Photo: FutureChurch Co-Director, Deborah Rose, preaches at All Saints Church in Syracuse, NY.
There is a prophetic hub in the diocese of Syracuse, New York. Two parishes - All Saints and St. Lucy’s - are its core.
There is no way to be in the midst of that prophetic community without being inspired. There is no way to be in the midst of that prophetic community without being transformed.
Last weekend, I had the honor of being asked by Pastor Fr. Fred Daly , Pastoral Associate Meg Ksanders, the Women’s task force at All Saints, and the Peace and Justice Committee at St. Lucy’s to offer a women’s retreat where we focused on building an inclusive church, especially for women. I explored “the troubles” under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, but mostly focused on the potential of synodality as the most promising institutional innovation for discerning women’s roles and building a church where women and men minister, govern, teach, and serve as true equals at all levels. Participants learned about the women who have been appointed to serve next to cardinals and bishops at high level jobs. And they also learned about the groundbreaking news that women will vote at the synod, and how that will impact the issues they care about.
I wish the liturgies at All Saints could be replicated everywhere. Their love for serving those who are often forgotten or excluded such as LGBTQ+ people and immigrants; their commitment to attuning the liturgies to those who first language is not English; their investment in a rich and diverse music ministry that has the whole congregation joyfully singing and clapping; their passion for righting injustices such as racism and white supremacy; and their commitment to lay and women’s full participation in the life and ministry of the parish will set the heart of any Catholic on fire. I felt “churched” to be sure.
Fred and Meg also asked me to preach for all the masses. I preached about Luke’s nameless women in the first reading from Acts and the way the Lectionary slices the inspirational and faith-filled stories of women and leaves them on the cutting floor. But, most importantly, I preached about the amazing lives and work of Catholic women from the beginning until today, who have risen up and made God’s radical love and kin-dom a greater reality for all. And to my delight and surprise, many women and men told me how much it touched them.
Feel free to read the homily and to see it preached using the links below.
And if you are in Syracuse, don’t miss the experience of being with the communities who make up the prophetic hub of the diocese -- All Saints and St. Lucy’s. You, too, will be inspired and transformed.
|