I’m sure many of you saw the America Magazine article entitled “Secretive Synod study group says no to women deacons,” and I’m sure many of you, like me, were dismayed, disheartened, and perhaps enraged that only a week into the second session of the Synod, we received such misogynistic and unsettling news.

Last week in Rome, our team encountered so many people fighting for women’s voices to be alive in the Church. Our week consisted of a visit to the Dicastery for Divine Worship where we hand-delivered our open letter to expand the lectionary on Easter Sunday to raise the voice of Mary Magdalene. We also stood with and listened to the advocacy of Women’s Ordination Conference, Women’s Ordination Worldwide, and Catholic Women’s Council at their prayer service “Same Baptism, Same Spirit, Same Calling,” as well as joined in their actions “Don’t Kick the Can on Women’s Ordination” and “We are FANS of Women Priests.” We participated in a procession and St. Phoebe prayer service with Discerning Deacons where we heard the witness of three women called to the diaconate. And, we hosted our own prayer service, “Throw Open the Doors and Make Space at the Table: Celebrating the Hidden Women of the Lectionary,” with spectacular preaching from Martha.

This report from the Secret Synod Study group is devastating, but I am grateful for and comforted by the people who continue to advocate for justice in the Church regardless of the pushback. At our board retreat over the summer, we jokingly agreed that the best way forward is just “do the thing,” and not to be intimidated by barriers to justice or to equity. Our team was grateful to be surrounded by so many people who were committed to “just doing the thing.”

It is imperative that we keep fighting within the Church, but it is also imperative that we keep building and creating space for those catholics who do not feel seen, heard, welcomed, or appreciated by the Church. As a team, we hope and pray that FutureChurch can continue to hold open space for those who have been sidelined and silenced while advocating and pressing the Church for reform and renewal.

When articles like the one mentioned above are released, how are we called to respond? What do you hope for? Where can we turn to for hope? And how can FutureChurch support you?

In solidarity and hope,

Olivia

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 WHIMM-Washington Home Inclusive Monthly Mass. 

Excerpt: 

" 'Mary and I heard about a Mass organized with the Roman Catholic Women Priest Movement that was taking place in Maryland,' shared Jane. 'This was the first time there was one in the DC area that we had heard about. So we went to this Mass at somebody’s house, and it was so… electric.' After experiencing this type of liturgical celebration, Jane and Mary felt as though more people needed access to an inclusive and intimate Liturgy in a home setting led by a woman priest. So they decided to try their hand at some organizing."

READ MORE...

This October, we celebrate the publication of the third and final volume in this ground-breaking and award-winning series from Orbis Books.

• Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, D.Min., Professor of Hispanic Theology and Ministry and the director of the Hispanic Theology and Ministry Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, will offer the invocation.
• Kristin Heyer, Ph.D., Professor of Theological Ethics at Boston College and past President of the Theological Society of America, will offer remarks on the significance of Catholic Women Preach and the importance of women's voices.
• Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies at Manhattan College in the Bronx, NY, will reprise her preaching for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and offer reflections on preaching for Catholic Women Preach.
• Andrea Hattler Bramson, President of the Loyola Foundation, will offer a toast to all the women of Catholic Women Preach.

Come celebrate this historic moment with us! This virtual event is free and all are welcome, but registration is required.

Purchase your copy at Orbis Books Online.

Night One: Thursday, November 7 at 7pm ET

Bishop John Stowe, O.F.M. Conv.

Keynote Presenter

FutureChurch is honored to welcome Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., the Bishop of Lexington and the Bishop President of Pax Christi USA as our keynote presenter. Bishop Stowe has been a courageous and consistent ally to those marginalized and excluded by both Church and society, including women and the LGBTQ+ community.

Night Two: Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00pm ET

Deborah Rose

Louis J. Trivison Award

FutureChurch will present the 2024 Louis J. Trivison Award to Deborah Rose in gratitude for her decade of joyful and prophetic leadership at FutureChurch and in celebration of her innumerable contributions to the cause of Church reform and renewal.

Kayla August

CHRISTINE SCHENK AWARD

FutureChurch will present the 2024 Christine Schenk award to Kayla August in celebration and recognition of her powerful living witness to the importance of women’s preaching and for her efforts to uplift the voice of the laity and marginalized in every area of Church life, leadership, and ministry.

Is there a Christian spirituality that embraces the entire reality of womanhood? In her new book, The Mystics Would Like a Word, Shannon K. Evans suggests the answer is an emphatic 'yes.'

There is a spirituality that meets us in every part of our lives, developed by the women who came before us. Six mystics—Teresa of Ávila, Margery Kempe, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux—revealed a faith big enough to hold the female experiences of sex and desire, the yearning for bodily autonomy, the challenges of motherhood and identity, as well as life with male authority and—sometimes—violence. These women, self-determining, stubborn, and unapologetically themselves, asked questions in their time that are startlingly prescient today, and fought for women’s experiences to be heard, understood, respected, and recognized as holy.

This event will be followed by a month-long weekly book club where participants can register to participate in discussion and reflection in community with one another. More information coming soon!

Shannon K. Evans is the spirituality and culture editor at the National Catholic Reporter and the author of the books Feminist Prayers for My Daughter: Powerful Petitions for Every Stage of Her Life and Rewilding Motherhood: Your Path to an Empowered Feminine Spirituality.

With interest in ecofeminism, social change and contemplative practice, Shannon leads workshops and retreats across the country that spark curiosity and compassion. She has partnered with the Jesuits of Canada and the U.S. and is a frequent contributor to Franciscan Media.

Having previously lived in Indonesia for two years, Shannon loves to travel, but is happiest at home on the Iowa prairie with her family and beloved chickens.