(Past event):  On February 20, 7 PM, Dr. Catherine Clifford from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa wrapped up the synodality series at St. Mark’s College. Her lecture is called, “Toward a Spirituality for a Synodal Church.”

The Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission” contends that “synodality is primarily a spiritual disposition,” a “spirituality” that must “permeate the daily life of the baptized” (#43). Drawing on the teaching of the Synod and the broader tradition of the church, this lecture explores the characteristics of a synodal spirituality and the ways it is reflected in processes of discernment and decision-making in the life of the church.

Catherine E. Clifford is Full Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. She holds a PhD in Theology from the University of St Michael’s College, Toronto, and a Licentiate in Theology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. In November of 2025 she was awarded a Doctorate honoris Causa from the University of Tilburg, in the Netherlands. Her research interests and publications are focused primarily in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the history of the Second Vatican Council. Catherineserved as a North American delegate to the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod “For A Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission,” held in Rome in 2023–2024. Her recent publications include:Vatican II: Legacy and Limits, Liturgical Press, 2025.Vatican II at 60, Orbis 2024.Oxford Handbook of Vatican II, Oxford UP, 2023.