FutureChurch Weekend Bulletin


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Weekend Bulletin

July 13 & 14, 2024 | Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Blessing of the Week

This prayer was used during one of the prayer services during the Imago Dei Assembly in Dayton, OH - it was one of the many offerings that has continued to inspire me.

As we continue to process and understand the Instrumentum Laboris for this next Synod session, may we all be as a bridge, continuing to work and strive for a Church focused on inclusion, justice, and love.

Bridge Prayer

Sister Bernice Kiper, Sisters of Providence of Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods

O God, it is hard sometimes to believe

that you are really present in this world of ours.

But I do believe it, Loving God!

Please help me live my life in such a way

that it will be easier for others to recognize you.

When I find doubt,

help me bring a little light.

Where I find discouragement,

let me be a ray of hope in the darkness.

to those who feel estranged and alienated

from you and your church,

let me be as a bridge.

When I meet those

who have been hurt or misunderstood,

help me leave only the imprint

of your healing love and compassion.

God of all, wherever I go

and to whomsoever I meet,

help me be an instrument of your peace.

Olivia Hastie

Program Associate

olivia@futurechurch.org

Just Word Commentary

Just Word

"Change-Making in the Dominant Culture" with Maria Teresa Kamel

Today Maria Teresa Kamel invites us to explore change-making in the dominant culture of doing more, with the help of Thomas Merton; engage the call for workers’ rest in Catholic Social Teaching; and embody work and rest with the example of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker and “Icon of Christ and Abbot Mena.”

"Shaking the dust off our feet is evidently a much more challenging concept to accept than the call to travel light. Our challenge isn’t always that we need to have more, but the very insidious belief that we need to do more."

Maria Teresa Kamel is an extended community member of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker. She loves to read short fiction and medieval theology, and splits her time between Los Angeles and her hometown of San Antonio.

READ

Catholic Women Preach

"Our Lives of Discipleship" with Katie Laskey

Preaching for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Katie Laskey offers a reflection on what we need and have been given for our lives of discipleship:

"So today, I hope we can hear Jesus’s summons and missioning as directed to each of us - so we can find our companions, let go of what we think we need, and root ourselves in the confidence the Holy Spirit provides, so we can fully embrace our baptismal, prophetic identities."

Katie Laskey is an educator and youth minister wrapping up her time as Coordinator of Youth Ministry at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC. Having taught in Catholic middle schools for five years, this Fall she returns to the classroom as a Theology Teacher/Community Minister at Seattle Preparatory School.

READ/VIEW

Working Document for Synod offers hope for progress but limits true synodality by curtailing conversation of ordination

Excerpt from Press Release:

"On July 9, 2024 the Vatican released the Instrumentum Laboris – or working document – which will guide conversation and discernment at the October 2024 General Assembly of the Synod on Communion, Participation and Mission in Rome.

While FutureChurch sees much hope for progress in the document, we also cannot ignore the fact that true synodality cannot be realized if certain topics – such as the ordination of women to the diaconate – are excluded from conversation."

Celebrate the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

July 22, 2024 | 7:00 PM EST

Mary Magdalene Celebration

Join FutureChurch on July 22nd at 7pm ET as we honor and remember the Apostle to the Apostles, and pray in gratitude for the ways in which we have all encountered the Risen Christ. We will be joined by three remarkable young women who will share their own witness to the Risen Christ with us.

Vickey McBride is Chair of the FutureChurch Board. She most recently served as Vice President for Mission at Saint Martin de Porres High School (Cristo Rey) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2023, she received the Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education.

Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister, a faith-based Community Organizer, and an Immigration Attorney. As a lay minister, she has served in Young Adult Ministry for more than 15 years and she is one of the leading figures for inclusive Catholic LGBTQ Ministry in the United States. Yunuen is a member of the FutureChurch Board.

Ariell Simon (she/her) is a healthcare chaplain living and ministering in central Missouri. Ariell has served as a healthcare chaplain in hospitals and nursing facilities in three states. Ariell also coordinates FutureChurch's Sunday evening online Liturgy of the Word.

Details and Registration

July 30, 2024 | 7:00 PM EST

A virtual art show premiering “The Stations of the Resurrection” by Laura James.

We are delighted to announce that Laura James has expanded her "Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus" series with six new images to depict all of John’s Resurrection Narrative. Our virtual art show will present a first look at these “Stations of the Resurrection,” explore the theological significance of each painting, and hear from Laura James herself about her choices of imagery, color, placement, and scale. Inspired by contemporary biblical scholarship, this series was commissioned by FutureChurch board member, Rita Houlihan. Be among the first to see this new, empowering art series!

Laura James has been working as a professional artist and illustrator for over twenty-five years. In addition to painting sacred images from various religions, she portrays women, families, and scenes of everyday life; blending intricate patterns, text, vibrant colors and sometimes surreal imagery into what she calls "art for the people." Learn more about Laura James at https://www.laurajamesart.com.

Rita L. Houlihan works to restore our historical memory of Biblical women leaders with a focus on Mary Magdalene. She commissions scripture-based art to counter demeaning legends and touch the public’s imagination.

