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The Time Is Now: Let Mary Magdalene Preach the Resurrection

Written on . Posted in Mary of Magdala, Women In Church Leadership.

This Easter, FutureChurch is inviting parishioners to ask their pastor or pastoral leader to proclaim the full Resurrection Gospel, John 20:1–18, during Easter Sunday liturgy. 

Hearing the entire passage allows the Church to encounter the complete Easter story — including Jesus commissioning Mary Magdalene as the first witness and proclaimer of the Resurrection.

Rooted in paragraph 60 of the Synod on Synodality’s Final Document, this invitation reflects the Church’s call to give Scripture passages that tell women’s stories “adequate space” in the liturgy. 

To support you in making this request, FutureChurch has compiled a set of resources, including:

  • a sample, adaptable letter you can use to start the conversation
  • tips for approaching a pastor or pastoral leader
  • responses to common concerns and alternative ideas
  • practical and theological/pastoral reasons for proclaiming the full passage
  • a Mary Magdalene fact sheet

Use these resources, reach out to your pastoral leader, and help ensure that the Church’s first Easter preacher is fully heard this Easter.

The Time Is Now! Get the Resource.

Fill out the form below to be directed to the resource. 

FutureChurch Launches 35th Anniversary Year in Cleveland

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

By Christine Schenk, CSJ and Marie Graf

Over 100 long-time friends and supporters gathered in Cleveland on September 27 to kick off FutureChurch’s 35th Anniversary year.  This was the first of several events planned in various cities across the US in the coming year, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston,
and Washington, D.C.  

Former Cleveland board members, founding parish leaders, enthusiastic parishioners, women religious, and a few good priests gratefully  commemorated the lasting impact FutureChurch has had on church reform—here at home, internationally,  and in Rome.

In her opening prayer, FutureChurch program associate Martha Ligas reminded us that God is always present in every moment and that we find joy and purpose together. 

Marie Graf, FutureChurch Board Chair, thanked those present who were there 35 years ago: “We were a group of faithful and concerned Catholics from parishes across Cleveland who gathered with one simple purpose: to open the structures of ministry within the Church so that the Eucharist and the Sacraments would continue to be available to all Catholics.” FutureChurch was born from a grassroots movement  of parishioners, pastors and women religious who were concerned about our future as the Roman Catholic Church.

Led by Fr. Louis Trivison and Sr. Christine Schenk, our founding parishes—Church of the Resurrection, The Community of St. Malachi and St. Mark Parish—understood that the plummeting number of priests would have a debilitating effect on parish life.  They set out to educate and advocate for the changes needed to ensure the vitality of the Church.  They also quickly enlisted public support from an additional 25 parishes and religious organizations in the Diocese of Cleveland.

Graf  gratefully acknowledged the presence of three women religious from the  Congregation of Saint Joseph—Sisters Jeanne Cmolik, Marie Gillich and Kathy Thomas—whose  visionary leadership allowed Sr. Chris Schenk to become the organization’s founding executive director.  Still today,  the CSJ community continues its steadfast partnership support—both financially and through hosting events.  

Gratitude was also extended to Cleveland’s long-time office volunteers:  Kathy Rossman, Carol Anders, Fran DeChant, Maureen Cerny, and the late Helen Brinich, who faithfully showed up every week to do the work vital to every nonprofit.

Over the course of  35 years, many volunteers across the US and abroad also served in key committee roles and brought our programming dreams to life. With their help, FutureChurch grew from a largely regional organization to one with international standing in the global reform community.

Current Executive Director, Russ Petrus, gave a short history of FutureChurch beginning with how our foundational emphasis on the priest shortage informed subsequent programming. His carefully curated slide presentation featured FutureChurch initiatives that catalyzed significant systemic change, especially the Women in Church Leadership, St. Mary Magdalene, and  Save our Parish Community projects. 

Vigorous advocacy at synods of Bishops—including Director Emerita Deb Rose’s skilled activism at the Synod on the Family, the Synod on the Amazon and most recently the Synod on Synodality— created a space for laity to have a voice in church decision-making.  Throughout its history, FutureChurch has stayed grounded in its commitment to building a more just, inclusive Church.

Program associates Martha Ligas and Olivia Hastie each reflected on what being Catholic means to a younger generation. They spoke movingly about the challenges of committing to a flawed Church as well as the rewards of advocating for change.

Sr. Chris Schenk introduced the headline speaker,  Tom Roberts, an  award-winning journalist writer, and editor at the National Catholic Reporter.  

