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Weekend Bulletin
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| February 15 - February 16, 2025 | Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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In a powerful act of solidarity, St. Rita of Cascia in Chicago hosted a special Mass to support and stand with immigrant families facing uncertainty and hardship. Parishioners, clergy, and community members gathered to pray, offer encouragement, and witness to the Gospel's call to welcome the stranger.
Members of the community spoke passionately about the sacred responsibility of Catholics to advocate for justice and show compassion toward immigrants, who often endure fear, discrimination, and separation from loved ones. The Mass featured prayers in multiple languages and a profound sense of unity rooted in faith and love.
The parish's courageous stand highlights the holy work of accompaniment — a living testament to the Gospel values of dignity, hospitality, and peace. St. Rita of Cascia reminds us that true courage is found in standing with the vulnerable and amplifying their voices.
Read more here: https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2025/01/22/parish-hosts-mass-to-show-support-for-immigrants
Have another person or community you’d like to highlight? Let us know!
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| In hope, |
| on behalf of the FutureChurch staff |
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February 16, 2025 | Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today Benjamin Randolph invites us to explore our current political climate through today’s readings; engage hope without spiritual bypassing; and embody a critical hope with the help of “Nobody Knows” and the USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants Program.
"When we feel the temptation of despair, we do well to remember that this is an experience profoundly connected to Christian hope. To believe in the resurrection is not to be impervious to the temptation of despair; it is to affirm, in the face of that temptation, that this experience participates in Christ’s passion."
Ben lives in Philadelphia with his spouse, Mercer; two cats, Sigi and Penny; and dog, Teff. He teaches high school Spanish, and he’s also taught philosophy at the university level. He completed his PhD in Philosophy at Penn State and his research is in critical theory. You can find some of his published work in Radical Philosophy Review, Angelaki, and Political Theology Network.
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February 16, 2025
Preaching for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Julia Murphy offers a reflection on radical, Resurrection hope:
"In these times of uncertainty, violence, and individualism, may we Christians act as if we believe in the Resurrection. José and his Salvadoran community showed my immersion group a model of this lived resurrection hope in their dedication to building their new home, as did those in Belize who welcomed them. They could not afford to live without hope. May this radical hope propel us into acts of compassion, hospitality, and bridge-building NOW, in our own ways, in our own communities."
Julia Murphy (she/her) is a campus minister at Fairfield University in Connecticut. She coordinates domestic and international service immersion trips and other social justice ministries, and serves as the primary pastoral presence students at Fairfield Bellarmine, the university’s two-year associate’s degree program for low-income and first-generation students in Bridgeport, CT. She is also a residential minister and chaplain to first-year students. Julia holds an MDiv from the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry and a B.A. in English and Spanish from Saint Louis University.
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| Upcoming FutureChurch Events |
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| beginning on March 12, 2025 | 7:00pm ET |
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Lent 2025: "What Is Mine To Do?"
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As so many in our midst are becoming increasingly marginalized and vulnerable you may be asking, “what can I do?” Led by the Spirit and rooted in our Gospel values, FutureChurch is pleased to offer this 2025 Lenten Series – “What Is Mine To Do?”
Inspired by the Anointing Woman of Mark’s Gospel (14:3-9), who – in Jesus’ words – “did what she could,” FutureChurch is offering several opportunities designed to help each of us prayerfully discern how we are being called to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable and marginalized and to uphold and defend the dignity of all people.
Our series will begin on Wednesday, March 12, with an introductory evening of reflection and discernment, facilitated by the FutureChurch team, during which we will call to mind the gifts God has given to us. On the subsequent four Wednesdays, members of the larger FutureChurch network will lead us in prayer meant to increase our awareness of the struggles of these populations and learn about ways we can support them. Finally on Saturday, April 12, we will conclude our Lenten series with a two-hour retreat led by Sr. Nancy Sylvester, IHM – founder and director the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue, past president of LCWR, and past national coordinator of NETWORK, the Catholic Social Justice Lobby.
Join us for any or all of these programs as we begin to faithfully answer the question “what is mine to do?”.
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| March 27, 2025 | 8:00pm ET |
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“Bending Toward Justice: Sr. Kate Kuenstler and the Struggle for Parish Rights” with Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ.
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Join FutureChurch as we welcome Sr. Christine Schenk for a conversation about her newest book!
Bending Toward Justice (Rowman Littlefield, 2024) tells the story of the rampant closings of Catholic parishes across the United States and documents the courageous advocacy of Sr. Kate Kuenstler and hundreds—indeed thousands—of ordinary Catholics whose persistence charted a new course in canon law. Sr. Kuenstler's expertise eventually gave increased leverage to the laity—and their parishes—in the struggle to preserve their parish homes, especially in ethnically diverse and poor neighborhoods.
Christine Schenk, CSJ has worked as a nurse midwife to low-income families, a community organizer, an award-winning writer-researcher, and the founding director of an international church reform organization, FutureChurch. Her first book Crispina and Her Sisters: Women and Authority in Early Christianity (Fortress Press, 2017) received a first place in history from the Catholic Press Association and her most recent work, To Speak the Truth in Love: A Biography of Sr. Theresa Kane RSM (Orbis Books 2019) received first place awards from The Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Press Association.
Schenk also writes a regular column for the National Catholic Reporter and is one of three nuns featured in the award-winning documentary Radical Grace. Schenk graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University and holds two masters’ degrees, one in science from Boston College and an MA in Theology "with distinction" from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland.
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| Pentecost Project |
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| Mature, Humble, and Generous: Ignatians West Leaves its Mark on Los Angeles and Beyond |
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With the fire of Pentecost and emboldened by the Holy Spirit, we at FutureChurch are engaging in a new project to recognize and celebrate communities that are embodying the mission of Pentecost. Over the next several months, we will be highlighting communities that have been emboldened to live the Gospel in new and creative ways. Today we introduce you to Ignatians West.
Excerpt:
“It’s not rocket science,” Anne joked about the mission of Ignatians West. “It’s very simple. It’s bringing together mature adults (we don’t use the word retire anymore, we use the word mature!) who have life experience they’re willing to share, invite them to share those experiences with others who are in need, and then encourage them to honestly examine their faith.”
Read More...
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| Saturday, Feb 22nd | 10:00AM CT | Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Motherhouse |
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| Art for the People: Laura James and The Book of the Gospels |
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Artist Laura James is a self-taught painter and illustrator whose work transcends boundaries between the sacred and the everyday. Inspired by the richly symbolic and narrative tradition of Ethiopian Christian art, while inviting new, contemporary perspectives, Laura reimagines traditional Christian iconography, infusing it with diverse representations that resonate with people across cultures.
Join the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet as Laura shares about her illustrations in The Book of the Gospels, one of her most well-known contributions. In it, she cultivated this visual dialogue that speaks to the timeless desire for spiritual expression and belonging, blending history with modern identity.
Learn more about the artist and view her artwork at laurajamesart.com.
Register here to attend in-person or via livestream.
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| March 9th - April 3rd | 12 sessions: 9 asynchronous forum discussions and 3 live zooms |
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| Getting Saintly and Subversive this Lent |
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What do we learn from the stories of Brigid of Kildare, Hildegard of Bingen, and Teresa of Avila, whose commitments to God inspired a subversion of oppression and patriarchy, and a oneness with creation? From these foundresses and abbesses, we can draw inspiration, courage, and instruction for our own resistance and resilience today. Join Monasteries of the Heart in this four-week series!
Register Here.
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| We seek changes that will provide all Roman Catholics the opportunity to participate fully in Church life and leadership. |
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FutureChurch is a national 501(c)(3) organization and your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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