The Living Water Community Chapel will host a special Mass and book launch Sunday, November 10, to celebrate Walking Together: Caribbean Reflections on the Synodal Journey. Mass will begin at 8.30 a.m., followed by the book launch at 9.45 a.m. Both events will be streamed live on Trinity TV’s Facebook page and channel.
The book is authored by Fr Don Chambers, General Secretary for the Antilles Episcopal Conference, with reflections contributed by Judy Joseph McSween.
The book offers both theological insight and practical guidance for Catholics navigating the synodal journey. With an aim to make the Synod’s themes accessible, the book includes 52 articles and blogs, each featuring a unique approach to communal reflection and spiritual challenge.
“The reality is, although we’ve been talking about the Synodal journey for a while, a lot of people are not clear as to what it is and what they’re required to do,” McSween shared. “This book lays it out in a very simple form, where you have a blog on a particular topic, then you have the focal point, the missionary challenge that the blog presents, and then a synodal exercise which takes you into a deep introspective reflection,” she said.
Fr Chambers believes that the book offers a versatile resource for all levels of community involvement: “Certainly in parishes, it can be used by different parish ministries, all the servers, Catholic Women’s League, different groups. It also can be used by families as well,” he said.
He continued, “…each group or individual can take one article or blog per week, and within the year, you will complete it. You can start at any part of the book,” he said, emphasising that the book’s modular structure allows readers to begin reflection from any chapter.
The book’s format also allows readers to personalise their pace and journey. “As an individual, you can take it and choose a topic and choose to reflect on that for a week, two weeks. It’s not something you have to rush,” Joseph McSween explained.
She added, “I think most important about the book is that the process it takes you through really allows you, first of all, the understanding of the Synod, where you fit into the Synod process, and then what you’re required to do to engage each other in the Synod process. So, a truly transformational experience.”
Walking Together originated during the Covid-19 pandemic, as Fr Chambers reflected deeply on the Synod’s relevance to Caribbean Catholics. Writing widely for The Catholic News and other platforms, he eventually decided to compile these reflections into a book.
“A colleague of mine who had read some of The Catholic News articles and the blog, said to me, ‘Why don’t you pull all these articles and blogs together in the form of a book?’,” he recounted. Recognising the need for a practical element, Fr Chambers turned to Joseph McSween for contributions that could guide readers in personal reflection.
For Joseph McSween, what began as a straightforward project quickly grew beyond her expectations: “When Fr Don asked me that, it seemed like a very simple question. ‘Would you do some reflections for blogs?’ And he’s right, it’s something that I do all the time,” she said.
“And so, as it unfolded and it reached the stage where we needed to start editing, then I realised that this was so much bigger than I had imagined at the start.”
She added, “As I hold it in my hands, it’s recognising that this has the potential for transformation of individuals… the format of this book allows real-time transformation, not just at a personal level, but as the person now engages their reflections with others through action.”
Walking Together: Caribbean Reflections on the Synodal Journey will be available at several local bookstores, including the Living Water Community bookstore and St Dominic’s. A Kindle version and hardcover edition are also available on Amazon.
By Kaelanne Jordan
mediarelations.camsel@catholictt.org