In  a  wide-ranging presentation Roberts emphasized the importance of asking big questions. He cited Pope Francis’s “stunning response” to a German journalist, who on a return trip from Africa,
asked if the church should consider lifting its prohibition on condoms. Francis could have dodged the question. Instead he replied:  

The question seems too small for me . . . The problem is bigger . . . It makes me think of the question they asked Jesus. ‘Tell me, master, is it licit to heal on the Sabbath?’  . . .  Malnutrition, exploitation of  persons, slave work, lack of drinking water—these are the problems . . . When people are dying, I would say not to ask if it is licit or illicit  to heal.  I say to humanity,  when all are healed , when there is not injustice in this world, we can speak, then, of the Sabbath.

Roberts touched on the magnitude of change in a Catholic church that has moved away from teaching that only Catholics can be saved,  to a church that understands that all spiritual traditions have something to offer: “Who could have imagined Pope Francis speaking to young people in Indonesia, making the strongest affirmation of that [Vatican II] teaching when he said, ‘All religions are paths to reach God. They are like different languages, different dialects to get there. But God is God for everyone … “

The take-away? “The church can change in big ways,”  said Roberts, who then suggested what that change might have to tell us about God: 

Our questions have to be bigger. I think in this era and this place, we must resist what so much religion, particularly US style of Christianity, Catholic and Protestant, does, to reduce God to a controlled entity that will fit into all our biases and ideologies, conservative and liberal. If we’re feeling too comfortable with our God, if we think we’ve got God figured out, then we’re very likely wrong about a lot of things.

Alluding to the ubiquitous “spiritual but not religious” phenomenon, Roberts referenced Canadian philosopher John Varghese who pointed out the dangers associated with our current disillusionment with institutions:  “What we’re losing is any way in which institutions can stand as bearers of tradition and places where there are exemplary role models for us.   The dangers of a ‘spiritual without religious,’ means the religion of me. And that carries with it all kinds of problems.”  

Varghese, said Roberts,  found hope in the growth of small groups around the globe—including churches and small religious communities—that  are promoting “all manner of human interests” and have the capacity to counter libertarian elements and revitalize institutions from the bottom up.  To this point, Roberts gave a shout out to FutureChurch’s Pentecost project: “I think there really is no better example of what [Varghese] is talking about than FutureChurch’s Pentecost project, celebrating new models of community.”

Roberts then offered sage advice in the pursuit of our FutureChurch mission:

Even in our deepest exasperation with the institutional structures, I would say, don’t throw it all away. Don’t walk completely away from it. Expand on it. Certainly,  keep asking deep and challenging questions up including of ourselves, but never stop appreciating the richness of what has brought us to these questions and the richness that sustains us in this moment.

In closing, this wise Catholic journalist first spoke of Jesus and then ended as he had begun—with the penetrating insight of Pope Francis:

[Jesus] wasn’t terribly obedient to the religious leaders of his day. And we do well to remember that his harshest words were reserved not for ordinary people, but for religious leaders who unduly burden people. We need to find the kinds of spaces he spent his time in and reach out to those people.

So let’s go to the margins, to those in need. Let’s keep the questions big and let’s not stop asking them. Let’s take care of each other. And when justice is done, then we can deal with the small stuff.

Praying with the Shepherd Within: An Advent Evening of Reflection with Father Anne

Written on . Posted in Justice In the Church, Women In Church Leadership.

On December 9, 2025, FutureChurch welcomed Father Anne who led an evening of reflection on the Incarnation to celebrate the ongoing mystery of Advent. Together we will explored some of the principles in the first section of her new book, The Shepherd Within, creating quiet time during to invite God to minister to us and teach us about God’s essential drive to incarnate into our lives to bring about goodness.

The evening was separated into three movements – each consisting of a brief presentation by Father Anne followed by time for personal reflection and prayer. We invite you to follow along with the video using the prayer guides below, pausing to take as much time in between the three movements as you need.

  1. Movement One – The Incarnation Principle
  2. Movement Two – Recognizing the Incarnation Principle in Our Lives
  3. Movement Three – Embracing Greater Fullness of Life

Learn more about and purchase Father Anne’s book at http://shepherdwithin.com 

About Father Anne

Father Anne was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2021 through a reform movement called the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. Because the Roman Catholic Church prevents the full participation of women in Church life, Father Anne was forced to choose between obedience to God and obedience to Church law. Choosing God, she was excommunicated, ending her career in the Church she loves. She now devotes her life to gender justice in one of the most powerful institutions in the world. Father Anne has a Master of Divinity from Jesuit School of Theology and a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from San Diego State University. Her deepest desire is to serve as a parish priest in the Roman Catholic Church. She works for the day this dream comes true.

Learn more at https://www.fatheranne.com/

Advent 2025: Entering into the Mystery of the Cosmic Christ

Written on . Posted in Emerging Models of Parish & Community Life, Online Liturgies of the Word.

