MANILA — A Philippine bishop who joined the global Synod on Synodality has captured his experience in Rome into a book aimed at helping Catholics put synodality into practice in their parishes and dioceses.
Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara of Pasig launched “Spirituality of Synodality: A Compilation of Talks on Synodality” Friday during the Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Vergara, a former vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, was among the Philippine delegates to the Synod of Bishops in Rome in 2023 and 2024.
The book brings together talks he delivered before, during and after the synod, arranged to help readers understand its vision and apply it in local Church communities.
“The book is a compilation of my talks but it was arranged systematically from the start of the synod and as we are in the implementation stage,” Vergara told CBCP News.
“I think it will benefit the ordained, consecrated and lay servants of the Church,” he said.
Vergara said he hopes the book will help Catholics move beyond understanding the synod in putting its principles into practice “in our parishes, in our church organizations, in our dioceses.”
The Vatican has moved the synod into an implementation phase, asking local Churches to discern how the synod’s final document can be applied in their communities.
Vergara said he initially felt uneasy about becoming a synod delegate because it meant leaving his diocese for an extended period.
That uneasiness gave way to gratitude as he met delegates from different parts of the world and experienced what he described as genuine “walking together.”
“Our communal prayers during the sessions, especially the daily celebration of the Eucharist, became moments of profound grace,” Vergara said in his message for the book launch.
The experience exposed him to the challenges faced by Church workers around the world and became an occasion for personal conversion, he said.
“Yet I also witnessed how they remained steadfast, anchored in God’s love, mercy, and compassion,” Vergara said. “In them, I saw synodal spirituality not merely discussed but genuinely lived.”
CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera of Lipa described the book as a contribution to the Church’s continuing synodal journey.
“Synodality is not merely a pastoral program or ecclesial method; it is a spirituality of listening, discernment, participation, and mission,” Garcera said.
He said Vergara’s reflections encourage Catholics to become a Church that “listens, welcomes, serves, and walks together,” particularly with people on the margins.
Claretian Publications executive director Fr. Louie Gaudes, whose organization published the book, said synodality begins with people transformed by the Spirit.
The book invites Catholics to embrace a spirituality that “listens, discerns, accompanies, and journeys together” while building a culture of encounter, Gaudes said.
Vergara said he hopes the reflections will deepen synodal spirituality and help Catholics become more effective and faithful servant-leaders in the Church.
