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Dear Friends,
We are deeply saddened to share that a cherished friend of FutureChurch, Sister of Mercy Theresa Kane, died on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at the age of 87.
Today, we honor and give thanks for Sister Theresa Kane’s passionate life and witness as she courageously, joyfully, and tirelessly pursued a vision of equality and justice for women in the church and in society.
In October of 1979, serving as head of the Sisters of Mercy in the United States and as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Kane stood before thousands of her fellow sisters in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and greeted Pope John Paul II during a visit to the United States. In that moment, she offered televised and widely-publicized prophetic words that would galvanize the women’s movement within the Catholic Church:
“As women we have heard the powerful messages of our church addressing the dignity and reverence for all persons. As women we have pondered upon these words. Our contemplation leads us to state that the church in its struggle to be faithful to its call for reverence and dignity for all persons must respond by providing the possibility of women as persons being included in all ministries of our church. I urge you, Your Holiness, to be open to and respond to the voices coming from the women of this country who are desirous of serving in and through the church as fully participating members.”
A Sister of Mercy for 69 years, she served 7 as President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union. During her tenure, she led her community’s efforts to implement their prophetic 1977 Chapter directives addressing women’s equality, political advocacy, and moral-decision-making. The Sisters’ innovative efforts were strongly resisted by conservative Vatican prelates, including Pope John Paul II. Nevertheless, Kane persisted and deftly negotiated numerous conflicts with the Vatican.
FutureChurch founding executive director, Sister Christine Schenk, CSJ, who wrote To Speak the Truth in Love: A Biography of Theresa Kane (Orbis Books, 2019) offered these beautiful words about her mentor and friend:
“A great tree has fallen” is an African proverb that commemorates the death of a powerful leader. Sister Theresa Kane’s death marks the passing of such a leader. She was a great tree in our feminist forest. Her life is marked by a relentless pursuit of justice—for poor people, for women, for the LGBTQ community, for anyone marginalized by oppressive –usually patriarchal – systems. For me personally, she was a huge mentor in the work to reform the Catholic Church. When FutureChurch was just beginning, she telephoned more than once to cheer me on, to listen, to offer sage advice, but mostly to assure us that we were headed in the right direction. Aside from being a shrewd analyst of Catholic politics, Theresa was unfailingly kind, cheerful, funny, and optimistic that yes, we will eventually succeed in our challenge to include women in all the ministries of the church. This came from her deep and abiding faith in the God who accompanied her whose desire for justice ran even deeper than her own. I will miss her greatly. But mostly, I am so very grateful to have known her and to have been given access to her inner sanctum while writing her biography. It is an experience I will never forget. Rest in power, dear Theresa.
Stay close to us, Sister Theresa Kane, and pray with us, as – inspired and strengthened by your life and witness – we walk the trail you have blazed for us, pursuing the vision of equality and justice you dared to dream with us.
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