Synodality is a process of discernment with the aid of the Holy Spirit, involving bishops, priests, religious, and lay Catholics, each according to their gifts and charisms. In the words of the Holy Father, “Synodality is a style, it is a walk together, and it is what the Lord expects from the Church of the third millennium.” The Synod of Bishops in Rome, planned for October 2023, will be the culmination of the process of synodality which the Holy Father has described; it is a world-wide event in three phases: Diocesan phase: Consultation and participation of the People of God — After a Solemn Opening with Pope Francis at the Vatican on October 9 & 10, 2021, all dioceses throughout the world will then begin their synodal journey on Sunday, October 17. In the Archdiocese of San Antonio, after the opening Mass at the Cathedral of San Fernando on October 17, the process will continue at the Archdiocesan Assembly on Saturday, November 9. The consultation with the People of God in the Archdiocese will be carried out under the guidelines provided by the Vatican Secretariat of the Synod, which will include a preparatory document, a handbook, and a questionnaire. Once completed, the results of the Archdiocesan consultation will be communicated to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which will be collecting results from all US dioceses, as well as from other organizations, such as religious communities and Catholic universities. In the spring of 2022, the US bishops will then convene for a period of discernment and make a synthesis of the results they have received from the People of God throughout the US. These results will be sent to the General Secretariat of the Synod at the Vatican by April 2022. The General Secretariat of the Synod will then draft the first Working Document on Synodality (Instrumentum Laboris), a synthesis of the contribution of the People of God throughout the world, which will be published and sent to every diocese in September 2022. International phase: Dialogue and discernment — Bishops and lay consultors from groups of Bishops Conferences throughout the world will engage in dialogue on the Working Document. Each international group will then prepare their own considerations based on it, which they will send to the General Secretariat at the Vatican by March 2023. Founded on what is received from these groups of Bishops Conferences, the General Secretariat will prepare a second Working Document on Synodality to be used in the next phase. Universal phase: The bishops of the world in Rome — The synodal journey will culminate in October 2023 with the Assembly of Bishops in Rome—the Synod on Synodality—which will discuss and dialogue on the basis of the second Working Document. At the conclusion of these deliberations, which can include lay consultors, a Final Document on Synodality is prepared and is presented to the Holy Father, who decides on its publication. Once complete, the Final Document on Synodality is made available to every diocese for implementation.