FutureChurch has celebrated the 2025 Season of Advent by devoting our Sunday night Online Liturgy and Faith Sharing to exploring the mystery of the Cosmic/Universal Christ. Drawing on the rich theologies and spiritualities of writers like Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Ilia Delio, and Richard Rohr, we have reflected on how the Christ who has been present since the beginning of creation continues to be revealed in our evolving universe and in each of us today. Each week a member of our virtual community has led us in prayer and shared how the Cosmic Christ informs their spirituality. It has been a joy to prepare our hearts for the Incarnation in a way that expands our wonder, deepens our connections, and renews our hope for all creation.
The following worship materials were used in this series. We pray that they will bless you in your Advent journey.

“The Cosmic Christ” – Opening Song

Cosmic Christ – Lyrics by Norman Habel, 2004. Tune: New Britain/Amazing Grace. View the collection here.
[1] Amazing is the Christ who died
To void all sin and curse
Just as amazing is the life
That fills the universe.
[2] The risen Christ is more than one
Who waits on some far shore;
In, with and under ev’ry thing
Christ is the living core.
[5] The cosmos hails the Christ, the One
Who reconciles all things
‘Til all creation rises new
With healing in her wings.
[6] As Christ unites the universe
Restores this Earth once more
A cosmic song reverberates
A rich symphonic score.

Ariell Watson Simon’s Opening Remarks for The Solemnity of Christ of the Universe – November 23, 2025

We’re calling today’s solemnity “Christ of the Universe,” referencing the term “the Universal Christ.” But what does it mean to associate these two words – christ, and universe? And what does “King” have to do with it?

Well,  let’s start with a bit of context. This solemnity is actually a relatively new one on the church calendar. Unlike many feasts which go back centuries, it wasn’t until 1925 that the Pope instituted a “Feast of Christ the King.” 1925 was an era of rising sectarianism, nationalism, and fascism. Sound familiar? Yeah. The pope wanted Catholics around the world to remember that Christ is our true leader and our true allegiance, not any political party or figurehead. He used the word “King” to describe Christ, because this was a familiar symbol at the time, to illustrate that Christ was a leader, sovereign and unifying.  But of course, the “king” analogy is in other ways a poor one, because Christ’s leadership forgoes the trappings of wealth, power, and privilege that we associate with royalty. As today’s gospel reading illustrates, Christ doesn’t act as one would expect a king to act. Christ does not lead from above – not like a king on a throne, elevated above the people. This is not the historical Jesus, just floating somewhere above the clouds.  As Richard Rohr jokes “Christ isn’t just Jesus’s last name.”

When we talk about “Christ,” “Christ of the Universe,” or “the Cosmic Christ,” we’re talking about the Word of God, incarnate in the universe from its very inception. Today’s reading from Colossians tells us that “in Christ all things in heaven and on earth were created: everything visible and invisible…all things were created through Christ and in Christ…and now all things hold together in Christ.”

In other words, Christ infuses all of matter. And because the whole cosmos is made up of matter, Christ is in all. Universal.  

This idea has its roots in early Christianity and is reflected in the scriptures, but got lost in the Western church somewhere along the way. In the early 20th century, paleontologist and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrestled with how to understand God in a worldview informed by evolution. He coined the term “the Divine Milieu” to describe the world infused with God’s presence, and wrote about the entire world as a Holy Mass in which all of matter is Christ’s body. More recently, contemporary thinkers like Richard Rohr and Ilia Delio have brought these ideas into our century and explored them further in a blend of science and Christian mysticism. 

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, this FutureChurch community is going to explore together what it means to welcome the Cosmic Christ in Advent. From this perspective, the incarnation is not only the birth of one baby one time in Bethlehem. Christ is born in all, and through all. Our Advent journey is not simply about remembering, not simply about waiting. It is about awakening! Waking up to the presence of Christ in our midst, and clearing the path for Christ’s presence to grow among us, until it reaches its fullness in God’s kin-dom of peace and justice. 

In 1925, the world needed a reminder of who was really in charge – that Christ, the peaceful one, leads from within as the animating force of the universe. 

Today, one hundred years after that first Feast of Christ the King, we have again fallen asleep to the truth of the Universal Christ. On this solemnity, let us awaken anew to the presence of Christ Incarnate.

Cosmic Christ Advent Prayer – Closing prayer by Ariell Watson Simon

O Christ,
By your Incarnation the cosmos was formed,
The stars born, and the Earth established.
Open our eyes to see your Light inside all that is.
Cosmic Christ, create us!

O Christ,
Through the deepening of your Incarnation,
You revealed your presence among us,
The divine made manifest in the form of a child.
Bring your Light to birth anew.
Cosmic Christ, dwell with us!

O Christ,
In the fullness of your Incarnation,
Your presence will one day break forth,
Reuniting all the whirling elements of the universe in yourself.
Awaken in us the expectation of the dawning of your Light.
Cosmic Christ, come!

