Photo by NASA on Unsplash

The election of Donald Trump to the US presidency presents a challenge to people of faith on the key issues facing the US and the community of nations. The Climate Crisis has only grown more imminent as we have seen its effects in recent weather events. Faith for Earth, the official faith-based environmental organization of the UN, has called for a renewed commitment to the Paris Accords (2015) and a sound environmental policy for all its member nations, including the US. The COP 28 meeting in Egypt in January 2023 stressed the importance of restoring nature and ecosystems to meet the temperature goals of the Paris Accord. The effects of the Climate Crisis are now threatening the livability of our planet Earth for future generations. GMU and the Laudato Si Movement urge the transition from an economy wedded to fossil fuels to one based on renewal forms of energy...

President Grudzen, the staff, and the faculty of GMU send our sympathy and love to Bishop William Manseau, one of the founding faculty members of GMU. His wife, Mary, died peacefully on Sunday, Nov. 17. She was at home with her family under hospice care.

Bill and his wife, Mary, were among the founders of the Federation of Christian Ministries, a sister organization of GMU. 

GMU extends prayerful condolences to the Manseau family. Robert Graf, GMU board chairperson, will represent GMU at Mary’s funeral in Massachusetts.

Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, Dean of GMU's D.Min. and M.Div. Programs, and Mary Theresa Streck in Rome.

Now more than ever, we need women's leadership! Bridget Mary recommends seeing a new documentary coming out in Europe about our women priests movement. The Forbidden Call: Women Priests.

Empowering Women in Kenya

Your generous contributions to GMU enable GMU to sponsor many programs to help women in Africa. Together, we CAN make the world a better and safer place for women!

GMU is a leader in feminist theology and graduate degrees and supports all areas of women's studies.

What’s a thesis statement?



In the September Librarian’s Corner, I discussed the research question; its purpose, and how to formulate it. In October, I planned to discuss another important step in the process of writing a term paper, research project or thesis—the thesis statement. However, as the U.S. election approached, I felt it was more relevant to talk about misinformation, disinformation and fake news. That’s over, so, this month, it’s back to the research question and how it develops into a thesis statement.

As discussed in the previous column, the research question is usually formulated at the beginning, or near the beginning of the research process. You’ve decided what you want to write about, more or less; the research question helps you to figure out what you want to learn, to discover, to investigate. Thus, it’s formulated as an actual question. 

The thesis statement can be presented further along in the process. It expresses the point or theory you will express as a result of your research and the conclusions you’ve reached. 

How are they different?

• A research question (formulated as an actual question) guides the research process and helps to focus the study on a specific issue or aspect of a topic. It’s developed early in the research process to help identify what the study will investigate. 
• A thesis statement (formulated as an actual declarative statement) makes an assertion or presents an argument that will be supported with evidence in the paper, and is usually developed after some research has been conducted, and after the focus of the paper has been refined,

For example, a student interested in exploring the relationship between the Kabbalah and Reform Judaism might pose this research question:

• “How has the incorporation of Kabbalistic practices and concepts affected contemporary Reform Judaism?” 

Using that query as a starting point, the student begins the research process. After doing a fair amount of preliminary reading and exploration, they see a thesis statement emerging. It might be something like this: 

• “The mystical practices of Kabbalat Shabbat and the new moon celebration of Tu BiShvat Seder have been incorporated, in some synagogues, into Reform Jewish rituals, resulting in deeper spiritual experiences for participants.” 

In short, the research question expresses what you plan to investigate, while the thesis statement is your answer, or your position on the topic, the thesis that you will defend in the final paper.

You’ll find that these two steps help a lot in planning your project, and in clarifying your research path. 

Questions? Comments? Need help with research? Contact me: 

Judy Clarence, M.L.I.S., GMU Librarian

librarian@globalministriesuniversity.org

Graduates Tanmay Dave and Esther Kaleli discuss their time at GMU with President Gerald Grudzen.

GMU partners with the Institute of Science and Religion program in Kerala, India. You can view lectures on their YouTube channel.

Theology for the 21st Century

A new cohort in the GMU's Religion and Science Program will begin in January 2025. Discover the compatibility of science, spirituality, and faith. Asian and African applications will soon be made directly on Fr. Augustine Pamplany's website. The applications will then be sent to GMU for follow-up and enrollment. Email Fr. Augustine for information on when the applications will be available.

