A student at Saint Joseph’s University, Ms. Osęka is one of ten non-Bishop voting delegates appointed by the Vatican to represent the North American region

Ms. Julia Osęka, an international student from Poland attending Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia has been appointed to serve as a delegate at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held this October in Rome.

The General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops recently announced that Ms. Osęka is one of ten non-bishop voting delegates chosen to represent the North American region, which consists of the United States of America and Canada.

Earlier this year, Pope Francis announced that participation in the Synod in October would be expanded to include lay people from each of the regional groupings of episcopal conferences. The voting delegates would include women as well as young adults.

Ms. Osęka has been active in the Synod through her participation in Synodality in Catholic Higher Education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (SCHEAP). She was also a delegate from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the Continental Assemblies.

Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, remarked, “I was filled with great joy to learn that Julia Osęka, a student from Saint Joseph’s University,​ was selected as a representative of young adults to participate in the next phase of the Synod on Synodality in Rome. The Church of Philadelphia is blessed to count one of its faithful among those from around the world who will gather at the Vatican.”

“They will continue the work called for by Pope Francis earlier this year for all Catholics to help bishops better understand the nature of the Church, its people, and their needs through dialogue and prayer.”

“On behalf of our bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and lay faithful, I congratulate Julia and send prayerful best wishes as she prepares to embrace her role. May the Holy Spirit inspire her, and all of us, as we seek to live as Missionary Disciples for Christ who walk the path of faith and life together.”

 

Contextual Background

Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, opened the Diocesan Phase of the Synod on Synodality in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on October 17, 2021.

Called for by Pope Francis, the Synod on Synodality is a multi-year process of spiritual discernment consisting of listening and dialogue throughout the Universal Church. The Holy Father called on Catholics around the world to reflect on the theme of “Communion, Participation, and Mission” in the context of the life of the Catholic Church.

The Synod provides an opportunity for serious reflection and action to deepen an understanding of the role of all the members of the Church, journeying together with Christ as our Head, in living the Gospel in our time.

In Fall 2022, the Archdiocese released its official summary of the Diocesan Phase of the Synod on Synodality which encapsulated the work of the Synod throughout the five-county Philadelphia region.

As part of the synodal process, that information was shared with other dioceses in the region as well as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which published the U.S. National Synthesis.

To read the official summary of the Diocesan Phase of the Synod on Synodality, please click the dedicated link below.

https://archphila.org/synodality-summary/

In April 2023, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released the official summary of North American Final Document for the Continental Stage of the 2021-2024 Synod: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. The document, along with the contributions of the six other Continental Assemblies, will form the basis of the Instrumentum Laboris to be released by the General Secretariat of the Synod in June 2023.

To read the North American Final Document for the Continental Stage in English, please click the here. For Spanish, please click here.

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Editor’s Note: To learn more about the Synod on Synodality and its implementation in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit https://archphila.org/synod/.