Amen.

First Sunday of Advent Introductory Remarks by Rosemary Marusak

Awakening to God in All things

The readings this week, along with our theme of the Cosmic Christ, inspired me to start our Advent journey asking how each of us can awaken ourselves to God being in All Things, in other words, awakening ourselves to God’s Spirit both within us and in everything around us, which is communicating with us and calling us to be co-creators with God towards the Good.

My personal journey with this began when I first heard Richard Rohr describe the creation of the Cosmos as the first incarnation, the point when God first “joined in unity with the physical universe” or in other words, when God’s Spirit first joined with matter. As a scientist, I asked, “what does this mean?” So I began reading the works of Jesuit priest, theologian, and paleontologist, Teilhard de Chardin, and in his book, “The Phenomenon of Man (or the Human Phenomenon)” he stated something that I, a chemist, found absolutely remarkable:  “The volume of each [atom] is the volume of the universe”. Reflecting on this I wondered, “is this a link between science and my faith?”  I thought of the Jesuit, St. Stanislaus Kostka’s “Finding God in All Things” when in 1568 he said, “I find a heaven in the midst of saucepans and brooms”?  Maybe I find heaven in the midst of chemistry and atoms.

Physicists describe the beginning universe as a baseball size fireball of extremely dense pure energy, 1027 times hotter than our sun and containing the brightness of 2 x 1023 stars. And from this energy [expanding over 13.8 billion years], has evolved all matter that we observe in the universe, the stars, our planets, our Earth, ourselves.  By reason and by faith, Teilhard de Chardin, Richard Rohr and Ilia Delio call this original fireball of energy that contains the universe, God’s heart or the Spirit or consciousness of God. And that is how all matter, including ourselves coinhere with God’s Presence. Learning of this was absolutely astonishing and life changing for me. By the very nature of the atoms of which we are composed, God is within me and God is in all things outside of me. God is, therefore, so very close, communicating and comforting always. I started looking and listening for God everywhere, and by doing this practice regularly, in gratitude for even the smallest of things, I gained a new love and respect for all of creation. With this new lens, I started grieving for the Earth with climate change and the destruction through war, of people and the materials through which God communicates and brings them comfort. I learned that each of us are unique, co-creators with God and that there is great hope that comes with understanding that we can help guide our future towards the Good if we find, listen to and align ourselves with God in All things.

In our second reading, St Paul says, “it is now the hour for [us] to wake from sleep”. Can we spend this Advent awakening to God in all things? Isaiah in our first reading says, ‘beat swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks’. Can we use the precious materials that are leant to us on this Earth for the Good? Jesus says in the Gospel reading, ‘Be vigilant! …The Promised One is coming at the time you least expect.”  Can we find God’s Spirit in all matter and materials now, and in thanksgiving, enjoy the amazing gift of matter through which God calls us into friendship? Fr. Phil Cooke, SJ of the Midwest Jesuits offers this “readiness prayer” to help us: “Jesus, I don’t know when You will come again. Send your Spirit and prepare me here and now!”

In the remaining weeks of Advent, our leaders will journey us through ways of discovering and listening to God as we await the birth of Jesus, God’s second incarnation – God’s Word and Consciousness expressed through Christ fully human.

QUESTION for Breakout rooms:

Each of us is unique in how God communicates with us. What is the most important way God communicates with you? How can you spend more time in conversation with God this Advent?

First Sunday of Advent Opening Prayer:

Expansive God,
Through your heart of Love,
Our universe is created
and our lives are transformed by your friendship.
Awaken us to your presence in all things,
So that we may walk in your light
As co-creators of peace and justice.
We make this prayer through Jesus, Christ made flesh,
who lives and thrives with you and with us all
In the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Second Sunday of Advent Introductory Remarks by Carrie Roach

Who do you see in your imagination when hearing these words/ phrases?
Sass,
Chutzpah,
United in joy,
interiority,
burning love
diversification
complexity with no clinging?

In your imaginative exercise, is a  Cosmic Christ created?

Privileged as an economically circular based ,certified , environmental science teacher with a  graduate degree in theology , in 1995, one of my most powerful moments  was  when, Ms. Napoli,  our brilliant vice principal,  announced,   she was moving on.  JoAnn shared with us as her faculty and staff that the “only certainty in life is change.”  “To fear change is to fear life.”

Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis ‘ Genesis Farm in New Jersey unveils teachings of the unstuck Jesuit Priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.  What a blessing to learn of this  stretcher barer on the “ Front” during World War One. Sister Miriam worked with   Fr. Thomas Berry, a Passionist Priest whose work was our core curriculum at IPM.   Ethics of Earth Care gave perspective within our  South Florida late 1980’s unsafe  HIV-Aids epidemic space. What a testament to  the gospel message .   So many young people were mysteriously dying from the unknown virus. Professionals from every arena were my  peers.  What an amazing practical theological setting.  Our green institute of pastoral ministry, IPM, lived Teilhard ‘s three values of an evolutionary thriving:  differentiation, subjectivity within the safe space of communion.  A generation later,  Sister Ilia Delio’s book:  The Not Yet God explains again that without evolution,  religion dies and without religion, evolution is BLIND. (p. 241)

I do not want to be stuck or blind.  I hope to grow  and own my  becoming.

Upstanding as one  more different, special and in community, seems like the natural flow as one who is now more physically disabled.  I desire to continue the process to  develop within a sense of wholeness.

Our readings  this week invite us to trust in transformational change.  Transitions are an indication of our flourishing. To fear change is to fear life.

“May all your transitions be joyous.” *

“Joy is the sure sign of the presence of the sacred.”

Second Sunday of Advent Opening Prayer:

O God,
You created the universe in infinite diversity
Even as your Spirit binds all together in unity.
Within your very trinitarian personhood,
You hold differentiation in communion.

Open our hearts to transformation,
That in this dynamic world,
We would embrace complexity over contradiction,
To welcome your peace
And see the wolf lay down with the lamb.

Grant this through Christ
– whose presence is already inbreaking among us,
and whose fullness draws near –
who lives and thrives with you and with us all
In the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Third Sunday of Advent Introductory Remarks by Pat Pickett

“Caitlyn” (name changed to protect her privacy) is a child who is doubly diagnosed with severe autism and ADHD. When she attends ABLE TOGETHER, our ministry for neurodiverse children, Caitlyn does nothing but run, giggle, jump for three straight hours when she’s with us.

One Saturday a few weeks ago, we were on overload.

There was a crash, a chair is flipped and Caitlyn runs in, slams both arms on one of the tables and I hold my breath. She picks up a brush and roller. There is paint in bowls and I close my eyes. But, it is quiet. It is dead silent. Caitlyn is painting a picture.

Then, she’s finished. Up she jumps! She starts running. Then she stops. I put her picture on the drying table.  She runs, gets it and gives it to me again. I tell her it needs to dry. She picks it up again and with both hands gives it to me. She is insistent! I am to take/keep her picture. When I hold her picture, promising to keep it, she runs off.

The volunteers looked at me, and me them. What happened? I guess maybe God TALK happened and we didn’t even realize until it was over. Caitlyn was talking to God, and maybe God was talking through Caitlyn. Caitlyn had experienced that thrill of creation and being in touch with someone beyond herself. Her joy, and the joy we each felt at that moment was tangible.

Most of us use words as our symbols to communicate. But before words, like Caitlyn, we shared our feelings through gestures and sounds and coloring on paper. There was color in those early drawing we made which were so expressive but cutoff just as we were learning to love our creativity. As adults we tell ourselves, “I’m not an artist.” Thing is – you were made in God’s image and creativity comes with that! We participate in the Cosmic Christ when we co-create with God.

Visio Divina is a way of wordless prayer. Twin of Lectio Divina it takes us into Mystery through color and objects. It helps us move to that earlier time in our lives when no words, but our early expressions brought us into contact with Mystery. We were all born creative and expressive, like Caitlyn, and like God. That creativity never left.

Color is inclusive; it speaks to everyone in their own vernacular. When we express ourselves in color, we meet the Cosmic Christ in an uncluttered love.

Today we celebrate Gaudete, the Advent feast of Joy associated with the vibrancy of the color pink. For the next few moments, I invite you to pray through Visio Divina while looking at Caityln’s picture, and listening to a piece of music recorded by our FutureChurch community member Sonja on her harp. This picture is raw joy from all of us, from Caitlyn and from God. This is Gaudette!

So relax, Take a few moments to let these colors speak to you and allow yourself to respond.

Caitlyn’s Gaudete – image for Visio Divina

Third Sunday of Advent Opening Prayer:

Creator God,
Through your inbreaking the wilderness blossoms,
The nonverbal become expressive,
And our fearful hearts break forth with joy.

Open our eyes to the color you put in our lives.
Free our creativity,
That our prayer and witness
to the joy of the Gospel
Would transcend words.

To all who long for Christ’s fullness,
Grant perseverance and patience,
That we may announce by our lives
The good news of your kin-dom.

Fourth Sunday of Advent Opening Remarks by Sonja Grace:

Sonja Grace is author of Garlands from ashes – healing from clergy abuse, (a collection of healing journeys told by 18 courageous women and men in New Zeland), published 1996.

Where is the Cosmic Christ being born today, in our time?”

Our holy womb is where the soul of the incoming child or idea, like a seed is invited to gestate. In the depths of winter, when nature is still and quiet, it is a special time for retreating inwards, descending within to listen to the cosmic feminine Christ residing deep within our womb/heart.