Details and Registration

Pentecost Project

"The Community of St. Hildegard Lives into the Trust of Its Namesake"

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 the Community of St. Hildegard.

Excerpt: Rev. Shanon never intended to start a church. But after twenty-two years of ministry at a parish in a local diocese, she continued to feel a nudge to participate in ordained ministry. “My heart was on fire,” recalls Rev. Shanon. “I knew I had a call to ministry, I was just trying to figure out how to function with integrity.” While Rev. Shanon was pursuing her Ph.D. it just so happened that the church building of a local Byzantine Catholic Church in her neighborhood went up on the market. With the vision of creating a retreat and community center in the charism of St. Hildegard, Rev. Shanon called her husband. “You could hear a pin drop,” she laughs. But they ended up putting a bid on the building. Rev. Shanon’s future ministry was falling into place right before her eyes– she just couldn’t see it yet.

READ MORE...

Pentecost Project

Community of St. Hildegard

Upcoming FutureChurch Events

July 17, 2024 | 7:00 PM EST

Faith, Feminism, and the Catholic Church

Join FutureChurch for a conversation on feminism and the Catholic Church as we welcome Professors Julie Hanlon Rubio and Natalia Imperatori-Lee, who have both recently written critically acclaimed books on the topic.

In Can You Be a Catholic and a Feminist? Julie Hanlon Rubio explores the enduring but newly urgent question, arguing that a Catholic feminist identity is only tenable if we frankly acknowledge tensions between Catholicism and feminism, bring forward shared concerns, and embrace the future with ambiguity and creativity.

In Women and the Church: From Devil's Gateway to Discipleship Natalia Imperatori Lee examines the history of Christian feminism as a response to patriarchy, the ways in which women have been portrayed in scripture and women's hermeneutical strategies, and the contributions of women to the subfields of systematic theology.

Julie Hanlon Rubio is the Shea-Heusaman Professor of Christian Social Ethics and Associate Dean at Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. She previously taught in the department of theological studies at St. Louis University for nearly two decades. Her research focuses on family, feminism, sex, and politics.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee is professor of religious studies at Manhattan College in Riverdale, Bronx, New York. She teaches in the areas of Catholic ecclesiology, gender studies, and Latinx theologies. Imperatori-Lee holds degrees from Fordham University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame.

July 21, 2024 at 11:00am EDT | Virtual

Eucharist of Equals: Liturgy of Love

FutureChurch is a proud co-sponsor of an upcoming Liturgy from Roman Catholic Womenpriests! Join us on July 21st at 11:00am EDT for Eucharist of Equals: Liturgy of Love. Through the gathering, we will offer a faithful witness to the welcome table entrusted to us by Jesus Christ, a table of radical welcome, compassion, and inclusion, a table where there is plenty for all.

People of all genders, sexualities, marital statuses, lay, ordained, vowed religious, and interfaith friends are whole-heartedly welcome!

August 1, 2024 | 7:00 PM EST

Overview & Discussion of the 2024 Synod Working Document

On July 9, 2024 the Vatican released the Instrumentum Laboris – or working document – which will guide conversation and discernment at the October 2024 General Assembly of the Synod on Communion, Participation and Mission in Rome.

Join FutureChurch as we analyze and discuss the Working Document for the October 2024 General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality.

At this session, we'll explore the document in-depth, offering an analysis of what is and isn't in it, and review the topics and membership of each of the working groups that have been assigned to explore particular issues.

Videos of the Week

Last week Synod Delegate Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns joined FutureChurch in the first of two listening sessions in preparation for the October 2024 Assembly of the Synod on Communion, Participation, and Mission. The listening session began with Dr. Bailey Mann’s review of the Synod so far including developments since the October 2023 assembly and steps toward the October 2024 assembly. Dr. Bailey Manns then received input and took questions from those gathered.

In the second session, Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns joined in conversation with a number of listening session participants regarding details of the newly released working document that will guide the October 2024 Assembly. Of note, participants discussed the development that discussion of women deacons has now been “entrusted” to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith.

Other Opportunities

Teresa of Ávila and Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age: A Contemplative Conversation

July 15-18, 2024 |Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, 46556

Keynote Speakers Include: Mary Frohlich, RSCJ; Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM; Maria Teresa Morgan; Margie Pfeil; and Lori Stanley. For more information about the event, contact Dan Horan at dhoran@saintmarys.edu.

Young Adult Scholarships Available!
Register Here.

Beyond Rights: The Theological Case for Women

July 22, 2024; 12PM-3PM ET | In-Person or Zoom; Simboli Hall, Boston College- Brighton Campus

Join the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry for the 15th Annual St. Mary Magdalene Celebration!

Has speaking of rights and social justice in relation to women become ineffective in our polarized environment? Theologian Cecilia González-Andrieu situates us in la realidad (the reality of our present moment), to explore how the power of theological insights arising out of the Christian tradition and read in a Latina liberationist key may help reinvigorate the conversation. The longed-for goal is to promote and enact women’s full participation in the church and in the world as required by the Reign of God.

Register Here.

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