<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="ltr">Good morning. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Thanks to Ron, Sharon, Bill and Art for the wonderful opportunity to be together in retreat yesterday. <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I really appreciate the effort Ron made! He helped me understand the core elements of the synod report!</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I thought I would share these two documents with members of the Sunday Community. The first document is a report of the final Synod document as it pertains to LGBTQ+ issues… particularly meaningful for me is the following quote from the first article:</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">“Now, it will take time for Catholicism to grow into a synodal mode. This challenge is made more difficult because many bishops, particularly in the U.S., were appointed by the two previous popes and share their autocratic tendencies even now. <u>Canon law must be sufficiently revised to make lay involvement and wide consultation mandatory or such intransigent bishops and Church leaders will not change.</u></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">When asked at Synod press conferences this month about the possibility of such stonewalling, speaker after speaker encouraged lay people to take synodal initiatives even if none are forthcoming from the leaders of their dioceses or parishes. These past three years have shown that synodality is the path forward for the Church, and it will not be denied.“</div></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I mentioned at the retreat yesterday that I feel that if any real change is going to occur, it will likely begin at the grassroots… in the little pockets of the global church community… or in the <i>rinconcitos</i>, as we say in Spanish…”<i>the</i> <i>little corners</i>”. We spoke of Gustavo Gutierrez yesterday… The father of Liberation Theology. In a very real way, he knew this as well! The development of the “<i>comunidades de base</i>”… Base Christian Communities… is where Liberation Theology really took root and began to thrive.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">The second attached document below is an example of how changes are occurring in those little <i>rinconcitos</i>… the little corners.</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">I wish you all a wonderful week! </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Many blessings…</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr">Dean. </div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"> </div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="display: block;" class=""><br></div><div style="display: block;" class=""><div style="-webkit-user-select: all; -webkit-user-drag: element; display: inline-block;" class="apple-rich-link" draggable="true" role="link" data-url="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/10/27/new-ways-ministry-synod-report-ignores-lgbtq-issues-offers-grounds-for-future-change/"><a style="border-radius:10px;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;display:block;-webkit-user-select:none;width:228px;user-select:none;-webkit-user-modify:read-only;user-modify:read-only;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;" class="lp-rich-link" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/10/27/new-ways-ministry-synod-report-ignores-lgbtq-issues-offers-grounds-for-future-change/" dir="ltr" role="button" draggable="false" width="228"><table style="table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:collapse;width:228px;background-color:#E9E9EB;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="228"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center" align="center"><img alt="Synod-IL-2024-Statement-1030x1030.png" src="cid:52B82591-5437-4B64-884A-BB61252B5D23"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#E9E9EB" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="228" style="font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;table-layout:fixed;background-color:rgba(233, 233, 235, 1);" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:8px 0px 8px 0px;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem"><div style="max-width:100%;margin:0px 16px 0px 16px;overflow:hidden;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:500;font-size:12px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/10/27/new-ways-ministry-synod-report-ignores-lgbtq-issues-offers-grounds-for-future-change/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#000000" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);">New Ways Ministry: Synod Report Ignores LGBTQ+ Issues, Offers Grounds for Future Change</font></a></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:400;font-size:11px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/10/27/new-ways-ministry-synod-report-ignores-lgbtq-issues-offers-grounds-for-future-change/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#A2A2A9" style="color: rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6);">newwaysministry.org</font></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><div style="display: block;" class=""><div style="-webkit-user-select: all; -webkit-user-drag: element; display: inline-block;" class="apple-rich-link" draggable="true" role="link" data-url="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/09/23/german-diocese-names-three-leaders-for-queer-sensitive-pastoral-care/"><a style="border-radius:10px;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;display:block;-webkit-user-select:none;width:300px;user-select:none;-webkit-user-modify:read-only;user-modify:read-only;overflow:hidden;text-decoration:none;" class="lp-rich-link" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/09/23/german-diocese-names-three-leaders-for-queer-sensitive-pastoral-care/" dir="ltr" role="button" draggable="false" width="300"><table style="table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:collapse;width:300px;background-color:#E9E9EB;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="300"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align="center" align="center"><img alt="csm_team-queersensible-seelsorge_1f12df03f2.jpg" src="cid:19A927FC-2629-4024-AAEA-EA1A8C77C87C"></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align="center"><table bgcolor="#E9E9EB" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;table-layout:fixed;background-color:rgba(233, 233, 235, 1);" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:8px 0px 8px 0px;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem"><div style="max-width:100%;margin:0px 16px 0px 16px;overflow:hidden;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:500;font-size:12px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/09/23/german-diocese-names-three-leaders-for-queer-sensitive-pastoral-care/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#000000" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);">German Diocese Appoints Three Lay People to Lead Queer-Sensitive Pastoral Care</font></a></div><div style="word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:400;font-size:11px;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class="lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.newwaysministry.org/2024/09/23/german-diocese-names-three-leaders-for-queer-sensitive-pastoral-care/" style="text-decoration: none" draggable="false"><font color="#A2A2A9" style="color: rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6);">newwaysministry.org</font></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div></div><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div dir="ltr"></div></div></div></div></body></html>