A Qualitative Case Study on the Ongoing Formation of Priests from the Perspective of Synodal Formation: The Case of Meeting of Parish Priests for a Synodal Church
This study examines the possibilities and directions of ongoing formation of priests f...
A Qualitative Case Study on the Ongoing Formation of Priests from the Perspective of Synodal Formation: The Case of Meeting of Parish Priests for a Synodal Church
This study examines the possibilities and directions of ongoing formation of priests from the perspective of synodal formation by analyzing the “Meeting of Parish Priests for a Synodal Church” horganized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea, as a qualitative case study. Since the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, synodality has emerged as a central theme for the renewal of the Catholic Church. In the Catholic Church in Korea, issues such as clericalism, hierarchical and authoritarian culture, changes in pastoral contexts, and the exhaustion of priests have highlighted the need to reconsider the meaning and structure of ongoing formation for priests. In this context, ongoing formation should not remain merely a form of knowledge transmission or obligatory training, but should become a formative process in which priests reflect on their lives and ministry, discern together with fellow priests, and embody the spirit of synodality.
For this purpose, this study adopted a qualitative case study method, focusing on the first and second “Meeting of Parish Priests for a Synodal Church of the CBCK” held in 2024 and 2025. The data consisted of in-depth interviews with participants and facilitators, publicly available documents produced during the meetings, and the researcher’s field observations. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method. Through repeated reading and interpretation of the data, meaningful units were identified, categorized, and organized into major themes.
The findings of this study reveal that the participating priests experienced three major dimensions through the meetings. First, they experienced listening through “Conversation in the Spirit,” including equal opportunities to speak, a sense of being respected, and priestly fraternity. Unlike conventional lecture-centered or one-way training programs, the meetings provided a safe space where priests could share their pastoral realities and inner concerns. Second, the participants experienced pastoral transformation by reflecting on their ministry, engaging in communal discernment, and developing empathy for a synodal way of pastoral life. This process helped them move beyond an individualized and performance-centered understanding of ministry toward a synodal pastoral perspective of walking together with the People of God. Third, the participants recognized the possibility of applying synodal formation both to ongoing formation of priests and to pastoral practice in local communities. In particular, the study shows that synodal formation can be embodied in ongoing formation of priests through listening, dialogue, fraternity, communal discernment, and pastoral reflection.
This study is significant in that it demonstrates the potential of synodal formation as a new direction for ongoing formation of priests. Ongoing formation should not be limited to intellectual supplementation or the improvement of ministerial competence. Rather, it should become a communal process of formation in which priests listen to one another, support one another, and discern together the joys and difficulties of pastoral ministry. By analyzing a concrete case in which synodality was practiced within the Catholic Church in Korea, this study also provides educational and pastoral implications for the development of future ongoing formation programs for priests and for the implementation phase of the Synod.
Keywords: synodality, synodal formation, ongoing formation of priests, Conversation in the Spirit, qualitative case study, Meeting of Parish Priests for a Synodal Church