From August 21 to 22, 2026, the Archdiocesan Synodal Team of the Archdiocese of Tamale gathered with Parish Priests and representatives of Parish Synodal Teams for a two-day orientation on the implementation of the Synod on Synodality at the local Church level.
The orientation marked an important step in strengthening the Archdiocese’s Synodal Process for 2025–2028.
Each of the Archdiocese’s 16 parishes was represented by its Parish Priest and one member of the Parish Synodal Team, together with members of the Archdiocesan Synodal Team.
The gathering was intended to equip Parish leaders with the knowledge, understanding and practical tools needed to accompany the implementation process and to prepare credible and well-grounded reports on the Synodal Implementation Pathways being undertaken at parish level.
These reports will subsequently be submitted to the Diocesan Synod Team and then to the National Synod Team.
Deepening the understanding of the Synod
The orientation was facilitated by Dr. Nora K. Nonterrah, a Lay Theologian from the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga who currently works at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
Drawing on her theological expertise and her experience as a lay woman Theologian who participated in the General Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 and 2024, Dr. Nonterrah guided participants through the development of the Synod on Synodality and the reflections and outcomes that emerged from the Synodal process during those stages.
One of the fundamental insights highlighted during the orientation was that the Church is synodal because all the baptised share equal dignity through Baptism.
Through Baptism, every Christian becomes an active member of the Church and receives a call to participate in her life and mission. Synodality, therefore, is not the responsibility of a select few within the Church.
Rather, it invites all the baptised to journey together, to listen to one another, to discern together and to participate actively in the mission of the Church.
Dr. Nonterrah also emphasised the importance of promoting unity without demanding uniformity. The richness of the Church lies precisely in her diversity. Synodality offers a way of bringing together different experiences, gifts, cultures and perspectives while remaining united in Christ.
Learning to journey with the “stranger”
Another powerful image presented during the orientation was that of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Participants were encouraged to learn how to journey with the “stranger”—with people whose experiences, opinions, backgrounds or perspectives may differ from their own.
Like the disciples of Emmaus, the Church is called to walk with people, listen to their stories and recognise Christ who journeys with us, sometimes in ways we do not immediately recognise.
This calls the Church to develop a renewed culture of intentional listening—a listening that goes beyond simply hearing words and seeks to understand the person and the experience behind them.
Listening as a pathway to synodality
Dr. Nonterrah stressed that if the Church is to genuinely walk together in a synodal style, there is an urgent need to learn how to listen—not simply to hear, but to listen intentionally, attentively and with openness of heart.
This includes listening to the different protagonists of the Synod, particularly those whose voices can easily remain unheard: people at the margins, those who are sick, those experiencing spiritual poverty, and young people who have become disconnected from the Church and its communities.
Such listening is essential if the Church is to understand the realities of her people and respond to them with compassion, inclusion and missionary openness.
“Conversation in the Spirit”: discerning together
Participants were also introduced to Conversation in the Spirit as a practical method for facilitating prayerful dialogue, discernment and participation within the Church.
Through attentive listening, prayer and sharing, this method enables participants to move beyond simply exchanging opinions or defending personal positions. Instead, it creates space for communities to listen to one another and collectively discern what the Holy Spirit may be saying to the Church.
In this way, synodality becomes more than a programme or an activity. It becomes a way of being Church—a Church that listens, accompanies, discerns and journeys together.
From orientation to implementation
The two-day orientation was therefore not merely an academic exercise. It was a moment of deeper formation and renewed commitment to translating the spirit of synodality into concrete practices within Parish communities.
As the Archdiocese of Tamale continues its Synodal journey, the orientation has provided parish leaders and Synodal Team members with renewed understanding and encouragement to accompany the process at the grassroots, document the experiences of their communities and contribute meaningfully to the wider Synodal journey of the Church.
The journey continues: walking together, listening to one another, discerning together and participating together in the mission of Christ.
By Sr. Caritas Nizigiyimana, MSOLA
(Catholic Sister Communicators Network-Ghana-CASCON-GH)