As we reflect on Mary, let us consider the young pregnant mothers today in Palestine. The women who have lost their homes, their land, are living in tents made of plastic sheets which don’t keep out the rain, snow, or the biting, cold winds. The recent heavy rains have meant their tent is awash with mud. The baby clothes have been ruined, the recently bought nappies, baby formula and what remains of food are now all unusable. Still the divine feminine force insists on giving birth to new life.

One might ask, Why?

These people, who have lost hope in a never ending war, say we are now just bodies without souls. For them, a new life brings joy, brings the blessing of love in a place, surrounded by devastation. For those who have lost so much, what is most important for them remains their family and God. Where love is, there is God.

I can reflect on my own life. When I was pregnant for the first time, I was not married, because the Church refused to marry us.  I had just left an abusive relationship and was dossing down with various friends. And yet, despite everything, I bore a healthy girl. At the time I was riddled with guilt, it felt wrong to be blessed with a living baby, when I had not much materially to offer. A woman who had everything, a home, a nursery for the baby to be, a supportive husband. She finally managed to carry a baby to full term. Yet, it was born dead. She was devastated. I asked God, Why me? Why have I been blessed and not her?

I can only say, giving birth taught me how to be a mother and how to love. It was to be another twenty five years before my father freely hugged me. Children teach those of us who have never known love, how to love so that we may freely share our love with others.

When the feminine Christ emerges, it is not just about giving birth to children, it is also about giving birth to new ideas, new creations – be it with the written word in a poem, a story, planting a garden, composing music, singing a new song. The love of Christ shines through us in the darkest of times. The divine feminine love is strong, it is powerful, it is courageous and creative. It brings blessings to many.

Through acknowledging the sanctity of our holy wombs let us transmit love, peace and justice through all of our creations out into our world, instead of violence and trauma.

For me, I have found the Cosmic Christ in prison inmates, and in the homeless living on the streets of our cities.

I would like to end with sharing a song, Lost my Job. I wrote this song to capture the words of one woman living on the streets. I’d like us to imagine the word “wine“ standing for love?

Lost my job,
Couldn’t pay the rent,
Thrown out onto the streets, in the city.
Welcome angel into my home without walls?
My  home without walls.

Refrain: Dreaming, dreaming of turning water into wine.
Dreaming, dreaming of turning water into wine.

Enough to feed the whole wide world.

Refrain:

There’d be no more hunger.
Everyone be smilin’.

Refrain:

Fourth Sunday of Advent Opening Prayer:

Eternal God,
In the evolution of the cosmos,
In the words of scripture,
And in the prophetic dreams of your people,
You promise your abiding presence with us.
Through the holy womb of woman,
The Divine is born into our world.
Fill us with your Divine Life in every circumstance,
That we may learn from you the way of Love.

More Resources:

To learn more about the Cosmic/Universal Christ, here is brief list of suggested resources in the chat as a launching point for further learning:
A sign at Wheaton reads "All Are Welcome"

Wheaton Franciscans Create an Invitational Church

Written on . Posted in Emerging Models of Parish & Community Life.

by Sharon Niemet

It all began with an invitation to an energy group. In 2013, a group of 14 Wheaton Franciscan sisters and Covenant Companions (laypeople who have made a public commitment to the community) met to discuss the meaning of an invitational church. They gathered to explore these questions:

  • As Franciscans, we have been called to “rebuild the church.”
  • As Wheaton Franciscans, we are called to be “a presence of blessing.”
  • As People of God, how are we expressing our empowerment and responsibility to “be Church?”

Since those early days, the Invitational Church Circle was born and has evolved to embrace the perspectives of the people served (including a growing digital community) and those not yet known but who seek a welcoming community of faith. Circle members represent all facets of the Wheaton Franciscan community, including the Regional Leadership Team; Charism and Mission; Tau Center (spirituality center); Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation; Religious Formation; Liturgy; Covenant Companions; Congregation of Jesus and Poor Clare sisters residing with the Wheaton Franciscans; and Building and Administration. Remarkably, three of the original members from 2013 are still active with the circle today.

Living the invitation

In April 2023, the intention statement was updated to reflect the circle’s scope more accurately:

The intention of Invitational Church Circle is to respond to the urgent call of the spirit to
create a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community where faith journeys are
nurtured and shared through ritual, kinship, and service.

The circle discusses and plans various ways to engage the faith community, friends, and digital followers, creating a welcoming space both in person and online. Some events, such as feast days and the annual Jubilee celebrating the anniversaries of sisters and Covenant Companions, follow time-honored traditions. Other activities are dreamed up and tried, such as a concert by Jesse Manibusan, composer, singer-songwriter, storyteller, and evangelizer to celebrate the Season of Creation or an outdoor walking event to celebrate peace and justice.

