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What’s Russ’ favorite church hymn? Olivia’s most-used expression? Martha’s favorite book? Ann Marie’s favorite recipe? Learn the answers to these questions and more through this “meet-and-greet” with the FutureChurch team!
Our meet and greet was an informal opportunity for FutureChurch community members to get to know the staff, learn what led them to FutureChurch, and hear some of their hopes and dreams for the season ahead.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Russ Petrus, Executive Director
russ@futurechurch.org
We are deeply saddened to share that a dear friend of FutureChurch, Sister of Mercy Theresa Kane, died on Thursday, August 22, 2024 at the age of 87.
Today, we honor and give thanks for Sister Theresa Kane’s passionate life and witness as she courageously, joyfully, and tirelessly pursued a vision of equality and justice for women in the church and in society.
In October of 1979, serving as head of the Sisters of Mercy in the United States and as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Kane stood before thousands of her fellow sisters in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. and greeted Pope John Paul II during a visit to the United States. In that moment, she offered televised and widely-publicized prophetic words that would galvanize the women’s movement within the Catholic Church:
“As women we have heard the powerful messages of our church addressing the dignity and reverence for all persons. As women we have pondered upon these words. Our contemplation leads us to state that the church in its struggle to be faithful to its call for reverence and dignity for all persons must respond by providing the possibility of women as persons being included in all ministries of our church. I urge you, Your Holiness, to be open to and respond to the voices coming from the women of this country who are desirous of serving in and through the church as fully participating members.”
A Sister of Mercy for 69 years, she served 7 as President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union. During her tenure, she led her community’s efforts to implement their prophetic 1977 Chapter directives addressing women’s equality, political advocacy, and moral-decision-making. The Sisters’ innovative efforts were strongly resisted by conservative Vatican prelates, including Pope John Paul II. Nevertheless, Kane persisted and deftly negotiated numerous conflicts with the Vatican.
FutureChurch founding executive director, Sister Christine Schenk, CSJ, who wrote To Speak the Truth in Love: A Biography of Theresa Kane (Orbis Books, 2019) offered these beautiful words about her mentor and friend:
“A great tree has fallen” is an African proverb that commemorates the death of a powerful leader. Sister Theresa Kane’s death marks the passing of such a leader. She was a great tree in our feminist forest. Her life is marked by a relentless pursuit of justice—for poor people, for women, for the LGBTQ community, for anyone marginalized by oppressive –usually patriarchal – systems. For me personally, she was a huge mentor in the work to reform the Catholic Church. When FutureChurch was just beginning, she telephoned more than once to cheer me on, to listen, to offer sage advice, but mostly to assure us that we were headed in the right direction. Aside from being a shrewd analyst of Catholic politics, Theresa was unfailingly kind, cheerful, funny, and optimistic that yes, we will eventually succeed in our challenge to include women in all the ministries of the church. This came from her deep and abiding faith in the God who accompanied her whose desire for justice ran even deeper than her own. I will miss her greatly. But mostly, I am so very grateful to have known her and to have been given access to her inner sanctum while writing her biography. It is an experience I will never forget. Rest in power, dear Theresa.
Stay close to us, Sister Theresa Kane, and pray with us, as – inspired and strengthened by your life and witness – we walk the trail you have blazed for us, pursuing the vision of equality and justice you dared to dream with us.
When asked about her motivation to begin a program for Catholic women to explore their calls to preach, Rhonda Miska began reflecting on her six years in discernment with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. Though Rhonda’s discernment led her away from vowed religious life, the Order of Preachers left their mark on her heart. “You know,” reflected Rhonda, “I’ve been given the gift of being in a community with women who claim the preaching charism and practice it and affirm it in one another, and I’m so aware that most women outside of religious communities don’t have that.” And thus, Rhonda began the process of starting the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle.
While uncertain as to whether or not the invitation would garner interest, extending the invitation felt important to Rhonda. “Women often don’t see women preach,” she considered. “Therefore, women don’t think of themselves as preachers. And so then, if a woman is given the opportunity, maybe she says no, or if she says yes, she doesn’t feel confident and has imposter syndrome. And so I think it’s about breaking the cycle of invisibility where women can try out preaching and gain some experience, gain some confidence, and be in a space of care and support.”
It is clear that women have been longing for just such a space. In just a few weeks time, a cohort of Catholic women will begin meeting virtually to explore their gifts and skills in the ministry of preaching. This will be the seventh cohort of the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle (CWPC), and add to the 30 women who have participated in the program since its inception in the Spring of 2021.
“Preaching is part of my identity,” shared Kelly Adamson, now one of four co-conveners of the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle. “But for so long, I just haven’t known what to do with that as a woman in the Catholic Church. [And yet,] whether I get the opportunities to preach from a pulpit, whether anybody hears me preach or not, there’s something about my salvation that is bound up in me pursuing this call, whether it lands for anyone or not.”
