In this second session of our Lent series, we pray with and for the Immigrant and Refugee community, who face increasing threats to their dignity, freedom, lives, and livelihoods.
Developed in collaboration with the FutureChurch team, our prayer service was led by Mayra Cervantes, Damaris Molina, Giovanni Perez, Maria Luna, Yolanda Chavez. The reflection is offered by Yunuen Trujillo, a faith-based community organizer, immigration attorney, and FutureChurch board member.
The series will continue to unfold over this sacred season as we pray with and for vulnerable populations and see where our gifts and joys might meet their needs. Learn more at https://futurechurch.org/lent-2025.
In this second session of our Lent series, we pray with and for the LGBTQ+ community, who are still struggling for their rightful welcome and inclusion in the church even as they face emerging threats in society. We lift up our lamentations, our love, and our intentions as we stand in solidarity with this community.
We thank the members of the larger FutureChurch network who so beautifully helped us pray:
Leaders: Sarah Hansman, Sarah Morris, Isabel Thurston
Readers: Max Kuzma, Christine Zuba, Michael Sennett
The series will continue to unfold over this sacred season as we pray with and for vulnerable populations and see where our gifts and joys might meet their needs. Learn more at https://futurechurch.org/lent-2025.
Inspired by the Anointing Woman of Mark’s Gospel (14:3-9), who – in Jesus’ words – “did what she could,” FutureChurch is offering several opportunities designed to help each of us prayerfully discern how we are being called to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable and marginalized and to uphold and defend the dignity of all people.
In this first session, FutureChurch’s Martha Ligas offers an imaginative reflection on the anointing woman and helps us to discern what gifts we have been given and what brings us joy.
The series will continue to unfold over this sacred season as we pray with and for vulnerable populations and see where our gifts and joys might meet their needs. Learn more at https://futurechurch.org/lent-2025.
At a time when Catholic sisters are less and less visible in the spaces where they were historically called to minister, Srs. Erin McDonald, CSJ and Colleen Gibson, SSJ have taken to the airwaves to spread the charism of their congregations. Through the power of modern day streaming, since November 2022 the voices of this dynamic duo can be found through the speakers in your car, earbuds, or living room as they interview various theologians, ministers, and other people of faith on real life issues in our world today. From anti-death penalty activist Sr. Helen Prejan to modern iconographer Kelly Latimore to transgender Catholic writer Max Kuzma, Sr. Erin and Sr. Colleen invite a wide range of guests to discuss questions of faith and to share about how their faith catalyzes their ministry. While the podcast has been growing in popularity, the co-hosts are very clear about the purpose of their ministry. “We’re not about being successful and popular,” Sr. Erin shared modestly. “It’s about creating meaningful content and expressing who we are. It’s about creating dynamic, meaningful dialogue that feels important and needed in this time.”
“Beyond The Habit” hosts, Srs. Erin McDonald, CSJ (right) and Colleen Gibson, SSJ (left) pose back to back.
During each hour-long podcast, the co-hosts engage in authentic and unscripted dialogue with their guests. “It’s part of our core principles,” says Sr. Colleen, “to be candid, to be vulnerable, to be honest, to build community.” And sometimes, this means the co-hosts themselves become transfixed by the conversation. “There are times when I’m so engrossed in what someone is sharing,” admitted Sr. Erin. “And sometimes it brings up so many feelings, emotions, reactions or thoughts that I almost forget to ask a question!” And in the back-and-forth that seems to come so naturally to the duo, Sr. Colleen continued, “I’m also always aware that there’s a ‘fourth body’ in the room, which is the listener. […] And so I think it’s about balancing out what is of interest to me and facilitating a conversation for our listeners. We have to consider how to create content or facilitate a conversation that is for somebody who doesn’t have a voice in the conversation. What questions would they want to ask, what information would they like to get from this person? And so we do our best to try to give them voice in some way.” This is one of the ways that the co-hosts work to build community, despite the fact that their listeners are tuning in from across the country and around the world. In addition to being aware of that fourth listener “in the room,” Srs. Colleen and Erin encourage listeners to complete listener surveys and reach-out to them via email. The co-hosts are also buoyed by listeners who are inspired to form their own local communities in which to continue the conversation, whether it be parishes, classrooms, or groups of friends. While the ripple-effect of this encouragement is hard to measure, says Sr. Erin, they hope that “certainly to some degree, anecdotally, we know that what we’re doing is inspiring others to connect and to create interesting connections with other people.” Building community is a pillar of their work, and the sisters believe that through the conversations their listeners will remember that they aren’t alone in their questions of faith. Sr. Erin continued, “an ultimate hope is that this is content that is in some way inspires people to have hope, to see that there are other people in the Catholic Church who are grappling with these questions and tension points, that are rummaging around for God in all of this, and that together on this journey of unioning love and reconciliation there is hope for a better world.”
