Pastor, St Marguerite Bourgeoys Parish, Sydney NS

I grew up in a small fishing community in Cape Breton where the church was the centre of all aspects of life and the faith was part of the air e breathed. At the age of 13 I got a scholarship to a small school run by German Augustinian friars. Apart from an education second to none I was introduced very early on to an international and cosmopolitan experience of church that has stayed with me all my life. I attended St. F. X. Univ. at the very beginning of the implementation of Vatican II. There were over 40 priests on faculty at that time and almost all of them were aflame with excitement about the Council. I then went with CUSO to teach in Ghana. There I developed a passion for the liturgy in a community in which full conscious, active participation came naturally and enculturation was a given. This 3 year period was followed by 4 years at St. Paul’s Seminary under the tutelage of professors trained in Europe and fully steeped in the vision of Vatican II. These influences have guided me throughout my ministry – pastor, teacher, National Liturgy Office, RCMP chaplain - all of it. With the claw-back of much of the Council beginning in the 90’s I became disillusioned and just “did my work”, but with the papacy of Francis and the thrust toward synodality I am totally on board.

Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions/CNWE, Winnipeg, MB

I can’t remember a time when God was not part of my life. Born into a Catholic family in Regina, the eldest of five children, the Church was simply part of our lives, with all its rules and rituals. Neither I, nor any of my siblings could have been called “pious”. But we knew we were companioned. And that “good behaviour” i.e. telling the truth, caring for the poor, and doing the best we could, was expected of us.

Vatican II opened my Catholic horizons further. Three other significant opportunities to grow in faith are 1) Joining the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM) and making final vows in 1974; 2) Discovering Teilhard de Chardin, Creation spirituality, and Feminist Liberation theologies; 3) practicing the 12 steps.

I have lived out my understanding of my RNDM vocational call primarily as an educator, and a counsellor.

My hope for the church is that we might radiate and enact God’s love-justice in the world. I think Synodality is important today because of its emphasis on becoming a listening, learning church, grounded in community.

Jeannette Filthaut, Sister of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, Kingston, ON

63 years as a Sister of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul provided a long, diverse teaching career with School Boards in Alberta, Ontario and Adult Catechesis formation work across Canada with the National Office of Religious Education through the CCCB in Ottawa. Serving in many aspects of Parish life in these same regions enriched her experience of Synodality in churches, west and east, where laity were actively involved with Liturgy, Choirs, Parish Council, RCIA, Youth Ministry, Marriage Preparation, Adult Education, CWL, etc. Synodality through attentive listening, dialoguing and working together was very prevalent in her congregation for many years. Nine years service on Congregational Leadership team, along with Educational, Diocesan and Health Care Boards provided opportunities for bringing forth some transformational change. Spiritual Direction and Process facilitation ministry in Retreat Centres, Adult groups and with many religious congregations across Canada and the U.S.A gave another opportunity for Synodality. Synodality for me is community lived through sharing, with an open listening heart and spirit, the fullness of our baptismal call to be one with Christ.

Catholics for a Synodal Church

The call to do justice is described by Joe Gunn as his life’s “vocation.” He has led social justice ministries for a Catholic Archdiocese in western Canada, religious congregations of both men and women, the ecumenical charity Citizens for Public Justice, as well as (for 11 years) served as Director of the Office of Social Affairs for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. For seven years, Joe worked in Central America. He grew up in Toronto, and now resides on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin territory in Ottawa. Joe helped organize five national webinars on the Synod on Synodality, which can be viewed at Our Synodal Journey – Galilee Centre and has been appointed by the Vatican to a Study Group which will report to Pope Francis in June 2025 on how to promote "the cry of the poor and the cry of the Earth."