“Whether I get the opportunities to preach from a pulpit, whether anybody hears me preach or not, there’s something about my salvation that is bound up in me pursuing this call, whether it lands for anyone or not.” – Kelly Adamson
Now, as a co-convener (along with Rhonda, Christy Hicks Aydt, and BJ Brown), Kelly has the opportunity to help foster confidence and companionship with other women who feel a similar call. Each cohort of women includes between four and six participants, and agrees to a collective agreement around how the group hopes to relate to one another. This helps ensure that comments are affirming and constructive as each woman in the group practices preaching. Kelly shared that having an agreement between the group helps ensure that it will be a safe space to be vulnerable– a reality that isn’t always a given in a classroom setting. As opposed to a Catholic Preaching course that is generally populated by male seminarians, in the CWPC “there’s a sense that we’re all testing this out and saying, ‘we can have this identity, yes.’ And so that creates a different sort of vulnerability and tenderness with the feedback.” She continued, “And so this is the only space really that I show up in where it is normalized that women preach. And I’m not wondering what my identity is in this space and whether my preaching is going to communicate something about whether all women should be able to preach.”
Even in our brief conversation, I felt the respect, care, and gratitude shared by the participants of CWPC. When sharing about her experience in the circle, alumna Terese Weir shared, “I have the deepest gratitude to Rhonda for following the Holy Spirit and heeding her call as she continues to invite all of us into that sacred, bold space with her.” Terese is a board certified Catholic Chaplain who credits CWPC for giving her more confidence as a preacher. “My experience of CWPC was as a Master of Divinity graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary where I was the only Catholic student. I received an excellent education and training in preaching there but did not see a space to carry that forward within my faith tradition. CWPC provided the space and community which gave me foundational confidence as a Catholic woman preacher.” In addition to growing her confidence as a preacher, Terese credits CWPC for creating a community of women to grow together spiritually. She shared that the “safe container” of the circle helped to make her participation in the circle a transformative experience. In addition to chaplaincy, Terese engages in the embodied preaching of liturgical dance ministry at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Austin, Texas.
Jane Egan, member of St. Mary Parish in Pompton Lakes, NJ, and a participant in their Saturday morning Liturgy of the Word with Communion, agreed with Terese’s sentiment, adding that she “found the experience of meeting regularly with a group wherein we’ve established the parameters of understanding why we’re here, but also a circle of trust and mutual respect, could help each other grow in both our preaching and our listening skills. We could give constructive criticism, and yet support each other in our continuing discernment as preachers and how we pray and that experience was very, very enriching.” Jane not only participated in a cohort, but together with Terese also routinely joins CWPC’s “all-calls,” or monthly opportunities for current cohort members and alumnae to continue building community and honing their gifts.
While barriers to preaching opportunities continue to exist for Catholic women, that is not stopping women from honoring their gifts and continuing to improve their preaching skills. Despite the barriers, Kelly shared, “I’m called to preach. I know it in my bones. If I am to grow in Holiness, I have to be who God created me to be.” The Spirit continues to call women to the pulpit, and they continue to answer the call.
Interested in joining the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle? Applications for the Fall 2024 cohort are currently open! The group will meet on Tuesday evenings, beginning September 17th. The application deadline is August 29th. For more information, visit the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle website.
Do you know of or belong to a community that you would like to see highlighted? Reach out to Martha at martha@futurechurch.org.
If you’re in the greater Cincinnati-area and seeking a faith-sharing community, you don’t have to look very far. While through her work as a campus minister Sr. Leslie knew faith-sharing opportunities were available for students at the Newman Center at the University of Cincinnati, she realized that after students graduated many of them experienced a longing for the spiritual community they once knew. Seeing this need, Sr. Leslie worked with her order, the Sisters of Divine Providence, to form a community of belonging called God Space. “It really is a community of people coming together to talk about God,” shares Sr. Leslie. “That’s pretty much what we do. It’s kind of like a seeker space, and a questioner space. We are seeking together to grow in our spirituality and to connect with each other as we grow.” And now, God Space has expanded beyond the Cincinnati area to include virtual small groups, too!
Like many Spirit-driven initiatives, when Sr. Leslie began formulating the idea of God Space she wasn’t quite sure what it could become– she just knew that there was a need for greater community, both in her own heart and in the folks she encountered in her neighborhood. When thinking about those first days back in 2017, she reflects, “we had a dinner and we weren’t sure if anybody would come. But we actually had a house full of people– we had to bring out more chairs, which was awesome! And I thought I might cry a little bit because I was so happy.” And since then, God Space has grown much beyond dinner gatherings. From faith-sharing groups to social activities, from newsletters to podcasts, God Space is spreading its wings in Cincinnati and beyond. Sr. Leslie is consistently awed by the way the Spirit has been working through her ministry. When asked about the blessing of GodSpace in her life, she shares:
“The spirituality of my community is about trusting God– surrendering to God’s Providence. I’m not super good at it…but starting this ministry and inviting people and trying to grow it, I’m learning. I guess what I’m learning is that God always shows up. And God takes things in a direction I might not know, or that we might not predict. But God keeps working and I see that I really can trust. It’s helping me to really trust in deeper ways what the Spirit is doing in this very uncertain time in our church.”
