AUTHOR=Manfred Habur Agustinus 
  
TITLE=Is synodality the future of Catholic education?
  
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education
  
VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2026
  
YEAR=2026
  
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1756162
  
DOI=10.3389/feduc.2026.1756162
  
ISSN=2504-284X
  
ABSTRACT=This study examines how the principles of synodality, communion, participation, and mission, can function as a theological and pedagogical framework for catechetical education in Indonesian Catholic higher education institutions. Employing a qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach involving 35 lecturers from theological, pastoral, and catechetical institutes, the research explores lived experiences of synodal values in teaching, governance, and community life. Findings indicate that synodality operates not merely as an ecclesial concept but as an educational ethos that fosters relational learning, shared responsibility, and transformative mission, while challenges persist in institutional rigidity and faculty formation. By contextualizing synodality within Indonesia's pluralistic and communal culture, the study demonstrates its potential to renew catechetical formation and reposition Catholic universities as living embodiments of the Church's journey of dialogue, discernment, and service in the digital age.