Catholic schools should become “laboratories of synodality” where young people are heard, trusted and given opportunities to lead, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Monday.
Speaking at the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines’ Superintendent’s Academy in Quezon City, CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera urged schools to move beyond teaching synodality as a concept and let students practice it.
“I propose that our Catholic schools become laboratories of synodality—living environments where young people do not merely learn about communion, participation, and mission, but actually experience and practice them,” Garcera said in his keynote address.
Giving young people a greater voice
He said schools should take students’ questions and experiences seriously while giving them opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their communities.
Garcera proposed student-led listening circles, synodal conversations, peer accompaniment, service initiatives, formation groups and discernment gatherings as practical ways to involve young people.
“If we truly believe that young people are the ‘now’ of God, then we must not treat them merely as recipients of formation,” he said. “They must also become participants and co-responsible protagonists in the mission of our schools and of the Church.”
He challenged school leaders to consider whether students have a genuine voice, whether their concerns are heard and whether they are given meaningful responsibilities.
Schools that practice synodality can form young people who learn to listen, discern, collaborate, lead and serve the church and wider society, the archbishop said.
“These young people can become the synodal missionaries that the Church needs,” he said, describing them as rooted in Christ and attentive to the poor and vulnerable.
Leadership as service
Garcera said synodality is a way of being Church centered on communion, participation and mission, with leadership understood as service rather than authority.
“A synodal leader does not ask only, ‘Who has authority?’ but also, ‘How can I serve?’” he said.
He urged Catholic schools to study the final document of the Synod on Synodality as part of continuing formation for educators, school leaders and students.
Preparing students for the digital age
Garcera also called on Catholic schools to respond to artificial intelligence, digital culture and the constant flow of information shaping young people’s lives.
Schools should help students develop patience, reflection, critical thinking, meaningful dialogue and trustworthy relationships rather than simply follow the speed of digital technology, he said.
He also urged schools to form responsible users of technology who can eventually serve as “digital catechists” and contribute to the Church’s evangelizing mission.
For Garcera, Catholic education must go beyond academic achievement to form missionary disciples prepared for service, vocation and life.
“A Catholic school is not merely an institution,” he said. “It is an ecclesial community of communion, participation and mission.”
He urged educators to see teaching as a vocation and ministry that participates in Christ’s mission, helping Catholic schools become communities of hope where young people encounter Christ and learn to serve others.