Sean Hayes

Campus Ministry St Jerome’s University

Sean Hayes began his time in education coaching high school football and basketball. He spent two and a half years doing mission work with street kids as a youth worker and Ombudsman at Covenant House, New York and Toronto. After his time on the street, he got back into education full

time as a teacher, coach, chaplain, administrator and now director of campus ministry at St Jerome’s University. Sean also worked in youth ministry on the parish level at St. Isaac Jogues in Pickering and St. Justin Martyr in Mariam. Sean’s undergraduate degree is in History and education from Central Connecticut State University. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from St. Michael’s college at the University of Toronto and a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Benedictine Monastery at Bennet Hill in Colorado Springs. He has been working in education and campus ministry for 38 years. His wife Michelle is also a teacher and music ministry director at Our Lady

Queen of the World parish as well as St. Jerome’s. Sean has three children, two sons and a daughter.

Canadian Chapter Animator for Mouvement Laudato Si' Movement – Canada

Born into a Catholic family in Peterborough, Ontario, Agnes Richard has sustained her Catholic faith through many life changes. In 2015 she became chair of her parish’s committee to bring a Syrian refugee family to the small town of Caledonia, ON. Over the next two years, with a significant contingent of volunteers, they successfully integrated a Muslim family of 7 into their new life in Canada. Deeply inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, Agnes launched the Mouvement Laudato Si’ Movement – Canada in 2019, and continues as Canadian Chapter Animator. The nation-wide network connects hundreds of Christians and many Catholic organizational partners focused on raising awareness about Laudato Si’ and strives to inspire and support members to act publicly to bring values of ecological and social justice to the forefront in Canada. In her view, Synodality is the path forward to revitalize and transform the Catholic church for generations to come.

Development and Peace/Caritas

I am a cradle catholic born in Toronto, ON. At the age of four our family moved to a 50-acre farm in a small town called Uxbridge. There I was raised four younger siblings in a faith filled home that nurtured a love of God rooted in our relationships with each other, our wider human family, and the earth. St. Mary High School in Pickering helped to complete the faith formation I had in my parish and at home. High School introduced me to the Catholic Worker Movement, which I called home through my university years. By the time I finished M.A. in theology at St. Michael’s college I had discerned my vocation, to live and give witness to the social teaching of our faith. I believe the call to synodality is inherent within this. Since 2006 I have been blessed to live my vocation as a member of the staff of Development & Peace – Caritas Canada (DPCC) while nurturing my own

family in our Toronto Junction neighbourhood.

Dignity /Dignité

I am a cradle Catholic who was very fortunate to be a member of a Calgary parish which fully embraced the changes brought about by Vatican II. As a member of the parish council at 16 years of age, it was an incredibly joyful time. Since 1980 I’ve been actively involved with Dignity Canada Dignité, a support and advocacy group for LGBTQ+ Catholics. Further, I maintain a long-distance relationship with Southminster-Steinhauer United Church in Edmonton, Metropolitan Community Church and Ruah, a creation-centred spiritual community in Toronto. The writings of (Episcopalian) Bishop John Shelby Spong and Richard Rohr, OFM among others, have greatly influenced my spirituality. I attend one Catholic Mass a month, having left behind the theory of substitutionary atonement and misplaced guilt. About 10 years ago, I came to understand that the Divine dwells in me, all other persons (completely unmerited) and the rest of creation. Apophatic (silent) prayer is one way to honour this reality; creation spirituality is another. My hope is that synodality rekindles the fire of Vatican II, and that all Catholics come to realize that they – and all persons – are holy and beloved by the Divine.

CWL executive – Ontario

I have been blessed to be a lifelong member of the Star of the Sea Church in St. Catharines, Ontario. I am a 40 year member of The Catholic Women's League of Canada. For the early years of my membership, due to work and family, I was not very involved. In time I witnessed the women I admired handle life's ups and downs with such grace, that I wanted that in my life too. It is through The Catholic Women's League that I began to learn and grow in my faith. The opportunities for growth and true friendship with fellow sisters in the League have exposed me to many avenues of my faith. I have held executive positions on the parish, diocesan and am presently part of the provincial council. It is an ongoing journey that has enriched my faith and life. My Synod journey began in my parish leading the members of the CWL parish council in the parish listening session. That experience started the desire to continue to stay informed on the synodal journey of the Church.

