More than 120 students from 14 US Catholic universities embarked on a transformative pilgrimage to Rome during the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality. The trip provided an opportunity for the participants, including Theology students from Boston College and the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, to engage deeply with the synodal vision of the Church as part of the CENTERS (Catholic Education Network to Encounter Rome and Synodality) initiative. The group experienced the profound unity and shared mission of synodality through formal and informal dialogue with Synod delegates, consultants, and Vatican officials. The week-long encounter emphasized listening, mutuality, and co-responsibility. They returned home inspired, with renewed hope and a commitment to foster synodality in their university and local communities. We share the reflection of some of the students.

During the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, over 120 students from 14 Catholic universities across the United States came together in Rome for a collaborative synodal pilgrimage. As graduate students from Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, we joined this CENTERS initiative at this historic moment. This journey offered us a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the synodal vision of the entire People of God walking together, listening for the Holy Spirit, and participating in the mission of the Church in communion. This engagement helped us, individually and communally, better understand what’s needed to make this vision of our Church a reality.

Over the course of the week, our encounters unfolded around numerous tables. We were moved by the generous presence of Synod delegates, consultants, and facilitators, who after long days of attentive listening and discussions in the General Assembly, made time to sit around a table with us to share, laugh, and dream. Their embodiment of synodality – listening deeply and entering into dialogue with openness – encouraged a spirit of reciprocity, prompting us to respond in kind. A particularly profound moment occurred at the Aula in the Jesuit General Curia, where we created a shared mosaic expressing our prayers for a synodal churchfollowed by offering blessings for one another – delegates for students and students for delegates – for the continued journey ahead. There the protagonism of the Holy Spirit was at work and served as a tangible reminder of our co-responsibility as laity, religious, clergy, and all members of the Church, seated around the table of our shared Baptism.

On our final evening, we were invited to sit in the very seats where Synod delegates had been gathering throughout the month at the Paul VI Audience Hall. We participated in a live-streamed dialogue with four key Synod members: Cardinal Mario Grech, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Sr Leticia Salazar, and Bishop Daniel Flores. Immersing ourselves in the roundtable setup, reflecting Pope Francis’ vision for the Church to walk together on a journey of listening and engagement, brought both excitement and consolation. This moment transcended mere physical presence; it was a powerful reminder that we, too, are part of this journey, sharing in the responsibility of discerning the Church’s future alongside those shaping the Synod. Throughout the week, our formal and informal conversations with Vatican officials and Synod members made these Church leaders feel more relatable, transforming them from distant figures into approachable collaborators in Christ’s mission. They were no longer abstract decision-makers but fellow pilgrims with whom we share the responsibility of building the Church, all guided by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

As we reflect on our journey, we return with a renewed sense of hope and willingness to engage with the unfolding questions of our Church which call us to embrace mutual vulnerability in order to move from individual agendas to shared mission. A phrase echoed throughout the week captured this truth: synodality is a way of living, starting in small encounters – like sharing a cup of coffee – and growing into a shared path of faith. We hold this close as students of theology and ministry, aiming to be ambassadors of the Spirit at work. The invitation of the Spirit moves through all of us if we only have the willingness and openness to listen and respond. The Synod on Synodality is asking us, as the hands and feet of Christ, to become a listening Church. The real pilgrimage begins now, as we return home to nurture the seeds of synodality in the communities we serve, trusting that the graces of these encounters will continue to unfold in ways we cannot yet imagine.

By Dominic Chai SJ, Tayz Hernandez-Campero, Morgan Hodges, Alexis Larios, Carly Reidy, Anthony Russo, Rachel Sexton and Bella Statnick.