A student at Saint Joseph’s University, Ms. Osęka is one of ten non-Bishop voting delegates from North America, and one of only 54 female voting delegates appointed by the Vatican to represent the North American region at the upcoming synod.
Today, Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez released a video in advance of the Second Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, which opens October 2, 2024.
The video features a candid conversation with Ms. Julia Osęka, an international student from Poland attending Saint Joseph’s University. Last year Pope Francis appointed her to serve as a voting delegate at the General Assembly of the Synod. She will serve as a voting delegate again at the Second Session next month.
This conversation with Ms. Osęka reflects on her time as a student leader in our local Synod process, as well as her time as one of ten voting delegates from North America selected to participate in the Synod on Synodality in Rome last Fall.
Archbishop Pérez has frequently highlighted the importance of inviting young people to be a part of the Synodal discernment in our local church, and his hopes for the upcoming Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome.
To watch the video via Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page, please click here.
To learn more about Ms. Osęka’s appointment as a delegate at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, please click here.
Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world to pray for the work of the Synod in the days leading up to this international gathering as well as during the course of its proceedings.
The General Secretariat of the Synod has shared a simplified version of the prayer Adsumus Sancte Spiritus, the beginning of a Latin prayer meaning, “We stand before You, Holy Spirit.” It is formulated so that any group or liturgical assembly can pray for the synod more easily. To access Adsumus Sancte Spiritus in over 25 languages, please click here.
Contextual Background
Archbishop Pérez opened the Diocesan Phase of the Synod on Synodality in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on October 17, 2021.
Begun 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 here. To learn more about the Synod on Synodality and its implementation in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, please visit this page.
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 (in English and Spanish). The document, along with the contributions of the six other Continental Assemblies, formed the basis of the Instrumentum Laboris guiding discussions of the synod this October.
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Editor’s Note: To learn more about the Second Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome, please visit this page.
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