Episode 134: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on Spiritual Discernment in the book Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice (February 18, 2025)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his chapter entitled "Spiritual Discernment in the book Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice: A Handbook for Catholic Clergy, Counselors, and Ministerial Leaders, ed. by Theresa Farnan, Susan Selner-Wright, and Robert L. Fastiggi (February 18, 2025)This book has been designed to assist Catholics doing pastoral work and ministering to children and families caught up in a destructive ideology. Questions the editors of this volume and many of the contributors to it have heard most often and have been fielding for over a decade as they have worked with dioceses, parishes, and families include the following:What is a gender transition?What does the Church teach on this issue?How should we respond when a school child tells us he or she is non-binary?What is the appropriate way for the Church to help and support families when their children say they are transgender?How do we navigate sacraments and pastoral care?How did we get here?In addressing questions such as these, the contributors seek to prepare clergy and lay pastoral ministers to understand and be responsive to the issues that arise in a parish or parochial school setting when someone asserts a “gender identity” that does not align with his or her bodily sex.Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice: A Handbook for Catholic Clergy, Counselors, and Ministerial Leaders by Theresa Farnan, Susan Selner-Wright, and Robert L. Fastiggi | En Route Books and Media