Chair, Concerned Lay Catholics

Growing up Catholic in Trinidad, I had an early introduction as a high school student to the social teachings of the Church, which have remained a beacon for me. An immigrant to Canada, and a Member of the Order of Canada, I find great joy in swearing in new citizens from around the world. As a university professor, now emeritus, I managed to integrate my academic life and my community engagement on issues related to international development, poverty, human rights, immigration, equity, and social justice. Bolstered by my cultural heritage embodied in the spirit of ubuntu, I am keenly aware of the interconnection of all life and our interdependence. My lived experience as a Lay Spiritan of co-responsibility and collaboration within the Spiritan Congregation makes the vision of synodality and integral ecology promoted by Pope Francis, whom I see as the prime leader of Stage 2 of Vatican II, compelling to me.

Pastor, St. Basil’s Parish, Ottawa

Daryold Winkler is a priest in the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, serving as the pastor of St. Basil's Parish in Ottawa. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he hails from a diverse heritage, with an Indigenous mother and an American father. A proud member of the M'Chigeeng First Nation, Winkler is one of only seven Indigenous priests in Canada, making his role significant in the broader context of the Church's engagement with Indigenous communities.

Fr. Winkler's commitment to his faith and his cultural roots is a central aspect of his identity. His enthusiasm for the Synod on Synodality reflects his deep belief in the importance of dialogue, inclusivity, and listening within the Church. He was excited from the outset about the Synod, seeing it as an opportunity to bridge gaps and bring people together, particularly between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities within the Church.

theologian and Canadian Synod delegate

Catherine E Clifford is Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. She holds a PhD in Theology from the University of St Michael’s College, Toronto, and a Licentiate from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her research interests and publications are focused primarily in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the history of the Second Vatican Council, with a particular emphasis on the conversion and renewal of the church. She serves as a member of the Methodist-Roman Catholic International Dialogue. She was a delegate and theological consultant to the XVI Ordinary General Synod of Bishops in 2023 and 2024 and served as a member of that Synod’s Commission for the Redaction of the Final Document. Her publications include:

The Oxford Handbook on Vatican II, co-edited with Massimo Faggioli (Oxford UP, 2023), and Vatican II at 60: Re-Energizing the Renewal (Orbis, 2024). She is a member of the Editorial Board and contributor for the 12 volume series, Vatican II: Event and Mandate, (Forthcoming: Peeters / Herder, 2025).

Participant in the “Parish Priests for the Synod” meeting in Rome

Father Pierre Ducharme, ofm, is a Franciscan Friar and Vicar Provincial of the Canadian Holy Spirit Province of the Order of Friars Minor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, he studied at Corpus Christi College and the University of British Columbia before completing his Master of Divinity at Newman Theological College in Edmonton. Presently, Father Pierre serves as Pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Parish in Richmond, BC. In 2024, Friar Pierre was sent by the Canadian Conference of Catholic bishops to participate in an international Parish Priests for the Synod gathering in Rome. There, Pope Francis commissioned him a “Missionary of Synodality”. All of this happened after a decade of facilitating Synodal processes for groups, communities, and parishes in the Spirit of the “Evangelli Gaudium”. Father Pierre continues to facilitate synodal encounters and work for a more Synodal Church.

Author of The Jesuit Disruptor, A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis

Michael W Higgins is a longtime Catholic educator and writer committed to the principle of synodality.  A professor and president emeritus, he is the author most recently of The Jesuit Disruptor: a Personal Portrait of Pope Francis (Anansi, 2024) and the forthcoming The Sixty days that Shook the Church: the Synod on Synodality (Paulist, 2025).

