Santa Clara University Hosting Conference to Advance Synodality in U.S. Catholic Church

His Eminence Cardinal Mario Grech from the Vatican will headline and keynote.

The Pope’s top leader directing the work of the Catholic Church as it becomes a more listening, open, and “synodal” body will headline a key conference at Santa Clara University on April 4.

Hosted by the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (JST-SCU), the Together at the Table conference will bring together Catholics from regional parishes; theology faculty and students; and other interested Catholics to learn and engage with the process of synodality as it is infused within the workings of parishes, schools, and communities. The Vatican’s Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, will be the featured keynote and speaker.

The conference, which is open to all, will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 4, 2025, at Santa Clara University’s Locatelli Student Activity Center, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053.

The event is the first major U.S. gathering featuring Cardinal Grech since Pope Francis hosted the multiyear global “synod on synodality,” which culminated last October.

“Synodality is a process of deep listening, dialogue, and discernment of baptized persons at all levels of the Church, not just ordained leaders, but also those who do the daily work of their communities as well as those who have been hurt, marginalized, excluded or overlooked,” said Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, S.J., dean of JST-SCU who was a voting delegate in two month-long Vatican synod gatherings in 2023 and 2024.

“Synodality teaches us that all have gifts to offer as we discern where to turn our Church’s attention, care, and resources in the short and long term, in keeping with the teachings of the Church, while also being attentive to the special needs of the communities it serves,” he added.

The conference itself will be structured synodally, with a Q&A and keynote speech featuring Cardinal Grech, followed by multiple roundtable discussions. The program will consider the next phase of living the vision of the Synod as Catholic communities explore what it means to become more synodal and missionary. During the roundtable discussions, all participants will have the opportunity to reflect, share, and contribute to learnings from the conference.

Media please note: Media representatives are invited to participate in the entire event. The keynote address from Cardinal Grech will be on the record as will a media Q&A session with the Cardinal. Reporters will be asked to agree in advance that all other events will be off the record.

A full description of the event can be found at https://www.scu.edu/jst/atthetable/

About the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University

The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, 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 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 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.

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