The Cardinal, bishops, priests, sisters, brothers from different congregations, and lay faithful gathered from June 27-29, 2024, for the Synod and Synodality: Seminar for the Church in Bangladesh. It was held at the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB) center in the city of Dhaka. The resource persons were Archbishop Bejoy D’Cruze, OMI, Archbishop of Dhaka; Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, Under Secretary of the Secretariat of the Synod, Vatican; and Fr. George Plathottam, SDB, Executive Secretary of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences Office of Social Communication (FABC OSC).

The three-day seminar was overwhelming but full of insights and challenges for the Church of Bangladesh as we all hoped for a Synodal Church. Archbishop Bejoy shared about the experience of the Synod and the CBCB journey. Sr. Nathalie shared her expertise on listening, discernment, and conversation in the Spirit. She also talked about Synodal leadership and the roles of youth, women, and the laity. Fr. George shared about the FABC General Conference in Bangkok, which had the theme: "Journeying Together as Peoples of Asia."

The participants were divided into eight groups, and during the group sharing, the dynamic used was "Conversation in the Spirit," which is familiar to us, Hijas de Jesus. During the closing program, Sr. Lory, F.I., shared her reflection on the three-day seminar. Archbishop Kevin Randall, the Nuncio to Bangladesh, celebrated the Holy Eucharist at the closing and thanksgiving Mass. The participants went home full of desires and dreams for the Church of Bangladesh, despite the many problems, challenges, and difficulties in implementing the elements of Synodality—communion, participation, and mission—in the journey of the Synodal Church of Bangladesh.

Images of the Synod in Dakha, Bangladesh