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Happy New Year from all of us at FutureChurch! I hope you had a restful and love-filled holiday season and are enjoying the return to routine in these last days. As we ring in 2025 and all that comes with it, I’ve found myself reflecting on the things that meant the most to me in 2024. In addition to our important work in Rome and so many other FutureChurch related activities, 2024 was also the year when Wicked hit the big screen and as a musical theatre nerd, it was a major blessing of the year to me!
I’ve been a Wicked fan long before the movie was announced and a lover of the Wizard of Oz for as long as I can remember. The musical is beautiful, but the movie tells the story with such nuance that in addition to being caught up in the artistry of the performances, the story is compelling in a different way than it was on stage. When I went to see it for the first time, I went with my Mom, my sister-in-law, my aunt, and three of my cousins - it was a night for the girls! You can see in the picture below that we each dressed as either Glinda or Elphaba complete with tiaras, glitter and witch hats.
This story is about sisterhood, overcoming adversity, and what happens when you stand up for what is right against a powerful leader and dominant culture. Sound familiar? While in DC for the Ignatian Family Teach-In, Russ, Martha, and I jokingly began to rewrite the lyrics to “Defying Gravity” as “Defying Misogyny” with several references to the Pope, the priesthood, the need for women’s ordination, and justice in the Church. Wicked centers the lives living in the not-so-merry-old land of Oz, but it really represents an allegory for our world and Church today. It asks us to defy gravity and give voice to those who are silenced and resist even when it feels scary.
I’m looking ahead to 2025 with “defy gravity” as a mantra with the goal of changing the Church “for good.”
How will you defy gravity this year? What will you “change for the better”?
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January 5, 2025 | Feast of the Epiphany
Today Jessie Hubert invites us to explore the Feast of the Epiphany with the spiritual connection between our interior and exterior worlds; engage unknown paths and trust in God, with the example of the Magi; and embody these ideas with Scott Erickson’s Cosmic Christ.
"Our job as followers of Christ isn’t just to follow the star in the sky that points to him; we are first asked to notice and befriend our holy longings, and to trust that those are worth following. If you’re looking for what star to follow to find Christ in your own life, you may want first to start by giving birth to the images and longings you carry in the depths of your heart. Be honest with yourself about what they are. Name them."
Jessie Hubert (she/her) lives in Erie, PA, her hometown, because she and her spouse knew they wanted to raise their family in an intergenerational context with their kids close to their grandparents. Jessie worked for the institutional Catholic Church for 14 years in a Catholic university, in diocesan administration, and in parish ministry. Now she is exploring ways to use her gifts as an intergenerational community-builder to serve all people of God outside of traditional structures. She has grown in closer intimacy with the Trinity through her spouse Matt and their three children. Jessie’s primary work these days is holding the tension between intellectually questioning what her life should look like next, and encountering Christ in the beautifully messy lived realities that reveal the sacred in front of her. She can be reached at badachj@gmail.com.
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January 5, 2025
Preaching for the Feast of the Epiphany, Elena Dini offers a reflection on embodying faith, charity, and hope:
"May we follow at the beginning of this Holy Year, this Jubilee, in which we are called to be pilgrims of hope, the example of these wise men, and all wise men and women of history, Christians and non-Christians, who made themselves pilgrims of hope listening to the voice of God and recognizing God’s action in their lives. "
Elena Dini is Senior Program Manager of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue. She holds degrees in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Communications, Catholic Theology and Interfaith Dialogue and is a PhD candidate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in the field of interreligious dialogue. Elena is a frequent contributor to L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, for articles related to Muslim-Catholic and Jewish-Catholic dialogue.
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| January 8, 2025 | 7:00pm ET |
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“The Mystics Would Like a Word” with Shannon Evans
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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 take place on January 8th at 7:00pm ET. Then, on February 5th at 7:00pm ET, FutureChurch will host a follow-up group discussion on the text.
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.
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| February 12, 2025 | 7:00pm ET |
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“Catholics for the Common Good” with Daryl Grigsby
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Join FutureChurch as we welcome Daryl Grigsby for a conversation on living for the Common Good.
“Why am I still Catholic in light of the clergy abuse crisis, the Church’s teachings about and practices toward women and members of the LGTBQ+ community, the Church’s own complicity in and inadequate response to societal racism, and other scandals and issues?”
Author and commentator Daryl Grigsby set out to answer this question for himself by writing his newest book, Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering (Paulist Press, 2024). In it, he profiles 36 contemporary Catholics who have worked for justice and human dignity. He features Catholics from diverse national and racial backgrounds; religious, lay, and ordained.
