The methodological leadership is in charge of the diocesan synod, led by Hana Oravcová and Martin Fojtíček. We asked them three questions regarding their perception of the diocesan synod and their role in it.
What does the synod personally mean to you and where or to what should it lead us?
Martin: The synod for me represents a great opportunity for the “maturation” of my faith. It symbolizes a significant turning point in how I belong to the church and how I am within it.
Even now − during its preparation − I realize how much I am “just going along”, how I feel that the church are mainly “they”, somewhere “there” (in parishes, in monasteries, at the curia, ...). How I automatically expect regular spiritual service. How I feel that money can always somehow be found in the church. How I leave the proclamation of the joyful message to church professionals. Or to those young people, whom surely someone will nicely teach at their summer Christian camps.
And yet, it seems to me that so many people around me long for God. And not only do we not make it easier for them, we may actually complicate their encounter with God.
Hana: My first thought is “amoeba”. It is an organism with a delicate membrane that does not have a fixed shape. It continuously changes according to conditions, and yet, despite that, the amoeba is able to move forward. I perceive the synod in a similar way. As a process that has no clear boundaries and shape. Its firm contours are being created here and now according to the current inputs and outputs contributed by all participants in the synodical process. And yet, it is all moving forward. Just as the amoeba moves without any doubt to where it needs to go, so do we need to trust fully that the direction in which we are moving in the synod is good because it is led by God.
It is creative, often surprising, probably not suitable for individuals who need to have everything perfectly planned and outlined. Personally, I find this variability and constant movement very enjoyable. I experience it strongly in the synod team.
And where should the synod lead us? I would very much wish for it to lead us to greater understanding of each other and to greater responsibility for the church and its future. That mapping the reality reveals strong and weak points within the church. So that we can grasp those weak points as an opportunity to set up an effective and sustainable structure that will be a living and inspiring image of the life of faith. The strong points we can use as resources on which we can build.
How is the preparation of individual facilitators (group moderators during the general assembly of the diocesan synod) carried out? What do you focus on, and what ability do you think is the most important for facilitators?
Martin: It hasn’t really started much yet.
On one hand, many of us have already facilitated groups in work, in youth groups, and so on. On the other hand, the synod method requires something special from all of us: to stop pushing against each other and start agreeing. To resonate something new in ourselves in the wind of the Holy Spirit. It feels very adventurous to me, and I believe that it can only be learned by trying to do it (the English say “learning by doing”).
But as facilitators, we obviously need to strive to have the synod method of I-you-we somewhat ingrained before the first joint meeting in Johannistal. We are working on it.
Twenty-five years ago, I heard a quote, allegedly from St. Ignatius, but to this day I haven’t tracked it down. It was approximately about prioritizing love over truth in our relationships with people. This is an incredibly high demand, especially for those of us who take pride in how much we know, how quickly we think, the careers we’ve built, our responsibilities, and so on. We as facilitators need to expose ourselves to this demand. And try to aid this synodical process with its strength. How exactly is this done? I don’t know! But I want to do it and I’m looking forward to it.
Hana: At the very beginning of the synod group discussions, Martin and I conducted a short online workshop for delegates, and we then used the outputs in a video called “Advice Not Requested”. This is a supportive material that can also be utilized by group facilitators during the general assembly of the diocesan synod. We drew on experiences that practice brought and responded to questions, thoughts, concerns, but also successes that the discussions brought. At the same time, there will be a preparatory meeting for facilitators this September, where we will refresh some skills live and prepare specifically for the meeting in Johannistal. Both Martin and I are definitely available to individual facilitators if personal support and advice are needed. Both of us know well that facilitating groups is a demanding discipline and what difficulties a facilitator can face. Therefore, we focus heavily on encouragement and support. Perhaps more than on specific communication skills that a professional facilitator learns over several years of training.
From my perspective, and I believe Martin would agree with me, I would see the most important skill for a facilitator as taking care of oneself during the process (about their comfort, their fears, emotions, and practical organizational matters). When someone manages this, they cope much more easily with any difficulties that arise during the dialogue. And I would also add the ability to maintain perspective and humor to this skill. With them, even the greatest troubles in the contemporary church can be borne significantly more lightly.
A crucial element of the diocesan synod is the meeting of groups with individual delegates and gathering opinions. What issues do delegates struggle with the most, and what brings them the greatest joy?
Martin: I’m a bit confused by the university, so I have to say that we need to wait for the summary that is now being prepared from the many notes from the spring meetings at the curia. I’ve only been to a few meetings and spoken with only a few delegates.
From my perspective, I feel that a major topic is the large and rapid changes happening now in the church (and in the whole world). It is exciting that what troubles some people in the church brings joy to others. And so, the joy for me is that we do not close our eyes to it, we name it and want to talk about it.
I simply think that the synod must not weigh us down like a blanket. It is a wonderful opportunity where – if we also hold ourselves accountable – our joy in God can shine.
Hana: In general, I believe that many delegates, as well as involved participants in groups, struggle greatly with the fear that the outputs from their work and reflections will be filed away and nothing will be done with them. They cannot fully see the tremendous amount of work that goes into processing the data, into contemplating the specific way forward. On the contrary, I sense their joy from the opportunity to engage in reflection, participate in the development of the diocese, and sometimes just from the fact that someone simply wants to listen to them.
From the perspective of the group facilitation process, a challenge is to maintain the discipline of individual participants so that the dialogue is constructive and respectful, non-judgmental, but rather mutually inspiring and enriching. And then definitely the third phase – discernment in the Holy Spirit. It is not easy to articulate what is truly important and of a more general nature, and what are just our personal needs, no matter how strongly we feel them at that moment.
The last thing that comes to mind is like a whip we often weave for ourselves. I mean the need for absolute perfection, which can then bind us with fear as facilitators that we must deliver a hundred percent performance and not mess anything up. I always remember page thirteen of the Methodological Guide for Synodal Delegates.
