The training course for “Conversation in the Spirit” facilitators, organized by the Council of the Lay Apostolate of Korea, has concluded with the final session for the Daegu Ecclesiastical Province and was reported in the Catholic Times. The initiative is significant as it trained lay facilitators—with laypeople taking the lead—to guide “Conversation in the Spirit” sessions within their respective dioceses, parishes, and organizations.
“Conversation in the Spirit” is a method rooted in prayer and meditation; it involves listening attentively to one another and collectively discerning what the Holy Spirit is saying to the community. The "Final Document" of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops presents "conversation in the Spirit" as a "rich tool" for listening to and discerning what the Holy Spirit is saying to the various churches. In particular, the roles of facilitators—such as those who guide the conversation and those who record and organize the shared content—are crucial for ensuring that "conversation in the Spirit" proceeds smoothly.
To master these roles, participants spent three weeks prior to their respective provincial workshops reading the "Final Document" online and experiencing "Conversation in the Spirit" firsthand in small groups. Subsequently, during a one-day intensive workshop, they practiced the roles of facilitator and recorder and received guidance from researchers at the Institute for the Lay Apostolate.
The "Final Document" emphasizes the need for lay men and women to participate more broadly in the Church’s processes of discernment and decision-making and calls for the creation of formation opportunities—and the training of those who can support them—to spread a culture of ecclesial discernment within small communities and parishes.