<p>By Lourdes Rodriguez-Nogu&eacute;s<br /> President DignityUSA</p> <p>Spring is finally here and with it longer and brighter days and baseball!&nbsp; Nothing cheers me up more in April than the beginning of baseball season.&nbsp; I am relentlessly hopeful for the Red Sox and look forward to every game with anticipation of what can happen knowing that I cannot give up until the last out.&nbsp; Yes I am quite a hopeful person and find it difficult to give up on most things or people.</p> <p>And so I am hopeful again as a very slim door is open with the newly elected Pope hoping that the Holy Spirit has the last word.&nbsp; I am hopeful that the Supreme Court does the right thing and votes in favor of equality and inclusion.</p> <p>I am hopeful that justice will flow like a river and that many more of God&#39;s creation will know the joy of liberation from prejudice injustice and marginalization. But I am not naive and I know that hope without action leaves us somewhat empty. That is why I am so proud and encouraged about who we are as a community of faithful Catholics. Dignity actions both small and local or loud and national continue to reinforce the fact that we have a role to play in the making of justice for all of God&#39;s people.&nbsp; You look to us the leaders of Dignity to be an active voice for you; and we continue to count on you to support that voice in any way you can.</p> <p>I am excitedly looking forward to our Convention this July.&nbsp; The theme of&nbsp; justice rolling like a river calls us together to be challenged affirmed renewed and recommitted to the message of the Gospel.&nbsp; I can&#39;t wait to have the Dignity community come together.&nbsp; If you have not already done so register today.&nbsp; Come and be with us be part of the movement that is changing the church and society.&nbsp; Come be part of the action so that your heart can be filled with hope.</p> <p>And yet we are a people of hope and faith. We do believe that the Spirit moves among us and can inspire miraculous things. We are blessed to be part of a community that offers our Church another model for leadership one that relies upon call and accountability and is open to a wide diversity of people willing to offer their talents and time. So let us hope and pray that the Conclave has elected a strong blessed leader. At the same time let us continue to do the work of living in the Church we know is possible working for an increase of justice in our world and building communities that nurture each lovingly-created individual that comes through our doors.</p>