This event will take place on February 12th at 7:00pm ET. Then, on February 26th at 7:00pm ET, FutureChurch will host a follow-up group discussion on the text.
Daryl Grigsby is an author and commentator on contemporary Catholic issues. A retired public works director, he also holds a Master’s Degree in Theology and Pastoral Studies from Seattle University and is a graduate of the Sabbatical Renewal Program at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. He is a board member for Leadership Foundations, which resolves critical urban challenges around the world, and for FutureChurch. Grigsby is the author of In Their Footsteps: Inspirational Reflections on Black History for Every Day of the Year and is a frequent contributor to National Catholic Reporter and Black Catholic Messenger.
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| Other Opportunities and Resources |
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| Resources for Ecumenical Spirituality | January 11-February 1 |10:30am- 12:00pm CT |
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| Weekly Mindfulness Meditation Class (free to FutureChurch members!) |
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Resources for Ecumenical Spirituality will offer a free mindfulness meditation class to FutureChurch members. The class will be led by Mary Jo Meadow, Ph.D. who has taught mindfulness in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Australia since 1987. Mindfulness is a wonderful spiritual practice bringing the deep self-knowledge and self-emptying that mystics say is necessary to know God. It is also widely use to manage pain, stress, and problem emotions. The class will meet weekly from 10:30 to noon central time USA on January 11 through February 1 and can take up to 24 people. Interested people can reply to resecum@msn.com to register or ask questions.
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| Benedictine Sisters of Erie | Erie, PA | June 2025-June 2026 |
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| Benedictine Peacemakers Monastic Immersion- Applications Open! |
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The Benedictine Sisters of Erie invite applicants to the 2025 – 2026 cohort of the Benedictine Peacemakers Monastic Immersion. As an evolution of monastic life, the Benedictine Peacemaker program is a model for approaching personal formation, spiritual community, and good work in the Benedictine spiritual and monastic tradition, with a particular focus on the practice of peacemaking. The monastic immersion year will be filled with spiritual exploration, growth in community, experiential learning, classes, and action within the Erie community. The program is open to women in their early 20s through early 30s. Housing, food, and a stipend are provided, as well as transportation and health insurance if needed. More information can be found at eriebenedictines.org/benedictine-peacemakers. contact Michelle Scully (mscully@eriebenedictines.org) with any questions.
Apply Here.
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| A New Publication by Nancy Sylvester, IHM |
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| Journey-Faith in an Entangled World |
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Do you desire to express your experience of God in ways that reflect your evolving understanding of self, others, and the world? Do you feel that the world is at an impasse yet desire to do something about our future? Journey-Faith in an Entangled World is a good place to start. Using the metaphor of an Art Exhibit, where your words are paint and paper is your canvas, Nancy Sylvester, IHM, invites you to become an active participant with her as she grapples with integrating her faith experience with contemporary insights from theology, philosophy, science, and psychology. Critical to this synthesis is contemplation and its capacity for transformation both of self and of one’s engagement with the world.
Nancy Sylvester, IHM, founded the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue in 2002. Prior to that she served in elected leadership positions both within her religious congregation, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) of Monroe, MI., and in the Presidency of the national Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). She served on the staff of Network, a D.C. based Catholic Social Justice Lobby, for fifteen years, ten years as Executive Director. Nancy is a well-known speaker, writer and process facilitator.
Order Here.
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| A Study on Priestly Callings of Catholic Cisgender and Transgender Women and Gender Non-Conforming Individuals |
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Sullivan Oakley, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at The Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, is currently recruiting participants for a qualitative study exploring experiences of cisgender and transgender women and gender non-conforming individuals who have experienced a calling to Roman Catholic Priesthood. The study aims to amplify the voices of individuals who experience this calling and promote wider visibility, understanding, and dialogue about this experience.
Eligible participants will: Identify as a cisgender or transgender woman or a gender non-conforming (gender queer, non-binary, agender, gender fluid) individual who has experienced a personal call to the Roman Catholic priesthood which they are not eligible to pursue in the institutional Church, be 18 years of age or older, live in the United States, and have fluency in English.
Interviews will last ~90 minutes and participants will receive a $40 gift certificate. If you or anyone you know might be interested, please contact Sullivan at soakley@wi.edu.
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| We seek changes that will provide all Roman Catholics the opportunity to participate fully in Church life and leadership. |
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FutureChurch is a national 501(c)(3) organization and your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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