Pope Francis has designated 2025 as a Jubilee year and invited followers to renew themselves as "pilgrims of hope."

What does it mean to be a pilgrim of hope? And how does this jubilee theme connect to a church that has just completed its Synod? How might Catholics embrace the themes and direction of the Synod as "pilgrims of hope?"

The Roman Catholic Church has engaged in a three-year process of listening and dialogue, "The Synod on the Synodality," which concluded in October 2024. This historic time for Catholicism raises important questions about the future direction of the church. Synodality implies a commitment to dialogue and an openness to voices that have been marginalized. Where is the Church now in the Synod process? What has been the impact so far? Where does the Church seem to be moving in the aftermath of the Synod and now in this jubilee year?

Renowned church historian, Dr. Massimo Faggioli, and Vatican II scholar, Dr. Maureen Sullivan, OP, will address these questions in a 90-minute on-line presentation, Wednesday, April 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Join the Center at Mariandale and the Dominican Sisters of Hope to explore these questions, dialogue with people of faith, and consider new insights.

Date/Time: April 2 from 7 to 8:30pm in a Mariandale Zoom Meeting Room

Fee: $25 (Virtual Online)

About the Presenters:

Dr. Massimo Faggioli is full professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia), contributing writer to Commonweal magazine (New York), columnist for La Croix International and Jesus (Italy) and staff writer for Il Regno (Italy). He worked in the John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies in Bologna between 1996 and 2008 and received his Ph.D. from the University of Turin in 2002. He moved to the United States in 2008, and was visiting fellow at the Jesuit Institute at Boston College between 2008 and 2009 and on the faculty at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) from 2009 to 2016. The author of ten books and many articles, he writes regularly for newspapers and journals on the Church, religion and politics, and he was founding co-chair of the “Vatican II Studies” group at the American Academy of Religion between 2012 and 2017.

Dr. Maureen Sullivan, OP is a Dominican Sister of Hope from New York and Professor Emerita of Theology at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. She received her Master of Arts in Theology from Manhattan College in the Bronx and her Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University, also in the Bronx. She was named Professor Emerita at St. Anselm's College where she taught for many years. Dr. Sullivan’s expertise centers around the Second Vatican Council. She has written two books on this topic: 101 Questions and Answers on Vatican II (2002) and The Road to Vatican II: Key Changes in Theology (2007), both published by Paulist Press. She has been honored by Future Church and is the 2021 recipient of the F. Sadlier Dinger Award.