By Martha Ligas

Among many emails I receive in my inbox regularly are blog posts written by Katie Gordon from Monastics of the Heart, a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. (You might remember hearing from Katie in a Pentecost Project feature on Pax Priory.) While we were in Rome, I read a post that referenced Benedictine Brother David Stendl-Rast. When asked how to bring monasticism beyond the hierarchies of the past, Br. David replied: “networks are our future.”

I couldn’t help but bring this wisdom to mind as we traversed through Rome connecting with and supporting other church reform organizations in their good and important work. In fact, when asked about our trip to Rome, this is the piece that I speak about with the most excitement. It is easy to feel disheartened by the institutional Church’s resistance to change– so easy, in fact, that many have left the pews in droves. I can’t lie and say that I feel much hope that by the end of October there will be more equitable roles for women in the church, more sacramental justice and inclusion for LGBTQ+ folks, or really much change at all. Perhaps just a sliver of my hope is found inside the Synod meeting hall. But most of it…most of it I place somewhere else. 

As I was reminded during our week in Rome, the Spirit is not confined by the doors of the Paul VI Aula, the walls of Vatican City, or the invisible boundaries that define worthiness in our Church. The Spirit is much bigger than that– and my faith tells me that She isn’t confined by any boundaries at all. She weaves her way within and beyond boundaries, paying no mind to who we have decided is “in” and who is “out.” Thank goodness the Spirit has more Wisdom than we do. 

So while most of the synodal attention is on what is happening on “the inside,” during our pilgrimage to Rome I felt the energy of the Good on “the outside.” The church reform world can often feel siloed, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. There is energy and joy and holy power in the communities of the faithful who are advocating for greater justice within our Church. And to feel this power in person, beyond the confines of a zoom screen, filled me with a new hope. 

I found such joy in attending two prayer services while in Rome, “Same Baptism, Same Spirit, Same Calling” co-planned by Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) and Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW), as well as the St. Phoebe Prayer Service coordinated by Discerning Deacons. There was something so beautiful about different organizations coming together to pray with the same hope. In addition to our prayers, our team also jumped in and chanted right along with WOC, WOW, and the Catholic Women’s Council during both their flash mob and march through the streets of Rome to advocate for women’s ministries. Our voices blended with theirs so much so that we were no longer representing different organizations, but one important cause. And on our last full day in town we attended a seminar hosted by Pax Christi where we learned ways in which the Church can better participate in nonviolence. We have so much to learn from our friends at Pax Christi, an organization that has been doing this imperative work for the last 50 years. 

And that was just in the first week of the Synod! Had we had the opportunity to stay longer or be in two places at once, we would have shown our support for New Ways Ministry, DignityUSA, Catholics for Choice, the college and university students gathering in Rome this month, and so many others that fit under the umbrella of the People of God working towards a more just Church. Our network is vast, and our community is strong. 

I do believe that networks are our future– and may those networks continue to stretch beyond boundaries to truly represent the very best of a synodal Church.