I found a strange sort of way to manage this headache. It seems that MS coded themselves into a corner with all their object oriented precepts and thus found themselves unable to manage even the most basic functionality such as what I've described above in a simple self-managing manner. Despairingly sad, really.

Here's the work-around MS provided once they realized their object oriented code made it impossible to correlate styles between already existing documents based on the same template:

1) Bring up the Styles window using Alt+Cntrl+Shift+S or, if you've keymapped that to something else, by clicking the minuscule icon at the bottom of the Styles pane in the Home menu. (it really used to be simple to provide such instructions).

2) In the Styles window there are three meaningless icons at the bottom left. The third icon shows some tooltip text when you put the mouse over it informing you that it will do something in relation to "Manage Styles" if you click on it. Click on that to bring up the Manage Styles window.

3) At the bottom left of the ensuing window is an Import/Export button (this button actually tells you what it is rather than showing you an utterly meaningless icon). Click on that to bring up yet another window, called the Organizer window.

4) In the ensuing Organizer window, find those styles defined to the Normal template in the right pane that you want to use in the currently open document and select them. Then click the <- Copy button to bring those styles into the document currently open.

I may have to do this 700+ times, but at least there's a way--though massively convoluted--to accomplish what is necessary.

If anyone knows of a better less insane way of accomplishing the same, please give a shout.