God Space is not a church, but Sr. Leslie shares that many of the members belong to a parish. Others would identify as more spiritual than religious. There is no requirement that one must be “churched” to be part of the God Space community, only that you be open to search for God and respect one another along their respective journeys. Sr. Leslie shares that in the Cincinnati area, merging parishes has resulted in an exodus of many folks from traditional parish life. When thinking about this exodus, Sr. Leslie shares thoughtfully, “it’s hard, and we’re losing people. And so if a side effect is that other little communities are springing up as a response to people’s needs and desires and calls, I think that’s a good side effect.” And though Sr. Leslie herself belongs to a parish and is member of the Sisters of Divine Providence, she adds, “God Space is a loosely affiliated ministry, [which means] we can kind of color outside the lines in a way that is a little bit freeing.” This freedom, says Sr. Leslie, can really help attract folks who may otherwise feel like they don’t have a safe space to dive deeper into their spirituality. She shares, “I feel like there are people who are searching who are struggling with loneliness and disconnection, who might have questions about God or want to seek God but don’t know where to go with that, and I want to be able to help them to find us. I would like us to be a landing space for people who maybe don’t feel welcome in other ‘churchy’ spaces.” As Sr. Leslie dreams about the future of God Space, she hopes it continues to be a soft, non-judgmental landing place for seekers to encounter one another on their quest for God– and is open to the creative ways that the Spirit will lead it there.
If you are interested in learning more about God Space, you can check out their website or tune into The Providence Podcast.
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 director emerita, Deborah Rose, joins us to share an overview and analysis of the Instrumentum Laboris – or Working Document – that will guide conversation and discernment at the October 2024 Assembly of the Synod on Communion, Participation, and Mission. Deb’s presentation provides an overview of how the document was created and a review of its contents with a particular focus on where and how the issue of women’s leadership and ministry appears in text.
Laura James has expanded her “Mary Magdalene and the Risen Jesus” series with six new images to depict all of John’s Resurrection Narrative. Our virtual art show presents a first look at these “Stations of the Resurrection,” exploring the theological significance of each painting. We also hear from Laura James herself about her inspiration and process.
Inspired by contemporary biblical scholarship, this art series was commissioned by FutureChurch board member, Rita Houlihan.
About Laura James: A self-taught artist of Caribbean heritage, Laura James has enjoyed a long career painting in two styles she refers to as ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’. James separates and combines the sacrosanct and the ordinary and has created a diverse body of work that is her own.
Originally captivated by the Ethiopian Christian Art form, James’ sacred work employs this ancient way of making icons and expands on the collection of stories traditionally painted in this style. James is pleased to help black people see themselves in their sacred texts, in African religions and Christianity, a place where racialized people have curiously been excluded in the west. To that end, James was delighted to illustrate The Book of the Gospels lectionary, published by Liturgy Training Publications in 2001; the book is used worldwide by numerous Christian denominations and is currently in its second edition. Her religious art is at the forefront of the movement toward a more inclusive representation of Biblical figures.
LTP book designer Anna Manhart writes, “We like Laura’s work because it is distinct, memorable, popular and timeless, telling stories in a simple, fresh, and direct way. People respond to the expressive faces, eyes, and gestures, colors, and intricately patterned clothing. Her art appeals to varied ages and cultures. The depictions carry the tradition of Ethiopian iconography to the present day, bridging centuries and continents.”
Ms. James is represented by Bridgeman Images, the world’s leading specialists in the distribution of fine art for reproduction, and James’ work can be seen in hundreds of publications from textbooks to film worldwide. James’ third children’s book, My Mother Was a Nanny was recently released, and she continues to work as a commissioned artist. Laura James lives and works in The Bronx, NY. Learn more at www.laurajamesart.com
About Rita Houlihan: Rita L. Houlihan works to restore our historical memory of Biblical women leaders with a focus on Mary Magdalene. She commissions scripture-based art to counter demeaning legends and touch the public’s imagination.
For reprint or posting licensing, please contact FutureChurch at info@futurechurch.org
FutureChurch’s 2024 celebration of Mary Magdalene uplifts the role that women play in bearing witness to the Risen One in our midst today. This year’s celebration was developed and co-led by Martha Ligas and Olivia Hastie of the FutureChurch staff. We welcomed three witnesses: Vickey McBride, Ariell Watson Simon, and Yunuen Trujillo who all shared their reflections from their own ministry and context. FutureChurch executive director, Russ Petrus, provided music.
Vickey McBride is Chair of the FutureChurch Board. She most recently served as Vice President for Mission at Saint Martin de Porres High School (Cristo Rey) in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2023, she received the Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education.
Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister, a faith-based Community Organizer, and an Immigration Attorney. As a lay minister, she has served in Young Adult Ministry for more than 15 years and she is one of the leading figures for inclusive Catholic LGBTQ Ministry in the United States. Yunuen is a member of the FutureChurch Board.
Ariell Simon (she/her) is a healthcare chaplain living and ministering in central Missouri. Ariell has served as a healthcare chaplain in hospitals and nursing facilities in three states. Ariell also coordinates FutureChurch’s Sunday evening online Liturgy of the Word.