What is Circle Process?
Circle process is a foundational restorative practice that helps communities build, strengthen and repair relationships through storytelling.
Circle process (also called restorative circles or peacemaking circles) is a foundational restorative practice that helps communities to build, strengthen and repair relationships through storytelling. Circle process is informed by Native and Indigenous peacemaking traditions and can be applied in instances of harm and conflict, as well as for shared reflection and discernment.
In circle process, participants sit in a circle (physical or virtual) and pass a talking piece to signal the speaking order. Facilitators (also called circle keepers) guide the dialogue using a series of prompts or questions to which every person has the opportunity to contribute a response. The structure of circle process allows for rich encounter in which participants share openly and listen deeply.
Still learning about restorative justice?
Check out these educational opportunities to learn more about the basics of restorative practices and how they are applied in ministry.
Circle Process and Catholicism
For generations, Native American and Indigenous peoples around the world have used participatory and inclusive processes to address conflict and make decisions in community. We honor the generous gift made by those who have shared the wisdom of the peacemaking circle tradition.
It is important to recognize that, throughout time, Christian and Catholic individuals and institutions have been complicit in violence that eroded the dignity and rights of Native people and communities, including here in the United States. This violence dismantled families and decimated cultural traditions including ways of peacemaking. Catholic Mobilizing Network humbly acknowledges these injustices as violations of Catholic teaching and offers our deep gratitude to Native American Catholics and Indigenous Peacemakers with whom we are in relationship.
CMN invites Catholics to both embrace the ways that practices like circle processes are present in Catholic spiritual life and bear witness to the cultural traditions and ancestral lineage that informs circle process as practiced in restorative justice.
Learn more: Addressing the Harms Against Native Peoples
Circle Process in Catholic Ministry
In 2021, Pope Francis called for a Synod on Synodality, a special global consultation process inviting us to listen, pray, and communally discern so that we might better respond to the movements of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church. A synodal way of proceeding hopes for a renewed sense of participation, mission, and communion.
This is needed because many of our parishes and communities (inside and outside of the Catholic Church) have moved away from this way of encountering one another. We are accustomed to more adversarial, hierarchical, and authoritarian ways of managing community life, sometimes at the expense of human dignity and relationships.
Circle process offers a concrete methodology for embracing synodality and becoming the listening, discerning Church we are called to be. Engaging this practice in our parishes and ministries enables us to slow down, share openly and listen deeply to one another and the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Ways to Keep Learning
Paths of Renewed Encounter: A Restorative Justice Engagement Guide for Catholic Communities explores the foundational concepts and practical considerations for restorative justice engagement in your Catholic ministry or community.
Conversations in Communion: Parish Dialogues for Connection and Understanding is a formation program that equips Catholics to introduce the restorative practice of circle process in their parishes and ministries. Together, this facilitator guide and virtual training build capacity for deep listening, authentic encounters, and fuller participation in Catholic parish and ministry life.
Watch this video on Circle Process by Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation: