During the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Synod, held in Rio de Janeiro, there was a tool that silently accompanied each day. It was present at the beginning of prayer, when checking the schedule, during the work of the circles, when receiving a last-minute notice, or when participating in voting. It was called SinodAPP and it was born with a very specific purpose: to place technology at the service of welcome, communion, and discernment.
Developed by the Communications Office of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, SinodAPP made it possible to bring together in a single digital space a large part of the needs of the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Synod. From their mobile phones, each synodal participant could access the liturgy, the texts of the Eucharist, the schedule, working documents, announcements, the resonances of the circles, voting, and various tools necessary for organization.
But its most important contribution perhaps cannot be measured solely by the number of functions it incorporated. The application helped to address one of the great challenges of an international gathering: making it possible for people from different countries, cultures, and languages to meet, listen to one another, and work together.
Three languages for one conversation
Spanish, English, and Portuguese coexisted during these days in Rio de Janeiro. The 34 synodal participants from different parts of the world arrived at the gathering with diverse missionary experiences, cultures, and languages.
SinodAPP was designed from the beginning with this reality in mind. Each participant could select their language and consult a large part of the content in it. In addition, certain tools incorporated AI-assisted translation systems to facilitate announcements, resonances, and contributions being understood by all.
In this way, technology helped to break down a barrier that could hinder conversation. A religious from the Philippines, a Brazilian missionary, or a Spanish-speaking friar could approach the same content from their own language.
It was not only about translating words. It was about creating a space of welcome, where no one would be left out of the conversation for not mastering one of the languages used during the Synod.
Prayer also fit in one’s pocket
The spiritual dimension occupied a central place in the development of the application. SinodAPP incorporated the Liturgy of the Hours corresponding to each day, with Lauds, Terce, Sext, Vespers, and Compline, in addition to the texts used in Eucharistic celebrations.
The synodal participants could also consult the lectionary, the prayer book, the Eucharistic prayers, and the hymnal.
This made it possible to considerably reduce the use of printed documents and, above all, to have the necessary materials available at any time. It was enough to open one’s phone to join in common prayer.
The very structure of the application also respected the linguistic richness of the gathering. Some parts of the prayer were conducted in different languages as a sign of the universality of the Order and the diversity of its missionary presences.
Knowing what is happening and what comes next
Another need of a gathering of this nature is coordination. Days of prayer, illuminations, conversations in the Spirit, circle meetings, celebrations, and community activities made up an intense schedule.
The main screen of SinodAPP displayed each day’s schedule and automatically indicated what the next activity was. In this way, participants could quickly check what was happening and what the next moment of the day would be.
The Announcement Board also made it possible to communicate changes, reminders, or important information. Notices could appear immediately on participants’ devices, while urgent messages received greater visibility.
The application also incorporated a directory of the synodal participants, where it was possible to know who each participant was, their origin, their missionary experience, and their expectations for the gathering.
Thus, technology did not replace personal encounter. On the contrary, it sought to facilitate it.
A tool for discernment
As the Synod progressed, SinodAPP acquired even greater importance for the work of the circles.
Each group had tools to record its resonances and conclusions. The rapporteurs could register convergences, tensions, calls, open questions, and significant expressions that arose during the conversation in the Spirit.
The so-called Echo Cards were also incorporated, which made it possible to structure proposals through different fields and subsequently prepare the information for the Synod Secretariat.
Artificial intelligence was present as an auxiliary tool to translate content and help synthesize some contributions. The decision and discernment, however, always remained with the people.
SinodAPP sought precisely that: to reduce mechanical tasks in order to dedicate more time to what is truly important.
From paper to digital voting
One of the most significant steps was the incorporation of a proprietary voting system.
The application made it possible to conduct different types of voting, from simple options to elections with multiple candidates. The system controlled participation, prevented duplicate votes, and automatically tallied the results.
When appropriate, voting could be configured as anonymous, guaranteeing the secrecy of the vote.
The tool made it possible to replace processes that traditionally would have required ballots, distribution of documents, collection of votes, and manual counting.
In the final phase of the Synod, SinodAPP also incorporated the Modi system, through which the secretaries could propose modifications, additions, deletions, or comments on the paragraphs of the final document. The contributions were organized digitally to subsequently facilitate the work of the drafting commission.
Also for the small things
The synodal experience is not made up only of meetings and documents. There are also trips, meals, excursions, and journeys.
For this reason, during the final days SinodAPP incorporated different logistical tools. Participants could indicate from their mobile phones their needs for the visit to Christ the Redeemer, meals, the day of departure, or their participation in the trip to Aparecida.
The application also had a Synodal Help channel, designed to resolve technical and logistical questions or issues during the gathering.
Behind all these tools there was an administration panel from which the responsible team could manage content, users, schedules, documents, voting, circles, surveys, and contributions.
Technology to bring us together
SinodAPP was born as a technological tool, but during the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Synod it ended up becoming something more: a discreet infrastructure at the service of the synodal experience.
Where previously dozens of printed documents, ballots, worksheets, and different communications might have been necessary, the synodal participants found a single space from which to access what they needed.
But its main achievement was not in replacing paper.
It was in helping to make an international gathering more accessible; in allowing three languages to coexist within the same space; in facilitating everyone having the texts to pray; in making it easier to share a resonance, participate in a vote, or know the next activity.
Because technological innovation within the Church acquires meaning when it ceases to be the protagonist and becomes service.
During these days in Rio de Janeiro, SinodAPP sought to do precisely that: break down barriers to facilitate encounter.
And perhaps there lies its best definition: a technology designed not to occupy the center, but to help ensure that at the center were the people, listening, and the Spirit.
