Synodal Pathways and Ecclesial Flourishing
A free new online course offers thousands of participants a deep dive into ways to implement synodality in the U.S. and across the Americas
BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 29, 2025—The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU) has launched a free pilot Massive Online Course (MOOC) dedicated to exploring the Key Themes of the Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
The course, which will open Oct. 20, will feature insights from more than 30 world-renowned synod experts and members, and is offered free of charge in both English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The course is designed to bring the fruits of the synodal discernment into local and global contexts.
Two highly influential organizations of Catholic leadership in Latin America, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) and the Latin American Confederation of Religious Women and Men (CLAR), are promoting and supporting participation in the MOOC.
The MOOC will cover topics such as the synodal process and how to understand the “magisterial authority” of the Synod’s final document; women’s leadership and the laity’s instituted ministries; co-governance and shared decision-making in a synodal Church; methods of communal discernment such as the “sensus fidei” and Conversation in the Spirit; and ways to adapt concepts like canonical dimension, social doctrine and prophecy, and mission in a digital culture. JST-SCU Professor of Systematic Theology and Senior Director of CELAM Rafael Luciani, who has served as part of the group of international experts for the synodal process since its beginning in 2021, will be coordinating the MOOC.
Thousands of participants worldwide —bishops, clergy, religious, pastoral agents, lay movements, parishes, and ecclesial communities— are expected to join, gaining both an introduction to the Final Document and a renewed commitment to its concrete implementation at every level of Church life.
JST-SCU is emerging as a central theological “home” for synodal pathways and ecclesial flourishing in the U.S. and globally. This past April, the theologate hosted “Together at the Table,” a gathering of leaders and theology students interested in advancing synodality in their local communities. It was keynoted by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the general secretariat of the synod. Such programming supports a key goal contained in the University’s strategic plan, Impact 2030, to become the leading Jesuit theologate for the changing face of the global Catholic Church.
Register for the MOOC by visiting synodality.scu.edu.
About the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU), located in Berkeley, California, is a preeminent international center for the culturally contextualized study of theology. Its mission is to inspire and prepare men and women to become leaders in the Church, academy, and society, serving others through a faith that does justice. Rooted in Ignatian spirituality, JST-SCU educates and trains Jesuits, religious, ordained, and lay students from across the United States and from 40 other countries for lives dedicated to ministry and scholarship.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University (SCU) is a private Jesuit, Catholic University in the epicenter of Silicon Valley, infusing ethics and social consciousness into a rigorous cross-disciplinary education for its more than 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Media Contact
Preston Carmack | JST-SCU Marketing and Communications | pcarmack@scu.edu 510-549-5041
For more information regarding the course synodalitycenterjst@scu.edu