Blessing of the Week |
|
What does Resurrection look like? If you’re reading this bulletin, you likely know Scripture tells us that Mary Magdalene – either alone or with other women – was the first to witness the empty tomb and the Resurrected Christ. But no one witnessed the Resurrection itself. So, what does Resurrection look like? Does it happen suddenly and abruptly with a burst of energy and life? Or is it slow and steady with small, barely perceivable signs of new life adding up over time? Is it somehow miraculously both? And what would any of that mean?
Like any of the great mysteries of our faith, the Resurrection invites us in – not to solve it, but to be open to the innumerable questions it raises, the endless insights it offers, and the limitless possibilities it presents. It takes faith to live, to bask in mystery. And so, whenever I hear from religious leaders that ‘the question is closed’ or that ‘the answer is final’, I sense it is fear - not faith - talking.
Earlier this week, several institutes at Georgetown University came together to host a panel discussion entitled “Faith, Feminism, and Being Unfinished: The Question of Women’s Ordination.” Jane Varner Malhotra who is a part of the FutureChurch community was instrumental in bringing the event together as a co-organizer. I asked her if she would briefly reflect on what the event meant to her:
When I first learned that the Vatican had declared women’s ordination a closed question, I laughed. Closed for whom? Not for me, a Catholic woman called to priesthood, nor to many others living into their call, and not for many more who seek wisdom and shepherding from a diverse pool of individuals and communities. It seems like the synod process has reopened the question for church leadership, but I’d like to hear that from the Pope so as to settle some opinions to the contrary. Where are we, church? In the meantime, the people of God are not only discussing women’s ordination, we are doing it. And from what I’ve seen, the Holy Spirit keeps on calling whom She wishes!
Closing a question reminds me of some of my less great parenting moments—especially with teenagers who were seriously exploring boundaries and selfhood. “This is no longer to be discussed!” may or may not have been words I uttered to my furious and beWILDered young cohabitants. Me trying to understand the complicated limits of love and authority—discovering places where I needed to step back or step in, loving them as they fail and flourish, and find their freedom.
Georgetown held a debate on the issue of women’s ordination in 1999 but not much since. I’m so glad my alma mater has finally stepped back into the fray with this open and unfinished conversation. It was powerful to see what my cousin Greg called a “panel of bad asses” take to the stage and be heard in their truths. To me it was a preview for what it will look like when we have women priests at last a part of the official Catholic tradition. Inclusivity, insight, imperfection—refreshingly vivid and creative, much more like this beautiful, unfinished world which we have the grace to be part of.
This week – and every week – I give thanks to God for all who have refused to let the question of women’s ordination be closed. Those Catholics with the faith to live, to bask in mystery: to keep asking good questions, seek and share fresh insights, and envision new possibilities. I may not know for certain what Resurrection looks like, but in keeping this question alive, I know you are living proof of it.
|
|
|
|
Co-Director |
Russ Petrus |
|
|
|
|
|
Thanks to a generous donor, you can now double your support for Catholic women!
All donations made to FutureChurch between now and May 5th will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $10,000 and will go directly toward our programming for women's equality in the Church.
Thanks to everyone who has participated so far! None of our work would be possible without you.
|
|
|
|
The Just Word
Writing for the Third Sunday of Easter, Stephanie Boccuzzi invites us to explore women’s role in Jesus’s revelation, and its connections to women’s ordination; engage Pope Francis’s thoughts on the role of discernment in Catholic Social Teaching; and embody the discernment of women’s ordination with the help of artist Laura James and Father Anne.
"When we respond to God’s call to be disciples, we are saying “yes!” to live the Gospel as Jesus taught it. As disciples, we allow the Spirit to inspire us so that we may share the fullness of our gifts with our community. In our Church, we have a variety of lay and ordained ministers who dedicate their lives in service to the People of God and have chosen ministry as their life’s vocation. Today, the “signs of our time” point us to an important conversation that has long been going on in the life of the Church: Are women called to be equal disciples in the hierarchy of the Church? "
Stephanie Boccuzzi, MDiv works at Trinity Health as Mission Leader to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury, CT and the Senior Living Communities throughout Trinity Health of New England. Previously, she taught Scripture and Ethics at Xavier High School in Manhattan and was the varsity tennis coach for two winning seasons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Catholic Women Preach
Preaching for the Third Sunday of Easter, Svea Fraser, M.Div, offers a reflection on our common journey:
"We walk by faith and we know that the Holy Spirit will not deny what the Church needs. Through Phoebe’s intercession, women (and men) are seeking her support as our steps quicken and our hearts burn within us for the renewal and transformation of a church that truly welcomes the gifts of all the baptized."
Svea Fraser is a founder and current trustee for Voice of the Faithful. At present, she leads the organization’s “Women’s Emerging Voices” working group, now identified as “National Deacon Circle” in partnership with Discerning Deacons. She also serves as the coordinator and catechist for OCIA (formerly known as RCIA) for the St. John-St. Paul Catholic Collaborative in Wellesley, MA. Svea earned her Master of Divinity at Pope at Pope Saint John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA (she is the second and last woman to have done so).
|
|
|
|
|
|
FutureChurch Synod Gathering |
|
|
|
Thursday, May 4th at 12n ET
Overview and Group Discussion of the Final North American Synod Document
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued the North American Final Document for the Continental Stage on April 12th. Along with the contributions of the six other Continental Assemblies, this document, will form the basis of theInstrumentum Laboris - to be released by the General Secretariat of the Synod in June - which will guide the Synod Assembly in Rome in October 2023/2024.
