Newsletters
What Is a Small Christian Community and How to Start One
Please join us for this webinar. It will be offered twice to accommodate all regions of the world.
Come to listen, to learn, and to share ideas. After the presentations, participants choose the type of SCC of immediate interested, and gather in breakout rooms to discuss the possibilities.
The Vatican said ‘no’ to women deacons . . . but is the theology that simple?
Women’s Participation in the Life
and Leadership of the Church
CCRI’s outraged response to Publication of the Final Report of Study Group No. 5
In this newsletter, you will see a superb article written by Dr. Nimmi Candappa, a Melbourne writer and Plenary Council member, that the so-called “facts” given by the Vatican attempting to substantiate their claim of why women are unable to participate in the diaconate just don’t hold up.
Along with this, you will see a letter signed by many reform organizations intended for Study Group 5 which the Synod office chose not to forward to the members. Had it been read and honored, it would have been unmistakably clear that we were asking members to request an extension of their deadline, just as other study groups have done, and not defer to Cardinal Petrocchi’s Committee’s unilateral decision denying women the right to the diaconate. We were asking this Study Group to complete the assignment given them by Pope Francis to thoroughly investigate Women’s rights to serve in the diaconate. Because the Synod office chose to withhold our letter, this investigation has now been momentarily buried. We are asking women around the world to speak out and refuse to let the struggle for women’s equality be pushed aside.
Coming online events ahead November – December 2025
As we close out 2025, take a look at all the online presentations being offered by church reform organizations from around the world.
We feel you will find these interesting and valuable. We hope you will attend!
Two Part Training
One of the biggest challenges to creating a synodal parish is positional thinking, i.e. sides each holding on to their position so strongly that each one is unable to really listen and learn from the other side. This training session helps address this issue and offer guidance how to move past this obstacle to holding the belief that maybe, just maybe, each of us has something more to learn about all of this. This can be done without ever letting go of your true and deepest values as a person. Both instruction and application are indluded in this two-part training program
Presentations coming in October from various Continents
Presentations for the month of October 2025 sponsored by CCRI, Future Church, and Root & Branch.
There are five very special presentations in the month of October. Select your favorite or attend all five!
The Spirit will be speaking to all who attend.
Two Important Church Reforms: Making Young People Feel Welcomed and Respecting Women’s Equality
Join the CCRI Young Seekers for a special two-hour Zoom gathering. This session will offer a valuable opportunity for young people to share the challenges they face in the Church and wider society and what it would take to make young people feel more welcomed.
John Rev. Christina Rees, Episcopal priest, who will share her journey over a quarter of a century fighting for women’s ordination in the Anglican Church. She will offer guidelines to Catholic women who feel called to the priesthood.
Learn how to bridge differences in your conversations with those of opposite viewpoints
Join our global seminar on Non-Positional Thinking led by Dr. Ariane David.
We live in a time when political and cultural divisions feel unbridgeable. Facts don’t change minds. Debates go in circles.
Non-Positional Thinking offers a way out.
Recording of Courageous Opposition to Totalitarianism in Latin America
This presentation focused on the life and legacy of Saint Oscar Romero, a Catholic bishop and martyr who advocated for social justice in El Salvador. Next a presentation followed on current human rights issues in Latin America. Discussions covered Romero’s transformation from a conservative bishop to a vocal advocate for the poor, his assassination, and his enduring impact as a symbol of faith and resistance against tyranny. The meeting addressed the deteriorating human rights situation in various Latin American countries, emphasizing the need for continued support for human rights defenders and the importance of upholding democratic values in the face of growing authoritarianism.
Courageous Opposition to Totalitarianism in South America
The Networks for Church Reform are managing a series of discussions on the role of Christians who have opposed dictatorial Governments. The initiative is led by Catholic Church Reform International. With the rise of autocracies, it is vital that Christians are alert to the dangers they pose. Presentations have examined the life and ministry of Fr Maximilian Kolbe and Sr Restituta Kafka, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Fr Max Metzger.
On Wednesday 21st May the life and example of Archbishop Oscar Romero will be considered with a presentation by Julian Filochowski. Co-chair of the Romero Trust. Others with experience of life in Latin America will be involved.
Courageous Opposition to Nazism
There is an urgency, and we need to be committed to the moral imperative to stand against injustice and oppression. We can be inspired by the courage of those who defied Nazism.
The call is for bold action in the face of today’s crises, naming the suffering in Gaza, the erosion of democracy in the U.S., and widespread global injustices.
Silence is not an option.
Communities of faith need to speak out fearlessly.