In a time of division, violence and fear, how do we live the Gospel call to love our neighbor? Night One of FutureChurch’s 36th Annual Fall Event gathered our community around the question before us all: What is ours to do?

FutureChurch Executive Director Russ Petrus opened the evening with a welcome. He described the common good as “the Gospel lived out” and invited everyone to carry the question What is mine to do? Board member Angela Nevitt-Meyer then led an opening prayer, asking God to help us discern our part and to remember that we do not do it alone. A keynote panel of Catholic leaders then reflected on holy resistance, the boldness of women religious, and how our work for justice is woven together. They also took questions from the audience. Board member Rita Houlihan closed the evening with Sister Ruth Fox, OSB’s beloved blessing, which asks God to bless us “with the foolishness to think you can make a difference in this world.”

Panelists:

• Angela Howard McParland, Justice Team, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; co-founder, Nuns Against Gun Violence
• Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv., Bishop of Lexington, Kentucky; Bishop-President, Pax Christi USA
• Gabriel Lara, co-founder, Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership

Moderator: Daryl Grigsby, FutureChurch board member and author of Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering

Read the Transcript

More Resources

The resources below were mentioned during the panel discussion or shared in the chat during the Q&A.

• Sisters of Mercy Action Alerts
• Sisters of Mercy Voter Reflection Guide
• Catholic Social Teaching Voter Guide (Dorothea Project)
• Nuns Against Gun Violence
• Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL)
• The Dorothea Project
• Pax Christi USA
• Catholic Committee of Appalachia
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (USCCB)
• Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis
• Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis