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It’s the Third Sunday of Advent and our theme for the week is joy!
What is bringing you joy these days?
Lately, I have been feeling more and more joy about the pockets of community and love that sustain me when the days are shorter and colder. For me, joy is found in community with people who share life with me.
One of the communities to which I belong is L’Arche Boston North. I am not sure that I’ve talked much about my time working, living, and sharing time in L’Arche on this platform, but it is the place where I feel most at home in my faith. Which is funny considering the Boston North community is not a very Churchy place. I think what I love most about it, and perhaps what feels the most faith-filled to me, is that my friends, with and without disabilities, have a unique way of building a community life that meets me where I am and loves me for exactly who I am in this minute. It is one of the greatest blessings in my life, and a place of tremendous joy!
Finding joy in community has been at the center of one of our ongoing projects this year called the Pentecost Project, run primarily by Program Associate, Martha Ligas. The Pentecost Project highlights emerging models of catholic community, communities that are influenced by Catholicism, but maybe aren’t necessarily institutionally Catholic. This year, Martha has highlighted: The Fireplace Community in Chicago; Pax Priory in Erie, PA; The Community of St. Hildegard in Fairport Harbor, OH; Godspace in Cincinnati, OH; The Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle; The Benincasa Community in Guilford, CT; and WHIMM in Washington, DC. Each of these communities in their own way is producing a welcoming and inclusive environment for folks to gather for liturgy, intentional living, or service. They are building relationships and friendships driven by the spirit and overwhelmingly joyful.
What a blessing to know that there are circles of welcome for anyone who might need it! Check out the Pentecost Project on our website, and if you belong to a community you think should be highlighted, reach out to Martha at martha@futurechurch.org.
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This Advent, please consider supporting the Pentecost Project, and all other FutureChurch programs, through our Advent Appeal. Help us create the church we long to see.
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This Advent, our Just Word authors are exploring communities of resistance and preparation as we lean into Advent in uncertain times: The Zapatista Movement, The Poor People's Campaign/ Unión de Vecinos, The Young Lords, and Black Reconstruction communities in the South. Please join us for an Advent of learning and preparation!
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December 15, 2024 | Third Sunday of Advent
Today Yarilynne Esther Regalado invites us to explore what is to be done in this season of Advent, with the example of the Young Lords; engage the message of today’s gospel in line with the solidarity actions of the Young Lords; and embody a turn toward solidarity and the needs of our neighbors with the help of contemplative questions.
"The Young Lords were a highly educated group of young people who studied Socialist and Marxist theory and were informed by revolutionary movements in Puerto Rico and across the globe. They struggled through big questions like how to bring about the fall of an exploitative imperial and capitalist system. But when they went door-to-door preaching this message to their family members and asking their neighbors what they needed, the Young Lords found that all their community wanted was for someone to pick up the trash that was piling up on their streets."
Yarilynne Esther Regalado (she/ella) is a U.S.-born daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and is the granddaughter of Ramonita and Rosario. She received her MDiv. from Union Theological Seminary this Spring of 2024. Yarilynne’s Masters thesis project focused on how Movement Chaplains and spiritual accompaniers can respond in solidarity to the current realities of migrant life in NYC. As a new member of the NYC Catholic Worker community, Yarilynne continues to stay connected with migrant justice work on the ground. Her collection of local resources, research, and future musings are captured in her new Substack: https://substack.com/@yregalado/posts
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December 15, 2024
Preaching for the Third Sunday of Advent - Gaudete Sunday - Kate Ward offers a reflection on letting God's joy find us in the stillness:
"Joy comes from resting in the presence of what is real: our God, our loved ones, the beauty of God’s creation. God help us to make do with less: less power, less wealth, less busy-ness and activity. On this Gaudete Sunday in Advent, lead us to the stillness where we find your joy."
Kate Ward is Associate Professor of theological ethics at Marquette University, working in areas including economic ethics, virtue ethics, fundamental moral theology and Catholic social thought. She lives in Milwaukee with her family, where they are parishioners of Our Lady of Divine Providence in the Riverwest neighborhood.
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| Honoring and Remembering Lucy Rieger |
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Lucy Rieger, a beloved friend of FutureChurch, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, on November 26, 2024 after a battle with cancer. Lucy was a faithful participant at many FutureChurch events, notably our Sunday evening online liturgies, often serving as a leader or reader. In this virtual space, Lucy’s kindness and generosity of spirit made sure everyone felt welcomed, embraced, and celebrated. Lucy was also a participant in FutureChurch’s 2019 pilgrimage to Rome and our 2020 pilgrimage to Greece. Her deep faith, sense of sacred connection to our foremothers in faith, and her genuine curiosity was a gift to all her fellow pilgrims. And this past October, she traveled with us as part of our “Mary Magdalene Goes to the Synod Project,” advocating for a saint for whom she had a deep devotion.
As we remember and honor Lucy we continue to lift up our prayers for her, her family, her friends, and her parish community:
Gather: This Sunday, December 15, (Gaudete Sunday) FutureChurch’s regularly-scheduled 7pm ET Online Liturgy of the Word will be inspired by Lucy. And at the time ordinarily scheduled for small group sharing, members of the community will offer remembrances and tributes to Lucy. We invite everyone to join us for this special celebration and encourage you to wear pink (the color of Gaudete Sunday). All are welcome. Zoom link to join is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89893572532?pwd=d1VUS0xHUTJ4OVpPYnJzT1RBQUZmZz09
Collaborative Online Memorial: All are invited to contribute to collaborative online memorial of Lucy. This is a space to share and view tributes, pictures, and videos of Lucy. https://www.forevermissed.com/ilovelucy
Save the date: Lucy’s birthday, March 4, aligns with Mardis Gras in 2025. So, save the date for an all-out online celebration hosted by her fellow pilgrims that will prepare us for our Lenten journeys the joyful-and-determined Lucy way.
View Lucy’s Funeral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI_cwBG54X4
And as we mark Saint Lucy’s Day, we leave you with this blessing written by our own Lucy herself:
May God's light shine on you and in you!
May your eyes be blessed to see creation and those in need
May your heart be lit with God's radiant love and
May the light of heaven guide you to joy!
Happy Feast of Saint Lucy.
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| Resources for the New Liturgical Year |
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Catholic Women Preach- Year C
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The final volume in the popular series featuring homilies on the Gospel readings for Sunday and holy days by Catholic women from around the world.
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The Inclusive Lectionary- Year C
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The Inclusive Lectionary is an excellent resource for worshipping communities of all kinds who are looking to include all of their members and exclude patriarchal language.
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| January 8, 2025 | 6:00pm 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 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.
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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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