On Wednesday night the FutureChurch team had the honor of joining the church reform and renewal community in a memorial service for Sister Theresa Kane, RSM. It was a beautiful service of remembrance of Sr. Theresa- of mourning the loss of her presence in our lives, and of celebrating all of the ways that she supported our community and moved the church forward.  If you missed participating in the service live, you can tune-in and watch it here. Here is the opening prayer from yesterday’s memorial. Let us pray…

O God of Life,

We remember before you this day our sister Theresa.

We, who have been richly blessed by her witness, her courage, and her faith,

thank you for her companionship on this journey.

And as we continue to dream of your kin-dom,

we thank you for the legacy she leaves with us.

In your boundless compassion, console us and grant us hope.

Give us faith in your promise of eternal life,

so that in confidence we may continue to respond faithfully to your call.
May we be inspired and strengthened by Theresa’s witness,

To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you, O God,

Until we join our sister in your holy embrace.

Amen.

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."

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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.