For all who have an interest in the next steps of Francis’s Synodal process, we invite you to join our Global Ecclesial Synod Council meeting, which will be Saturday, February 25. To keep yourself updated on the outcomes of the various Continental Synods, click here to subscribe to the newsletters coming from the Synod office. The Continental Stage of the Synod will have been completed in many regions. Click here to see the reports from the most recent newsletters:
Central/South America Continental Synod
Middle Eastern Continental Synod
Africa Continental Synod will be in March.
Let’s use this time together to share our personal experiences of this 2nd stage of the Synod:
· We will ask to hear from each continent as to how the experience left them feeling in their outlook for the Universal Stage of the Synod?
· In every region, following the Continental Stage, the bishops are meeting in episcopal gatherings only. Do you share a concern that this is taking the Church backwards and not moving forward in a synodal manner?
· We are advised that in a synodal Church, we, the lay Faithful, must keep moving forward despite the obstacles. Synodality will never grant women equality. Woman must take it as their own. Do you agree with this philosophy or is there a better way?
· Let us discern among ourselves what more we can do to ensure that a balanced representation of the People of God is included in the Universal Stage of the Synod.
· Update about Spirit Unbounded – a virtual and physical event to be held October 13 -14 both online and in Rome.
To join this gathering, click here: https://zoom.us/j/2429500175: Password is spirit.
There will be two sessions. Click here to find the gathering most suitable for your time zone.
INVITATION to join SpiritUnbounded.org as a Companion on the Road and/or to submit individual Stories for the website
Companion on the Road
Root and Branch ‘soft’ launched SpiritUnbounded on the 30th January. Any group wishing to be a Companion simply needs to complete the online Companion submission form.
It will go on a page looking like this with the heading COMPANIONS ON THE ROAD. It will not go on the About Us page as it currently does but will have its own page – we are evolving all the time. On the About Us page we will have the growing Implementation Team.
Our Stories
We are also seeking Stories from individuals to go on the page headed Our Stories – soon also to be used on social media to generate discussion and support for others experiencing the complexity of being Catholics today.
Here is the story form for individuals wishing to upload their story and photo. Should people choose to remain anonymous we will use the Spirit Unbounded logo instead of a headshot.
Join Today’s American Catholic for an inter-generational panel discussion on Small Christian Communities
Join on Tuesday, March 21 at 6pm ET for an inter-generational panel discussion on small Christian communities. Panel participants will include Fr. Joe Healey, a CCRI member and Maryknoll priest with decades of experience working with small Christian communities; Kevin Ahern, an author, editor, and professor of religious studies at Manhattan College; and Paulina Halley, a recent graduate of Yale University and Small Christian Community participant. Panelists will discuss God’s Quad: Small Faith Communities on Campus and Beyond (Orbis Books, 2018), edited by Kevin Ahern and Christopher Derige Malano and featuring a contribution from Fr. Joe Healey. To register, click here. For additional information, please email editor@todaysamericancatholic.org.
Laudato Si Care for our Common Home
Topic: Kathleen McLaughlin – Laudato Si
Description: LAUDATO SI: Care for our common home.
Effecting Change from Within
Are corporations the enemy of the planet or its salvation? Kathleen McLoughlin has spent a lifetime as a practitioner of change from within. She is passionate about Pope Francis’s great cry from the heart for our common home, Laudato Si. As President of the Walmart Foundation, the philanthropic side of the world’s biggest corporation, she is also Executive Vice President of Walmart, and their Chief Sustainability Officer. Don’t miss our evening with her for a wealth of insights into this deeply complex and urgent situation.
Kathleen is passionate about Laudato Si. She is a lifelong practitioner of change from within. Join us in exploring practical sustainability with her.
Time: Feb 23, 2023 08:00 PM in London. To register, click here.
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When you make a donation to support our cause, you join with others who are investing in restoring our Church to what Jesus intended. If you are part of the movement to stop contributing to your local parish and/or diocese, you may want to take advantage of the end-of-year tax deductions by contributing to CCRI in its stead. The dollars we receive are used to run our programs and to reach a broad spectrum of the People of God. We are focused on reaching out to the Faithful, reform activists, young adults as well as those who feel abandoned by the Church, to mention just a few. Your personal contributions in offering your suggestions and your donations are most appreciated.
Let’s all do our part to be a synodal Church and stay abreast of what is happening with each stage of the Synod. We cannot wait to be invited. Becoming a synodal Church will only happen if we stay involved in the process.
On behalf of the CCRI Strategy Team,
Rene Reid
CCRI director