Join FutureChurch for this midday gathering for an opportunity to learn more about the document, how it compares to what we discerned in our FutureChurch Synod Sessions and Continental Discernment Sessions, and guided discussion with like-minded Catholics.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recentering the Altar: The Status of Women's Ordination in the Catholic Church |
|
On April 19, Call To Action’s Community Leaders hosted a panel discussion on ordination status and the status of women and marginalized genders in the Catholic Church. Panelists included:
- Kate McElwee is the executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference, a grassroots-driven movement that promotes activism, dialogue and prayerful witness to call for women's ordination and gender equity in the Roman Catholic Church.
- Deborah Rose-Milavec is co-director of FutureChurch. She has more than 20 years of experience working in community and Church-based organizations. and brings a strong background in theology, Church history and Catholic social teaching. Deborah holds a master’s degree in theology and a bachelor’s degree in international studies. She trained as a lay pastoral minister in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
- Katy Zatsick, ARCWP (Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests) was ordained a priest on Feb 6, 2010, in Sarasota, Florida by Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan of RCWP-USA. She served as a priest for two communities: Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Community of Sarasota and Mary Mother of Jesus in Sun City Center, Florida, a house church for members in this retirement community. Katy was active with ARCWP and served as vice president when the organization was founded in 2011. She currently serves as president of the Board of Directors for the ARCWP. Katy is also the archivist for the ARCWP since it was founded, establishing the permanent collection at Marquette University. In 2021, Katy returned to Michigan to minister with a group to Heal the Racial Divide, and is active in justice and peace actions in both Florida and in Michigan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 2, 2023 | 7pm ET |
|
Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women |
|
Join FutureChurch as Dr. Phyllis Zagano talks about synodality and women based on her latest book, Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women, published by Paulist Press.
Excerpt: "Even though synodality is the buzzword of the day, the fact remains that members of the hierarchy are, or at least consider themselves, insulated from the opinions about Church from those members on the periphery—and the people most cut out of the conversation at the highest level are women. Perhaps not the women newly named to positions in the Roman Curia, nor the women chancellors, canon lawyers, or other professionals in diocesan chanceries, nor even the women theologians, journalists, and activists. However, these all are liable to be excluded."
Join us as we learn more about the impact of synodality on the lives of women in the Catholic Church!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 9, 2023 | 7pm ET
The Rise of Black Women in 19th Century New Orleans
Professor Emily Clark will discuss the lives of Black Catholic women in the context of late 18th century and 19th century life in New Orleans, offering background on the many unique features of life in New Orleans. The region’s development under French and Spanish rule brought the enslavement and transport of African people, Code Noir, color labels such as quadroon, the creolization of culture and religion.
Clark will also explore how free women of color such as Henriette Delille, Juliette Gaudin, and Josephine Charles were able to found the second successful religious community of Black Catholic women, the Sisters of the Holy Family, in the United States.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learning from the Countercultural Witness of Early “Mothers of the Church” with Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ
Monday, April 24 at 2:30pm ET / 1:30pm CT | Virtual or In Person
FutureChurch co-founder, Sr. Christine Schenk, joins The Well Spirituality Center in La Grange, IL to offer a presentation fourth century “mothers of the church” such as Marcella, Macrina, Egeria, Melania the Elder, Paula, Olympias, Proba and other women leaders known to us only through their tomb friezes. This archaeological evidence confirms what literary scholars had long suspected: women were far more influential in early Christianity than commonly recognized.
A time to pray, to learn, and to reflect on your own experience of witnessing to a countercultural Jesus.
Register
|
|
|
|
Women Religious and the Transformation of Theological Education
Thursday, April 27 at 5:30pm ET / 4:30pm CT | Virtual or In Person
Margaret Eletta Guider, OSF, Th.D. will offer Boston College's Annual Women in Theology and Ministry Lecture. Highlighting the lives and legacies of representative individuals as points of reference, the lecture examines the emergence of their voices and visions in ever-widening circles of influence within the church, the academy and society.
Details/Register
|
|
|
|
WOC-ing the walk for equality with Women's Ordination Conference
Sunday, April 30th - Vocations Sunday Witness
Inspired by “Pink Shoes into the Vatican” witnesses in New Zealand, Women's Ordination Conference will be WOC-ing the walk for equality by using the symbol of empty shoes to offer a visual representation of vocations unanswered, those who have walked away, and those walk the prophetic edge of the church, longing for full equality for all of its members.
Join the Effort
Sunday, April 30, 2023, 3:00pm-4:00pm CT - in person Prayer Service in the Chicago Suburbs
On April 30, Vocations Sunday, the institutional church prays for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. But it ignores the women standing on the edge of the Roman Catholic Church, who have walked the extra mile only to find the door to leadership, decision-making, and ordination closed. So we are drawing attention to these women who are called by God: called to renewed priesthood; called to equality; called to full participation in the leadership of the church.
More details
|
|
|
|
Online presentation with Sarah Augustine, author & Indigenous rights activist
Tuesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT.
Call To Action will host Indigenous writer and activist Sarah Augustine, author of The Land is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery. Augustine will present on topics related to her critically acclaimed book and Indigenous organizing. A facilitated Q&A session will follow, in which participants may ask questions and engage in further discussion. $5 registration
Details/Register
|
|
|
|
|
We seek changes that will provide all Roman Catholics the opportunity to participate fully in Church life and leadership. |
|
FutureChurch is a national 501(c)(3) organization and your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|