Making space for the Holy Spirit: Synod facilitators training

By Heather Excell

What happens when we put aside our own agendas and simply make space to listen?

That was the heart of the Facilitator Training session held in Hobart on 26 September. Around 43 lay people and clergy attended the session, led by Dr Trudy Dantis, to prepare for their roles in the Archdiocese of Hobart’s Regional Listening Sessions ahead of the 2027 Synod.

The training introduced participants to the ‘Conversation in the Spirit’ methodology that is used in the Church’s synodal process. Facilitators will use this method during the Archdiocese of Hobart’s Regional Listening Sessions to be held in the North-West, North and South of the state later this year.

Synod Project Officer, Jane McKeown, explained that the role of a facilitator is not to find the ‘right’ answer, advance an agenda or steer conversation towards a particular outcome. Rather, it is to create the conditions in which a group can listen deeply and discern together.

“A facilitator is a brother and sister in Christ,” Jane said. “They are called to nurture a sacred space which is prayerful, open and respectful.”

For Huon Valley parishioner, John Moore, the training offered a clearer understanding of how this approach could help bring the Archdiocese together.

“We won’t just be turning up armed with arguments for our opinions. The process calls for prayerful listening, listening to the Holy Spirit, giving everyone the time and space to say what the Spirit is saying to them and then trying to bring that conversation together,” he said. “I felt very positive that the Synod process, if we follow it, gives us our best chance for unity in the Archdiocese.”

Cathedral parishioner, Jack McKenzie, also welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the process, seeing it as a way for the Church to discern how best to fulfil her mission in Tasmania.

“It is clear that the world is yearning for the gifts of the Church and her rich message of unchanging truth. I approach the Synod with optimism and a sense of responsibility as the Church in Tasmania looks to continue the apostolic mission of bringing her treasure to bear,” he said.

At the heart of this process are prayer and silence, creating space for participants to reflect on what they have heard, and remain open to the Holy Spirit.

“When we prayerfully listen, our prayers move from our own intentions into a conversation with God,” Jane said.

This theme was reflected on in the Gospel chosen for the training’s Gathering Liturgy, in which Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-15, 19-30).

“The Samaritan woman had a routine agenda: to draw physical water, avoid the townspeople who judge her, and get back home,” Jane explained. But the encounter with Jesus gradually challenged her expectations and revealed a deeper thirst.

Jane described the woman’s water jar as a “symbol of her agenda”. When she encountered Christ, she left the jar behind and returned to the town transformed, becoming a witness to what she had experienced.

“Jesus dismantled her agenda, gently and firmly,” Jane said. “When the woman finally stops arguing and begins to listen, she leaves her water jar behind.”

The image of the Samaritan woman offers a fitting reflection for those preparing to facilitate the Synod’s listening process.

“In listening truly to Jesus, we must sit at the well of grace and pray, then be open to leave our own ‘water jars’ behind,” Jane said.

Facilitators will guide groups at the Archdiocese of Hobart’s Regional Listening Sessions over the next month. Registrations for these events are now closed.