Quote by Sister Colleen Gibson, CSJ
In addition to building community and providing a safe space for questions, through the conversations that are facilitated during each recording Sr. Colleen and Sr. Erin have a strong desire to help their listeners grow closer to the Divine. “Another ultimate hope,” shared Sr. Erin, “is that Beyond the Habit is creating moments where people are feeling perhaps a bit more connected to God and their faith journey and a bit more connected to others in their life, and that it inspires some sense of how each person might connect more deeply with God and with the dear neighbor.” In order to support their listeners on this faith journey, the co-hosts make a point of not straying from controversial topics, but rather engaging the real and authentic stories of individuals in order to put a human face— or rather, voice– to various issues. “Beautiful and perfect creations of God that we all are,” shared Erin, “I think there’s something sacred in hearing and holding someone’s story.” And it is in the sharing of these stories that Srs. Erin and Colleen invite listeners to grow closer to God and one another. “Our holiness and our wholeness,” adds Sr. Colleen, “is not dependent just on ourselves, and if you think that your relationship with God is just about you and God, then you’ve missed the third part of the triangle. You’ve missed other people. There’s the great grace of being able to hold the stories of the people who we interview, but I think even more so to be able to hold the stories, the ones we know and the ones we don’t know, of the people who listen.” Through honest dialogue, vulnerable story-telling, and frequent reminders of our connections to one another, the co-hosts of Beyond the Habit have joined a long line of women religious who spread the good news of the Gospel with love, companionship, and care.
…and you can join them right from your living room.
Author, Daryl Grigsby, joins FutureChurch to share about his new book, “Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering.” In his book, Grigsby profiles 36 contemporary Catholics who have worked for justice and human dignity. He features Catholics from diverse national and racial backgrounds; religious, lay, and ordained. During the presentation, Grigsby shares the origins of his book, how it’s organized, offers highlights about four of the Catholics who appear in the book, and takes questions from our community.
Daryl Grigsby is an author and commentator on contemporary Catholic issues. A retired public works director, he also holds a Master’s Degree in Theology and Pastoral Studies from Seattle University and is a graduate of the Sabbatical Renewal Program at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. He is a board member for Leadership Foundations, which resolves critical urban challenges around the world, and for FutureChurch. Grigsby is the author of In Their Footsteps: Inspirational Reflections on Black History for Every Day of the Year and is a frequent contributor to National Catholic Reporter and Black Catholic Messenger.
Without any fanfare or accolades, over fifty-five volunteers ages 50+ are engaging in weekly service across the greater L.A. area. Spread out across thirty different partner agencies, these women and men for others are part of Ignatians West, a service organization born out of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps that works to build community through service and reflection. Anne Hansen, Executive Director of Ignatians West, facilitates monthly community gatherings where the volunteers come together to share fellowship, experiences, and prayer as they reflect together on the service they engage in throughout the month.
“It’s not rocket science,” Anne joked about the mission of Ignatians West. “It’s very simple. It’s bringing together mature adults (we don’t use the word retire anymore, we use the word mature!) who have life experience they’re willing to share, invite them to share those experiences with others who are in need, and then encourage them to honestly examine their faith.”
Two members of Ignatians West volunteering during a clothing drive.
As humbly as Anne may speak of the work of Ignatians West, this community has had a huge impact on the organizations with which they serve. And their generosity does not begin and end at their service placement sites, either. Just this past year, in support of a downtown L.A. parish, Ignatians West filled an entire U-Haul truck with donations for the holidays. “The level of generosity brings tears to my eyes,” shared Anne. “You know, for me, [being part of Ignatians West] has been a blessing because the idea of going out of the church steps into the world and getting involved in some action to help others is what Jesus taught. Don’t sit there and twiddle your thumbs and pray all day. It’s fine if you do, but then at the end of the day go out there and care for each other.” And this is exactly what the volunteers of Ignatians West do. In fact, says Anne, even though each volunteer makes a commitment for one year, “most volunteers never leave.”
And it’s not just the nonprofits that benefit from this exchange. The partnerships with the nonprofits also offer the volunteers meaningful and important engagement in the community. The service and the reflection is life-giving to those who participate. Anne reflects, “I don’t know where I would be without Ignatians West today. Because what I learned about Ignatian spirituality is now how I try to live my life.” This is why, in addition to service, community and reflection are the pillars of the Ignatians West community. Once a month, the volunteers of Ignatians West gather for a day of fellowship. During the gathering, the final part of their time together is reserved for reflection. And according to Anne, “it has grown into a very prayerful, sacred exchange. When people speak, it’s really from the heart.” It’s a time for sharing in which the volunteers can reflect on where they saw God in their volunteering that month. And this rootedness in Ignatian spirituality is a key part of the volunteers’ experience. “Sometimes,” shared Anne, “I feel like Ignatius and his ragtag group. Because we’re just people who get together who believe in God. We don’t know who God is all the time, we don’t know where God is all the time, but we believe in the divine spirit of God and believe in the gospel that says we are here to love one another. It’s really that simple.”
Are you a mature adult in the greater L.A. area who feels called to engage in Ignatian service? Do you know of a non-profit who could use an Ignatian volunteer? Learn more about Ignatians West at ignatianswest.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.
Shannon discusses the origins of her latest book, the lives of six female mystics (Teresa of Ávila, Margery Kempe, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux), and the lessons we can learn from them for today.
Shannon K. Evans is the spirituality and culture editor at the National Catholic Reporter and is the author of previously published “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.
On December 15, 2024, the FutureChurch community gathered online to celebrate Gaudete Sunday – the Third Sunday of Advent – and to remember our friend, Lucy Rieger.