The circle, with input from others, develops an annual theme and logo to help focus efforts and create a cohesive message for those it serves. This annual theme is then tailored for special seasons such as Lent/Easter, Season of Creation, and Advent/Christmas.

The Wheaton Franciscan 2025 theme centered on the Jubilee Year theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” and the 800th Anniversary of the Canticle of Creation.

The weekly Eucharistic celebrations bring joy and comfort for individuals and families seeking a spiritual home. Special prayer services, from Taizé to Prayers of Hope, unite people of faith in responding to the needs of our world today.

First Sundays feature fellowship after liturgy, known as “Coffee &…”, where people gather for friendly conversation over coffee and breakfast foods. The circle works hard to create opportunities for sisters, covenant companions, faith community members, and visitors to connect and open doors for contemplation and action.

As part of the 2025 Lenten activities, household supplies were packed and donated to local refugee families.

Some of the most popular Invitational Church events involve generous giving, such as collecting food for Thanksgiving baskets, gift cards to brighten the Christmas celebrations of those in need, a Lenten donation drive for newly arrived refugees, and donations of items for a local animal shelter during the annual pet blessing on the feast of St. Francis (Oct. 4). People from all walks of life come together to celebrate gratitude and extend generosity to their neighbors.

The Wheaton Franciscans have a peaceful and lovingly landscaped campus, so some activities occur outdoors. People are invited to enjoy the serenity of the St. Clare Garden, walk the labyrinth, and stroll through the Peace Path.

The St. Clare Garden features a labyrinth for quiet meditation and reflection.

 

During the 2025 Earth Day celebration, guests were invited to help plant a new tree.

A master calendar for planning and evaluation

The circle produces a master calendar of events that guides the use of space, time, resources, and potential participation. The calendar also features regional and national events — such as Interfaith Week, Catholic Sisters Week, and Charism Carrier Week — to help spot opportunities for collaboration and shared learning.

The circle also analyzes and reflects on completed events, querying if those activities served the community and exploring better ways to accomplish their goals.

“We try not to overschedule, but we also try to offer what our community needs. If we are not thoughtful in scheduling, we defeat our desire to be welcoming and invitational. This collaboration and coordination are increasingly important in our post-pandemic hybrid world,” explains Jeanne Connolly, the circle’s convener and Director of Charism and Mission.

Being agile in an ever-changing world

Every meeting, the circle members ask, “What more can we do to open our doors?” The isolating days of the pandemic taught valuable lessons in how to stay connected and how to quickly adapt to using digital resources. Zoom meetings and livestreamed liturgies began out of necessity during those days but are still used today to connect with those who live far away or are physically unable to attend in-person events.

“Invitational Church Circle is always on the move, making things happen and looking to strengthen vital connections among our sisters, covenant companions, faith community, friends, and those simply knocking on our door or visiting our website. We hope that everyone feels the Franciscan love and hospitality that guides our work,” notes Sr. Mary Lou Wirtz, Regional Directress.

To learn more about the Wheaton Invitational Church Circle,
contact Jeanne Connelly at jconnolly@wfsisters.org.

Who are the Wheaton Franciscans?

We are a community of vowed sisters and covenant companions (laypersons) who live the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and our foundress, Mother M. Clara Pfaender. Through our shared commitment to Franciscan contemplative presence and service, we strive to be a blessing in the heart of the world.

 To learn more, visit www.wheatonfranciscan.org

Do you know of or belong to a community that you would like to see highlighted? Reach out to Martha at martha@futurechurch.org.

FutureChurch: Commission’s Assessment on Women Deacons a Failure of Courage, Synodality, and Leadership

Written on . Posted in Press Releases.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Russ Petrus, Executive Director
russ@futurechurch.org | 216-228-0869 x2

Today the Vatican released the findings of the latest commission to study women deacons. While the commission states it cannot issue a “definitive judgment,” its assessment at this time is that women cannot be admitted to the diaconate “understood as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders.” This conclusion is a disappointing failure of courage, synodality, and pastoral leadership. 

At a moment when the global Church is in urgent need of reform and renewal, particularly on the role of women in the Church, the commission’s report reflects an institutional reluctance to engage fully with both the historical evidence and the current pastoral needs of the People of God as well as an unwillingness to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through the experiences of women and the Synod process. 

The commission side-stepped decades of scholarship and abundant evidence showing that women were ordained as deacons in the early Church and beyond in favor of reinforcing patriarchal barriers to actualizing women’s full baptismal equality and participation in the life and ministry of the Roman Catholic Church.