Synod Facilitator

Fr. Raymond has been a priest of the Archdiocese of Montreal since 1991. He has served in parish ministry, as RC chaplain and lecturer in Theological Studies at Concordia University, and in seminary formation. He also served from 2005-2022 as pastor of St. Monica’s Parish. In 2016, he became director of the Office for English Pastoral Services and episcopal vicar to the English-speaking faithful of the Archdiocese of Montreal.

Fr. Raymond has undergraduate degrees in both Mathematics (McGill) and Theology (St. Paul’s), and graduate degrees in moral theology from St. Paul’s (M.A.) and the Gregorian University in Rome (STL, STD). His doctoral dissertation focused on the historical development of Catholic teaching on religious liberty. He was also the main author of the pastoral plan for the 2002 North American Vocations Congress, “Conversion, Discernment, Mission: Fostering a Vocation Culture in North America.”

Fr. Raymond lectures in the areas of ecclesiology, spirituality, Christian ethics, bioethics, Catholic social thought, and pastoral ministry. He is also involved in the preaching of parish missions, retreats for clergy and lay pastoral workers, diocesan study days, and “Video Divina evenings”, in which he integrates his passion for music, film, popular culture, Ignatian spirituality, and social analysis into his teaching and pastoral ministry.

Between May and December 2024, Fr. Raymond was granted a study-leave to pursue a research project on synodality. After four months working with pastoral leaders in the Archdiocese of Regina, he completed a two-week formation on Communal Apostolic Discernment at the Villa St-Martin (ISCM) in Montreal, and served in Rome as a table facilitator for both Parish Priests for the Synod (April 28-May 3) and the 16th Assembly of the Synod of Bishops: Communion, Participation, Mission (October 2-27).

Fr. Raymond’s article “Hope Does Not Disappoint: A Jubilee Reflection on Synodality”, was published in the Fall 2024 issue of Critical Theology (vol.7, no.1). He continues to be active, at the local and national level, in efforts to support and offer formation for the growing of a synodal and missionary Church.

President and Vice-Chancellor - St. Jerome’s University

A native of Toronto, Ontario, he comes to St. Jerome’s with a distinguished record of senior leadership in Catholic higher education. From 2014-2020, he was the President and Vice-Chancellor of Corpus Christi/St. Mark’s College, the affiliated Catholic College of the University of British Columbia. Here he led the College through a period of new program development, significant fundraising and building initiatives and a fivefold increase in student enrolments. Prior to taking his post in Vancouver, Dr. Meehan was Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and University Partnerships for Seneca College at York University, where he was responsible for Seneca’s ground-breaking liberal arts and science partnerships with York and the University of Toronto.

A historian by training and disposition, Dr. Meehan is the Past President of the Canadian Catholic Historical Association and Past Chair of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Canada. His academic research and teaching focus is on the social, political, and educational history of the Catholic Church in Canada. His doctoral dissertation at the University of Toronto explored the history of the Catholic Taxpayer’s Association – a lay movement which, with the backing of the Ontario bishops, advocated with Ontario governments for the resolution of the province’s age-old ‘School Tax Question.’ His current research project is the biography of Philip Pocock, the seventh Archbishop of Toronto. This work was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Dr. Meehan and his wife Laura are the parents of four children: Peter Edward, Bridget, Claire and Rory.

Retired Catholic educator and Canadian Synod delegate

Nominated by Bishop Fabbro, Linda was 1 of 4 lay people from Canada appointed by Pope Francis to the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome as a voting delegate.

Linda served for 25 years as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, superintendent with the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board and 8 years as Director of Education for the London District Catholic School Board.

Linda was the Co-Chair of the Synod Committee for the Diocese of London, and subsequently chair and Lead Writer of the Synod Synthesis Team for the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario.

Over the course of the past two years has shared her experience of the Synod locally, provincially and nationally. Has facilitated sessions with parish, diocesan and educational groups along with key partners to promote and implement the synodal process of listening and discernment, to become a more participatory and missionary Church.