A Pilgrim’s Adventure: Rome and Synodality by Patricia E. Clement, D.Min.

Four years ago, as I retired from 40 years in parish ministry, I informed the Holy Spirit I was available for a new assignment. Be careful what you ask for! Since then, my life has become a whirlwind of unexpected adventures.

Here’s the most recent.

In June, I got a call from my older brother, across the country, who never calls me.

“Hey Pat, I want to have dinner with the new American pope. Can you help me with that?”

“What?!!”

“Yeah,” he continued. “I was watching a White Sox game, and Pope Leo showed up on the jumbotron. I said to myself, ‘I’d like to meet that guy and have dinner with him.’ I figured if anyone could help make that happen, it would be you.”

I laughed. “Chris, good luck with that.”

But he wasn’t joking. “I’m serious. If you can help me with this, I’ll cover all your expenses.”

When my mother used to brag about her kids, she would say, “I have three successful children—a millionaire, a saint, and a doctor!” The first two were exaggerations, but my younger brother really is an M.D. So when my older brother dreams up a wild idea, he’s perfectly willing to “spend the kids’ inheritance,” as he calls it, to make it happen.

And now he wanted to have dinner with Pope Leo XIV—the newly elected American pope—and was calling me to arrange it.

“Well,” I said, “there’s a big event in Rome at the end of October that I’d love to attend but can’t afford. Pope Leo is expected to give a presentation on Friday and celebrate the closing Mass on Sunday. I might be able to get us both invited, but you’ll have to figure out the dinner part yourself.”

“That’s it!” he shouted. “Make it happen! I knew the Holy Spirit would come through!”

Then he hung up.

I sighed. Once the Holy Spirit is invoked, anything can happen.

The Jubilee of Synodal Teams

The October event in question is the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies, held the weekend of October 24–25. It marks the first anniversary of the Synod on Synodality and celebrates the signing of its Final Document. It also officially launches the three-year implementation phase that will bring synodality—communion, participation, mission—deeper into the life of the church.

One month after retiring from full-time ministry, a colleague and I co-founded a small online nonprofit called the Pentecost Vigil Project. Our organization’s mission is to support Pope Francis’s—and now Pope Leo’s—call for a synodal church by creating parish resources to help make that dream a reality. In other words, I’m still in full-time ministry—just working for free now!

Our little organization has been quietly following the Spirit’s call to synodality for four years, even before the Synod was formally announced in October 2021. But now, my brother was handing us the chance to network on a global scale.

The Holy Spirit Gets Involved

My brother called me in early June. The registration deadline for the Jubilee was at the end of the month. Four members of our team wanted to attend, but there was a catch: registration had to go through official ecclesial channels, meaning we needed written permission from our local bishops—the Catholic equivalent of needing a note from your mother before a school field trip.

To make things trickier, we all lived in different dioceses, and most bishops were already heading off for their summer vacations.

That’s when the Holy Spirit showed up.

• The registration deadline was unexpectedly extended by 30 days.
• One of our team members, on a whim, emailed the Vatican’s Synod office.
• A few days later, we received a personal reply from Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, granting our organization permission to attend.
• Then the Holy Spirit completely took over. By the July 31 deadline, we had fourteen pilgrims registered—four members of our core team, plus a joyful mix of family, friends, and even a few strangers who felt called to join us. Every one of them agreed to do extensive preparation and reflection beforehand so they could represent our organization’s mission with understanding and enthusiasm.

Journey to Rome

Now, October has arrived. I’m packing my bag, still shaking my head in wonder at what the Holy Spirit can do. Next week, I’ll be flying to Rome with my brother Chris for the Jubilee of Synodal Teams.

I invite you to journey with us in prayer as we gather—fourteen pilgrims from seven states, nine dioceses, and one inner-city evangelical outreach mission—to ask the Spirit’s blessing on this adventure. Over the coming days, I’ll share updates as we meet face to face for the first time and walk together through this historic event.

Please keep us in your prayers as we seek to listen, learn, and discern what the Spirit is asking of the church today.

A Dinner with the American Pope After All

A few nights ago, Chris called me again to confirm last-minute travel details. “Oh, and by the way,” he added, “I bought a dozen White Sox caps. That way Pope Leo will spot us from the popemobile at the closing Mass!”

That’s when it hit me.

Back in June, my brother had said, “Hey Pat, I want to have dinner with the new American pope.”

And sure enough—on Sunday, at the closing liturgy of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams, my brother will indeed share a meal with Pope Leo XIV . . . at the Eucharistic Table.

Never, ever, underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dr. Patricia E. Clement, D.Min. is the president of the Pentecost Vigil Project, a non-profit online “One-Stop-Shop” of Synodality resources for American parishes.