News and Events

Sr. Gemma Morató, Bellafila Community, Barcelona, 11/08/2025.- On November 8, taking advantage of Sr. Rosmery Castañeda’s stay in Barcelona for a few days, we asked her to give us a talk based on her experience as a synodal mother. With a full room of representatives from various congregations and some laywomen, she delighted us with a presentation entitled “Woman, Diakonia of the Kingdom, in the Synodal Church.” We were also joined by the delegate for consecrated life of the Archdiocese of Barcelona, Fr. Juanjo Moré, SDB.

With a clear, approachable, and deeply lived style, Sr. Rosmery explained the role of women in the Church from a Gospel and synodal perspective. She recalled the figure of Saint Catherine of Siena, a great Dominican, a passionate and free woman who did not remain seated and weeping before the ecclesial reality of her time — a Church where the male dimension was much more visible — but, inspired by the Holy Spirit, raised her voice and courageously denounced injustices. She was a prophetic voice in her context, a woman who knew how to invite and mobilize for change. Sr. Rosmery also evoked the memory of so many women throughout the centuries, moved by the power of the Spirit, who refused to remain silent or to wait for only the “visible heads” of the Church to express the motions of the Spirit. She recalled examples of women who, through prayer, pastoral action, or social commitment, have been a transforming presence and have kept alive the flame of prophecy and service.

During her talk, she particularly emphasized the need to weave bonds and relationships within the Church, recognizing that synodality is not built through structures but through fraternal and co-responsible encounters. With great clarity, she went through the different chapters of the Synod Document, highlighting the importance of listening, discerning, and walking together — men and women, laity and consecrated — in a shared mission at the service of the Kingdom.

Her words were both testimony and call: an invitation to continue building a more inclusive, participatory, and feminine Church, where the voice and service of women are recognized as an essential part of the diakonia of the Kingdom.