Jesuit Father Allan Deck, professor of Pastoral Theology at Loyola Marymout University, will speak about his latest book titled Spirituality of Communion: A Synodal Encounter with Jesus published in February 2026 by Paulist Press. The Church today insists more and more on the need for a personal encounter with Jesus of all the baptized as an absolutely basic condition for achieving its identity and mission to evangelize. Both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV have repeatedly challenged the wolrdwide Church to become evangelizing and synodal to its very core. The way today to become such missionary disciples is by focusing on our relationship with Jesus and by walking together with Him and others in building dynamic families and communities of faith. The goal is union of hearts and minds in living the synodal way as a spirituality for our times. Father Allan will unpack what that unfamilair word "synodality" means and its extraordinary promise for expanding our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus and promote an ever-expanding circle of communion in family, parish, society and world. This is a challenging Lenten message of hope in a dreadful moment of worldwide apprehension and tribulation.