Speaking out
January 22, 2026
Join Root & Branch for a Speaking Out session
Jesus listened, and he spoke out. At the Temple, to the crowds, to the scribes and Pharisees who publicly questioned him. In October, we heard Jon Rosebank and Penelope Middelboe outline in There’s Nothing Apostolic About the Catholic Church how the early Christian movement changed from one that met in each other’s houses, humble and spirit-led, to a “worldly, corrupt, bitterly divided and violent outfit, decked out in its fourth century imperial robes”. Our present institutional Church is rooted in that era.
Too many of us experience what happens when we challenge it. Kevin Gallagher of R&B asks, have you ever spoken out? What was the turning-point? What was the cost to you? What is the reward?
With him to share their own experiences with us will be three of our Root & Branch friends: Joyce Shepherd Thorn, Rhiannon Parry Thompson, and Angela Hanley. Our warmest thanks to them.
The Synod on Synodality was supposed to be a worldwide exercise in listening to each other. Yet too many of us have seen our thoughts and pleas rejected, watered down, or stonewalled outright by the magisterium. In our own churches, we may have spoken out, but often with painful consequences.
Bring your experience to Speaking Out. Let’s hear each other.
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar. Scroll down to January 22, 2026.
German Synodal Conference
with Dr. Martin Schockenhoff
February 5, 2026
In Germany, the Bishops and Laity have agreed to establish a SYNODAL CONFERENCE to address and adopt decisions on important issues of the Catholic Church.
Clergy and Laity will have equal representation. Dr. Martin Schockenhoff will explain its structure and how it might be adapted in other countries. This is a concrete example of synodality.
The invitation to this free Zoom presentation is brought to you by We Are Church Int’l.
Dr. Martin Schockenhoff will speak for 40 Minutes, followed by a Question and Answer session.
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar and scroll down to this date, February 5, 2026.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/k6bmtvzwSGOXlxaaviwUQQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Assuming co-responsibility for our Church
February 7- 8, 2026
Synodality is the focal point of our Church now – thanks to Pope Francis. We have some concerns that gathering cardinals together — as was just done in the Consistory called by Pope Leo — and having them share through Conversations in the Spirit, might be mistaken as synodal. Synodality cannot exist without bishops and people walking together. It is our hope that the next Consistory will include lay women and men.
CCRI will offer 2 online presentations sharing ideas for how we, the People of God, we who are the Church, can begin to exemplify signs of leadership. We will begin by gathering together, allowing ideas to come forward in various ways, and each of us can take on building synodality. We will propose suggestions; then we’ll go into breakout rooms to explore how to apply these with a small group. After half an hour, all return to the main room, with a spokesperson from each group summarizing the outcome of their discussion.
This will be offered twice to accommodate all regions of the world. To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar and scroll down to February 7, 2026.
To join the meeting, click on https://zoom.us/j/2429500175: Password is spirit. Invite others from your parish and/or SCC to join with us as well. It would be good if, for example, several from your parish council or your liturgical committee joined as a team.
A Divine Calling:
Soline Hubert in conversation with Mary McAleese
February 12, 2026
“‘How long does it take to become a priest?’ asked the child. ‘A lifetime,’ replied the old priest.
But if you are a little girl, it will take several lifetimes, generations. When I first heard the call to the priesthood years ago, I wondered how I would be able to live with it in a Church that denied it.”
Thus, Soline Humbert opens her recently published memoir. She never expected to experience a call to the priesthood. The noted Irish broadcaster Ursula Halligan calls it a “profoundly moving book, beautifully written, deeply personal, theologically perceptive, honest and courageous.”
We are delighted to have with us not only Soline herself, but also Dr Mary McAleese, who wrote the Foreword, in conversation about A Divine Calling. Seasoned Root & Branchers will with pleasure anticipate Dr. McAleese’s trenchant commentary, her incisive analyses, and her forthright exposition of the ‘codology’ in which the Church so frequently indulges when talking about women.
To find the times for you in your locale, click on Our Universal Calendar and scroll down to this date, February 12, 2026.
To register, click on https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fBAYF8h
Breaking Open the Word:
Lent 2026
Virtual, Global, Scripture-based Conversations in the Spirit
Brought to you by Ignatian Encounter Ministry
Each week of Lent 2026, join others from around the world in small Zoom breakout groups for a global conversation around the weekly Gospel.
Choose from 27 different meetings each week.
One-hour meetings are scheduled every day at different times and in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese)
Attend each week of Lent at the same time for 6 weeks.
See FAQs below for details.
Sessions are FREE, donations are welcome.
Meetings begin the first week of Lent, starting on Ash Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
Meeting Schedule and Registration below.
Zoom links will be sent when you register.
Note: The Daylight Saving Time (DST) change will occur during Lent and may affect meeting times. Different countries change their time on different dates. When you register, Zoom will send you a list of your meeting dates and times accounting for DST. Some meeting times may vary by an hour in some weeks.
To see the weekly meeting schedule, click here: https://www.ignatianencounterministry.org/botw-2-1
To register in one of the four languages, click here: https://mailchi.mp/ignatianencounterministry/global-virtual-lenten-conversations-in-the-spirit-register-today?e=fcd3819648
Your donations are most appreciated
YOUR GIFT – IN ANY AMOUNT – IS PRICELESS
When you make a donation to support our cause, you join with others who are investing in restoring our Church to what Jesus intended. 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, and 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.
On behalf of the CCRI steering committee,
Rene Reid, CCRI director