On a chilly Wednesday evening this past week members of the FutureChurch community gathered at the Community of St. Peter to celebration the launch of the Catholic Women Preach Cycle C publication. Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ, offered remarks placing the Catholic Women Preach project in the larger context of women’s wisdom throughout history and in the history of FutureChurch, and then a panel of brilliant women including Lisa Frey, Vickey McBride, Brenna Davis, and Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer shared about their experiences of preaching. But it was a question at the end of the night that had me on the edge of my seat:

“Why stay with the patriarchy?”

Essentially, this questioner hoped to hear reflections from the panelists on why they stay rooted in Catholicism when other denominations have more opportunities for women in leadership. I found their responses resonant and beautiful, so I decided to share a few excerpts here: 

“The Catholic Church has made me who I am. And I think I’m a decent person. I care about good things. I’ve been formed in this good and meaningful way, and I care about justice. There’s so much beauty in the Catholic Church, and I can’t throw that away. It’s shaped me into who I am. For better or worse, I’m stuck, and need to figure out from the inside what to do about it.”

“Speaking as an ordained Catholic woman, I think we’ve all spent some time with our dear friends in the Episcopal Church. As for myself, I took a 6 month break to spend some time with [a female Episcopal priest], and she said something to me that was life-changing. She sat down with me and said. 'if you feel called to pursue ordination in the Episcopal church, I’ll call the vocation office right now, because you clearly have a vocation. But you need to discern, are you being called to be Episcopalian, or are you being called to be Catholic in a new way?' And that was just life-changing for me. I continue to consider myself a Catholic because it’s who I am, and it’s what I know, and it’s what I love.”

“I’ve stayed because I’ve learned as time has gone on that the Catholic experience is so much wider than any one of our perspectives. I continue to stay because I want to discover the authentic Catholicism that is in me, and I want to continue to find people that can show me a different face of Christ. And there are faces of Christ in other denominations, in other communities. But this is where I ended up, so I am going to bloom where I have been planted.”

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024 FutureChurch hosted an in-person Launch Event for Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices, Renewing the Church – Cycle C at the beautiful worship space of the wonderful Community of Saint Peter.

FutureChurch founding executive director and award-winning author, Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ, offered remarks placing the Catholic Women Preach project in the larger context of women’s wisdom throughout history and in the history of FutureChurch.

And our panel of four Cleveland-area preachers offered inspiration and hope:

• Brenna Davis is director of Education for Justice and environmental initiatives for the Ignatian Solidarity Network. She contributed preaching for 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and is featured in the Year C book.
• Lisa Frey served in ministry at Church of the Resurrection in Solon 30+ years. She now serves as a spiritual care coordinator for Hospice of the Western Reserve. Her preaching for the 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time is featured in the Year C book.
• Vickey McBride currently serves as the chair of the FutureChurch board of trustees and is Director of Pastoral Care for the Sisters of Notre Dame in Chardon, OH. Vickey has preached 3 times for Catholic Women Preach – for the 2^nd and 3^rd Sundays of Lent and for the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
• Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer is founding pastor of the Community of St. Hildegard in Fairport Harbor. She was ordained a Roman Catholic Womenpriest in 2019 after a 22 year career in ministry for the Diocese of Cleveland. She contributed preaching for the Fifth Sunday of Lent and for the Memorial of St. Hildegard in 2017.

Visit https://orbisbooks.comto purchase any or all three volumes of the “Catholic Women Preach” series.

Join FutureChurch for this time of reflection as we explore how John of the Cross’s Dark Night can help us trust and cooperate with God.

"And now its winter, winter in America." These words by poet and musician Gil Scott Heron describe many people's experiences in our current social landscape and as we approach Advent 2024. The season of winter can be cold, dark, and feel isolating and paralyzing. But it is also a time when seeds of life are lying dormant to sprout when the time is right. Our gathering will explore how John of the Cross's teaching on the Dark Night can help to trust and to cooperate with God during these disorienting days. Our time together will involve sharing, silent prayer, and presentation.

About our Retreat Leaders:

Laurie Cassidy, Ph.D. is a theologian and anti-racist activist and currently teaches in the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University. Cassidy was associate professor in religious studies department at Marywood University in Scranton. Her books include, Desire Darkness and Hope: Theology in a Time of Impasse (2022) edited with M. Shawn Copeland and most recently Praying for Freedom: Racism and Ignatian Spirituality in America (2024). Her activism is rooted in contemplative practice and for almost forty years she has engaged this connection through spiritual direction, retreats, and workshops across the United States. Cassidy also studied at the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA and is a trained mindfulness facilitator. Her research, teaching and writing explore the political and cultural impact of Christian mysticism in personal and social transformation.

Elise Gower (she/her) is personally and professionally committed to cultivating intentional community around the tradition and values of Ignatian spirituality. Her career has been focused in ministry, community engagement, and leadership development. She has extensive experience working in Jesuit higher education and the USA East Jesuit Province. Elise is drawn to the art of sacred storytelling and its value in collective antiracism work and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Elise centers queer inclusion in faith spaces. She is currently pursuing a master’s in clinical social work to explore the interconnectedness of mental health and spirituality.

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.