As we get closer and closer to the Synod, I can’t help but think of my own foremothers in faith, who lovingly guided me along the path to an embodied spirituality of hope, renewal, and justice.

I think, of course, of my mother, Angela, who taught me that the Church was not about priests or bishops, but about the community of people who are beloved of God.

I think of my Nana, Anna, who I didn't really get to know in this life, but whose lessons of abundant love continue to be passed down to each generation.

I think of my cousin, Crista, who encourages a spiritual curiosity that, in turn, becomes spiritual tenacity.

I think of my colleagues Martha and Ann Marie, who, in the past year, have cultivated a space of discernment, openness, and joy for me to grow in.

I think of feminist theologian icons: Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Daly, and M. Shawn Copeland who provided the language to acknowledge She who is.

I think of prophetic voices on Catholic Women Preach who, each in their own way, live the Gospel’s mission of solidarity and justice with the poor and marginalized.

And, most importantly, I think of Mary Magdalene, who was the first to see the Risen Christ, the first to proclaim the Good News. The first preacher, beloved friend and disciple of Jesus.

Mary Magdalene is the beginning of a lineage of strong, fabulous, and faith-filled women who’ve demonstrated, time and time again, the love of God in concrete and beautiful.

Join us in honoring Mary Magdalene at the Synod this October in Rome by signing our petition and making a donation.

This October, FutureChurch will be traveling to the Synod to continue our advocacy to expand the Lectionary to include Mary Magdalene and some 30 other biblical women on Sundays. While in Rome we will:

• Deliver our open letter asking that all of John 20:1-18 be proclaimed on Easter Sunday to the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops
• Host a Mary Magdalene celebration in honor of all women hidden by the lectionary
• Bring the art of Mary Magdalene of scripture to Synod delegates and the people of Rome through prayer cards, postcards, banners
• Engage in direct service with vulnerable women and members of the LGBTQ+ community
• Collaborate with friends and partners in the church reform movement

And we need your help! Please support this important work with a donation today!

Donations in honor of Kathrene Blish Houlihan and Sister Theresa Kane, RSM will double your donation until October 5, 2024 (up to $10,000 for a total of $20,000) to fund our vital work to expand the lectionary. We invite you to donate in honor of the ancestors you want to send to Rome in spirit! We will lift them up in prayer during our Mary Magdalene celebration and throughout our travels around Rome (unless directed to keep your honoree anonymous). Thank you for your support!

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 Benincasa Community.

Excerpt: 

"When Karen Gargamelli-McCreight discerned that vowed religious life wasn’t her calling, she set out to find another way to form a sacred community through which she could live out her ideals as an integrated Catholic person of faith. In the heart of New York City, Karen and her friends knocked on door after door in search of an unused rectory or convent that could become a home."

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.