Young nuns say synodality is the future of religious life
The gathering on 3-7 June brought together nearly 200 sisters from six continents at the Fraterna Domus Sacrofano retreat centre outside of Rome.
Tammy Denny
‘Religious life now is neocolonialism. As long as we cling to the white supremacist mentality, we run from our vulnerability.’
Racism, neocolonialism and women’s leadership in the church were among the issues debated at a gathering of hundreds of young Catholic sisters in Rome last week.
The conference, an unprecedented gathering of 300 Catholic sisters under the age of 65 from six continents, delivered in five different languages, grappled with the decline in vocations in the church in Europe and North America and the challenges facing young sisters from Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Organised, planned and supported by a network of young religious sisters convened by the US-based Leadership Collaborative, “Hope 2025” marked an historic moment in the unfolding of religious life. Participants called for the development of a new theology of religious life based on a theology of synodality.
Sr Romina Sapinosa, a Sister of Charity of Cinncinati, who convened the gathering, said in her opening remarks: “Hope is not a specific outcome that we hold on to. Instead, it is a wide-open horizon that beckons us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There is hope because there is a horizon waiting for women religious like us and for our aching, suffering, and beautiful world. We are here, looking at that horizon, and actively participating in God’s creation of it.”
Acknowledging the decline in vocations in the American and European churches, as well as the global context of the gathering, she continued: “It is a terrible thing to feel like there is too much suffering in our world to name. However, we pray that there will never be a lack of space to hold those who suffer in our hearts.”
The gathering on 3-7 June brought together nearly 200 sisters from six continents at the Fraterna Domus Sacrofano retreat centre outside of Rome, as well as more than 100 sisters online via Zoom. It was organised and supported by the Leadership Collaborative, a US-based organisation that fosters leadership skills among women religious globally.
Over the course of five days the sisters met to network, lament, and discuss their hopes for the future of religious life and the church. Black African and Asian sisters spoke about the challenges of overcoming racism in religious communities.
Sr Chero Chuma CSJP told the gathering: “Religious life now is neocolonialism. As long as we cling to the white supremacist mentality, we run from our vulnerability.”
Sr Susan Francois, a Sister of St Joseph of Peace, and author of Reseeding Religious Life Through Global Sisterhood, said: “This was a true experience of synodality on a global scale. It was refreshing to encounter sisters from all continents ready to embrace our vulnerability together. Our vulnerability is our strength and we go forward as one global sisterhood in service of the love of God.”
An inaugural gathering was held in January 2024 in Chicago. With over 250 sisters gathered, there was a call to expand these gatherings to build the necessary bridges for our current and future realities.
The Leadership Collaborative mission is to foster transformational leadership for religious life and the Gospel mission, now and into the future. It began with a collaborative vision for leadership to meet the needs of the complexity of current and future realities. It continues to create programmes that capture the hearts and minds of women Religious who seek space for the conversations that are needed today, gazing over the horizon to what is emerging.
The Spirit is in the whispered contributions of those who feel out of place
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