A group of diocesan clergy and lay leaders headed by Bishop Alberto Rojas found themselves on the worldwide stage of the Universal Church last month when they traveled to Rome to make a presentation on the Synodal theme of co-responsibility.
Joining Bishop Rojas was diocesan Chancellor, Sister Leticia Salazar, ODN, Dr. Amanda Alexander, Director of the Diocesan Department of Ministry Formation Institute, Father Rafael Partida, EV, Director of the Diocesan Office of Divine Worship, and Elder Samaniego, Director of the Diocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection. All have been part of the diocese’s Synod Core Team, which has led the local study, consultation and implementation of the Universal Church’s Synod on Synodality since 2021.
It was a whirlwind, three-day trip to the Vatican for the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies the weekend of Oct. 24-26. The diocesan team was invited to present a breakout session at the gathering entitled “The Spirituality of Co-responsibility: Diocesan Life and Lay Ecclesial Leadership. The 90–minute presentation, given twice by the diocesan team on Oct. 25, examined the theological foundations, spiritual imperatives, and practical steps that foster co-responsible synodal leadership among clergy and laity in diocesan and parish contexts.
Fr. Partida said the team members carried with them a sense that they were representing the Synodal experience of the thousands of people from the diocese who had participated in the listening sessions and consultations in recent years.
“When our team was presenting, I really felt like it was the diocese talking,” Fr. Partida said.
The make-up of the diocesan team, a mix of clergy and laity, men and women, was “proof that we are living the Synod,” Bishop Rojas noted. As the team presented the concept of co-responsibility – that all people of faith, by their baptism, are called equally to carry out the mission of the Church – members said they felt affirmation from those listening.
“People were moved by what we were saying,” Samaniego said. “They would come to us afterward and share what they were going through in their diocese.”
The Diocese of San Bernardino has earned national and international praise for its embracing of the Synod, with Sr. Leticia making history as being among the first women religious to serve as a voting delegate at the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2023 and 2024. She was also one of three people selected by Pope Francis to participate in the writing of the final Synod documents for United States, North America and the Universal Church.
The Synod concluded last year and has now entered a phase of implementation. To that end, many of the discussions at the Jubilee gathering centered on the “how to” of Synodality.
“It was clear that people are interested in concept and practice together,” Sr. Leticia said.
The team’s journey to Rome also afforded them an opportunity for an encounter with Pope Leo XIV. On the afternoon of their first day, they gathered in Paul VI Audience with 2,000 other attendees from around the world for an opening prayer and reflection with the Holy Father. He then listened to reports of Synod implementation and responded to questions that had been submitted from seven different Continental Congresses. A question submitted by the North American Congress was – “Holy Father, what would you say to bishops and priests who are concerned that Synodality may diminish their authority as pastors?”
“Oftentimes the resistances come out of fear and lack of knowledge,” Pope Leo said in part, in response to the question. “I would like to invite all of you, as we were invited during the Synod sessions, to reflect upon what synodality is about, and to invite the priests, particularly even more so than the bishops, I think, to somehow open their hearts and take part in these processes.”
Members of the diocesan team said it was clear to them from Pope Leo’s participation in the gathering that he is fully invested in continuing the Church along the Synodal path that was established by Pope Francis.
“He was very direct,” Bishop Rojas said of Pope Leo’s style in the Friday session. “He went to the point very quickly.”
The final day of the trip was a time of spiritual nourishment for the diocesan team as they made their Jubilee Pilgrimage through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica and then attended Mass there with Pope Leo, followed by the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square with him.
The experience left a lasting impact on the diocesan team members, several said.
“I walked away feeling profoundly encouraged,” Dr. Alexander said. “It felt so personal.”