Emotions, Beliefs, and Mental Health

President Grudzen, Robert Graf, and Thomas James will present papers at the international Religion and Science symposium in Kerala, India, from February 1 to February 3, 2025. Father Augustine Pamplany is the director of this conference in collaboration with GMU.

Collaboration with People's Catholic Seminary

GMU seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of those who wish to start Intentional Eucharistic Communities. Together with PCS, GMU is now offering:

Creating Inclusive Eucharistic Communities in an Emerging Synodal Church 

5 sessions  $475 + $25 App Fee

Women in the Bible and Christian Tradition

5 sessions  $475 + $25 App Fee

Credit for these courses can be applied towards a GMU graduate degree or certificate.

The Center for Celebrant Training is thriving, primarily because there has been a significant increase in applications for Funeral Celebrants in the past year. Coping with the holidays is part of the toolbox of resources trainees receive to provide caring, helpful services that lead to healthy paths for working on grief and acknowledging gratitude."

.  ~Michael Conley, D.Min.

You are most welcome to gather with other Celtic Spirits on a journey around the Celtic Wheel of the Year. The Celtic Wheel offers a framework to explore Celtic Spirituality, the cyclical nature of the seasons and the eight festivals of the year, observed throughout the Celtic lands. 

PCA 721-Gathering of Celtic Spirit

Instructor: Mary Coffey

I’m a creative soul, laughing.

I'm also a mixed-media artist, teacher, a certified spiritual director, and a priest ordained in the independent Catholic movement. I’m curious to see how the Divine shows up in and through creative expression both on the canvas and in real life.

Retreat/Independent Course: Celebrating the Sacred Feminine in Your Life with Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan

"Celebrating the Sacred Feminine in Your Life" invites you to explore the beautiful mosaic of names and images that depict God's all-embracing, inclusive love for us. Each section provides imagery of the sacred feminine in Scripture, in Christian mystics, and in contemporary life. Open yourself to your belovedness as an image of the Divine Feminine in prayer and action, and explore new paths to spiritual healing, nourishment, and transformation in our world.

Celebrating the Sacred Feminine in Your Life is available as a private retreat, an independent study, or as a course for sharing in a cohort model.

Cohorts meet in a Zoom video conference to share insights on their meditations.

For those taking this course as an independent study or retreat, Bridget Mary will be available upon request to share with you in phone or Zoom conversations. 

Keynote speakers for the conference include Rev. Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C. author of A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ, which won first-place honors from the Catholic Press Association; Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Most Rev. Mark J. Seitz, D.D., Bishop of El Paso, Texas..

Technical Director of Conference Abducted in Kenya

Mustafa Genç, who led the technical operations of the biennial conference from Harmony Institute and the Institute for Religious Dialogue and Islamic Studies at Tangaza University (IRDIS) was kidnapped with other Turkish refugees in Kenya by gunmen on October 18. They have been repatriated to Turkey. The United Nations and international organizations are working for their release.

Learn more at these links:

UN 'deeply concerned' Kenya returned Turkish refugees

Kenya’s forcible return of UN-protected Turkish refugees follows armed drone sale

Kenya: 'Yes, we captured four refugees on behalf of Turkey'

 President Grudzen has pledged GMU's support of the Proposal for Nature and Climate to the Bezos' Earth Fund as a "Contributing Interfaith Organization."

GMU will partner with Omeriey Foundation as the focal point in Kenya, and participate as the USA mentor for Makerere University Kampala and Nairobi University in the EARTH FUNDS AI for Climate and Environmental Challenges in September 2025

Thank you for your generous response to GMU's fundraiser. Individual donors have provided scholarships for women students in the Religion and Science program and other GMU initiatives.

GMU operates under the corporate umbrella of the Federation of Community Ministries of California (FCM of CA), originally formed on October 30, 1997, when we gained the status of a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. GMU is registered in Santa Clara County, CA, as a DBA of FCM of CA. The two entities have the same Board of Directors.

Help Our Global Family

GMU wishes all of our FAMILY of faculty, students, friends, partners, collaborators, affiliates, and benefactors a very Blessed Thanksgiving!

https://www.globalministriesuniversity.org/

info@globalministriesuniversity.org