of the Secretariat of the Synod of the Bishops since March 2021.
Robert J. Bies (Ph.D., Stanford University) is Professor of Management and Founder of the Executive Master’s in Leadership Program at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. In addition, Dr. Bies is a co-author of the book, Getting Even: The Truth About Workplace Revenge—And How to Stop It.
Professor Bies’s current research focuses on leadership, the delivery of bad news, organizational justice, and revenge and forgiveness in the workplace.