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Julia McStravog on Prayer, Synodality, and the Holy Spirit

The Communion Project Podcast

What if the Synod on Synodality isn’t really about meetings at all? In this episode, host Jonathan Lewis sits down with Julia McStravog, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ point person for the synodal process, to explore how prayer, dialogue, participation, and spiritual friendship can renew the Church’s relationships and mission. Drawing on her background in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, Julia describes synodality as a worldwide process of spiritual formation and conversion—not simply another Church program. She reflects on the wounds revealed through the Church’s listening process, the role of religious communities as models of shared discernment, and why genuine dialogue begins with prayer, humility, and the willingness to become comfortable with discomfort.Episode Timestamps 00:13 — Cold open: why the “Synod on Synodality” is about much more than meetings 01:35 — Meet Julia McStravog and her work accompanying the U.S. synodal process 03:04 — New synod guidelines, continental assemblies, and what comes next 05:53 — Pausing the interview to pray: keeping the Holy Spirit at the center 07:12 — The Adsumus Sancte Spiritus: the prayer accompanying the synodal process 09:34 — Growing up Catholic in “Delco” and discovering a love for theology 12:20 — Being told she wasn’t Christian—and how it inspired Julia’s work in interreligious dialogue 14:18 — Why dialogue with other traditions can deepen rather than diminish Catholic identity 15:50 — Children at Mass and the formative power of genuine participation 20:29 — What is synodality? A worldwide process of spiritual formation and conversion 22:28 — Why Pope Francis believed the Church needed a renewed culture of dialogue 26:31 — Is the American Church really as divided as it appears? 27:46 — Relationship and encounter as remedies for polarization 29:08 — “Enduring Wounds”: what the synodal listening process revealed about pain in the Church 32:10 — Living in communion through the Church’s unity amid diversity 33:44 — What religious communities can teach the wider Church about synodality 36:30 — Pope Leo XIV, religious life, shared authority, and leadership rooted in community 39:39 — What breaks Julia’s heart—and what gives her hope—about the Church today 42:00 — Julia’s most important practice for building communion: prayer 44:34 — Engaging across differences through self-knowledge, humility, and discomfort 47:18 — What families can teach us about living with tension and remaining in relationship 49:03 — Communion, participation, and mission: what the synod is really for 50:34 — Lightning round: pepper jack, parish potlucks, and spiritual friendship 51:12 — St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal as patrons for this moment 52:13 — What Julia wants newcomers to know: there are many ways to be CatholicAbout the Guest Julia McStravog accompanies the synodal process for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Her theological studies and professional work have centered on the Catholic theology and practice of dialogue. She previously served in the USCCB’s ecumenical and interreligious affairs office and worked with clergy and professors at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She has helped guide the U.S. Church’s participation in the global synodal process since 2021.