Equally troubling is the commission’s claim that the 22 written submissions “[representing] few countries” it received after the Synod invited input “cannot be considered the voice of the Synod, much less of the People of God as a whole.” This statement fits a pattern of secrecy and obfuscation of this particular topic, ignoring more than a decade of calls from around the world to restore women deacons and the consistent raising of women’s ordination in global listening sessions as a part of the Synod on Synodality. 

After the question of women deacons was moved to Study Group Five, FutureChurch – joined by Women’s Ordination Conference and the Association of US Catholic Priests – sent a letter to Pope Francis, the Synod office, and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith requesting that they consider the full body of scholarship on women deacons while reevaluating past biases on the subject rooted in clericalism. 

FutureChurch notes the commission’s admission that the question remains unresolved. This lack of closure only underscores what the faithful already know: the Holy Spirit is not finished with this issue, even if the commission is. And so, FutureChurch once again calls on Church leaders to engage the global Church honestly, to reckon with historical truth, and to finally open pathways for women’s sacramental ministry. 

As long as the Church refuses to affirm women’s gifts and recognize their vocations to ordained ministry, it will continue to undermine its credibility and mission. Catholics around the world — especially women who serve, preach, and lead — deserve more.

 

The Spirit Still Speaks: New Voices for Reform

Written on . Posted in Emerging Models of Parish & Community Life, Justice In the Church, Uncategorized.

On November 19, 2025 FutureChurch hosted a powerful conversation with a panel of young thinkers and activists. Moderated by Shannon K. Evans, Katie Gordon, Maxwell Kuzma, Medene Presley, and Yunuen Trujillo shared their experiences, insights, and hopes for a more just, inclusive, and Spirit-led Church.

Key points: 

  • Speaking from his perspective as a convert to Catholicism from the Afro-Pentecost tradition, Medene J.R. Presley comments on how the Church can reach out to communities it has hurt and alienated, noting that simply issuing documents isn’t enough.
  • As someone who occupies many Catholic spaces, Yunuen Trujillo addresses the need for progressive Catholics to open their minds and spaces to true intersectionality and inclusivity as one way to confront the pervasiveness of white Christian nationalism.
  • Reflecting on his journey as a transgender Catholic, Maxwell Kuzma discusses the role of personal discernment and intergenerational solidarity so that we can show up unapologetically in Catholic spaces as our true, authentic selves.
  • Katie Gordon reflects on her work with Nuns and Nuns and her relationships with different communities of women religious to share insights about how faith communities grow, evolve, and change.

More about our panelists:

Shannon K. Evans is the spirituality and culture editor at National Catholic Reporter and the author of the books The Mystics Would Like a Word, Feminist Prayers for My Daughter, and Rewilding Motherhood. With interest in ecofeminism, social change and contemplative practice, Shannon leads workshops and retreats across the country that spark curiosity and compassion. She and her family make their home in central Iowa.

  • Katie Gordon is a spiritual seeker inspired by monastic tradition. She is the Coordinator of Monasteries of the Heart, an online movement that translates Benedictine wisdom for contemporary seekers. Katie is often experimenting with new ways of co-creating community outside of traditional religious forms, including her previous projects like Nuns & Nones and the Formation Project. She is most inspired by Benedict as a model of “living otherwise” today, and writes about this and more on her Substack, Following the Monastic Impulse.
  • Maxwell Kuzma is a writer, advocate, and podcast host exploring what it means to be transgender, Catholic, and committed to justice. A columnist for National Catholic Reporter and board member of DignityUSA, he centers LGBTQ+ voices in the Church and reimagines Catholic theology through a liberatory lens. He has been interviewed by press such as the NYTimes and BBC on queer and trans Catholic identity, church reform, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
  • Medene J.R. Presley is from Sacramento, CA; born and raised in the Afro-Pentecostal Christian tradition, but in 2018, was received into the Catholic Church while studying in seminary. He holds a Bachelors of Psychology from William Jessup University; a Masters of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology, and is currently pursuing a second Masters in Clinical Psychology at Loyola Marymount University.  Medene researches the integration of psychology and theology, moral/practical theology, and pastoral counseling.  He is the co-founder of the God Talk with Medene and James podcast.  Moreover, he is a religious educator, campus minister, and community service director at a private Catholic high school in Los Angeles.
  • Yunuen Trujillo is a lay minister, faith-based community organizer, and immigration attorney. With over 15 years of experience in young adult ministry, she currently serves as the Religious Formation Coordinator (Spanish) for the Catholic Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Persons of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Yunuen has worked with L.A. Voice PICO, a faith-based organization focused on creating a society that reflects the dignity of all, advocating for immigration reform, criminal justice reform, and increased resources for education. She is a board member of New Ways Ministry and FutureChurch. Yunuen is also the author of LGBT Catholics: A Guide to Inclusive Ministry, published in English and Spanish by Paulist Press.

Prayers: