Page 25 – Future Church

The Catholic diaspora: Independent communities as the church’s ‘research lab’

Written on September 19, 2023. Posted in In the News.

Excerpt:

Dillon makes the case, echoing the late Fr. Andrew Greeley, that today’s Catholics “will be Catholic on their own terms.” But she said the tug, whether inside or outside the institution, is to the sacraments and the theological tradition.

Perhaps as illustration of that pull — and one that would be familiar to many involved in independent eucharistic communities — Ligas is teaching theology at Notre Dame College, is working part time for FutureChurch, and is enrolled this semester in a doctor of ministry program at yet another Jesuit institution, Fordham University.

Diocese of Cleveland Policy Puts LGBTQ+ Youth At Risk

Written on September 12, 2023. Posted in Press Releases.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Russ Petrus, Co-Director – russ@futurechurch.org, 216-228-0869 x2
Deborah Rose, Co-Director – debrose@futurechurch.org, 216-228-0869 x1

On September 1, 2023, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland issued a Parish and School Policy on Issues of Sexuality and Gender Identity. FutureChurch, headquartered in Cleveland, is disturbed by the dangerous policy, which contradicts expert advice, puts LGBTQ+ youth at increased risk of harm, and co-opts teachers and administrators into oppressing the very students they are called to nurture.

“The document acknowledges both the reality and the complexity of gender dysphoria, but the policies contained in it immediately seek to erase that reality rather than honestly and openly engage with it,” said Russ Petrus, Co-Director of FutureChurch.

The directives within the policy directly contradict the advice and best practices offered by medical and psychological experts as well as the lived experience of the LGBTQ+ community. “Sadly, it is clear that the Diocese of Cleveland didn’t just fail to consult medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, school counselors, and other experts in the field– including LGBTQ+ young people themselves; they went out of their way to ignore them entirely,” Petrus added.

“This policy was written out of ignorance and fear, not in the spirit of synodality, which Pope Francis himself has set as the future of the Church,” said Deborah Rose, Co-Director of FutureChurch. “At a time when the global Church is inviting the input, wisdom, faith, and experience of all God’s people, the Diocese is putting conditions on who is and isn’t welcome. In no uncertain terms, this policy tells our LGBTQ+ siblings they are only welcome as long as they’re willing to suppress and deny the truth of their experience,” she continued.

“The bottom line is that the Diocese has failed these young people. This policy puts LGBTQ+ youth – a population that is already more susceptible to bullying, stigmatization, and death by suicide – at a greater risk of harm, by further ostracizing them from their school community and their Church and by pulling support systems out from underneath them,” concluded Petrus.

To the LGBTQ+ community, and particularly LGBTQ+ youth, FutureChurch offers this message: Know that you are a beloved child of God and an equal member of the Body of Christ. Like our Creator, FutureChurch affirms and celebrates you and the gifts and diversity you have to offer our world and our Church. We are blessed by you, and we stand with you as together we seek a Church that finally and truly welcomes you just as God created you.

END

Take Action

Contact the Diocese of Cleveland and let them know that their dangerous policy harms young LGBTQ+ people.

Email: Vincent Gardiner, Chancellor | vgardiner@dioceseofcleveland.org
Phone: 216-696-6525
Toll Free: 1-800-869-6525
Contact Form: https://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/contact

Mother Mathilda Beasley, OSF

Written on August 25, 2023. Posted in Women Witnesses for Racial Justice.

A woman of faith and courage in 19th century America, Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F. – the first African American religious sister from the state of Georgia – knew that it was only through education and hard work that true freedom would be achieved. She found that by nurturing and educating others, she was able to live out the calling that God had given her.

To learn more, download our resource packet. Women Witnesses for Racial Justice resource packets include:

- Biography/Essay by Tolton Scholar, Tina L. Carter
- Questions for reflection and conversation
- Original art by Chloe Becker
- Artist’s Statement

Prayer Service

Download

Artist: Chloe Becker. Comissioned by FutureChurch.

2023 Annual Mary Magdalene Celebration

Written on July 21, 2023. Posted in Justice In the Church, Mary of Magdala, Synod on Synodality, Women In Church Leadership.

Rethinking Women’s Participation: Stories of Synodality Then and Now

Prayer service written by Kelly Meraw for FutureChurch. Shared leadership from Kelly Meraw, Kathy Maher, Olivia Hastie, Monika Hyatt, Rose Lue, Lucy Reiger, Eleanor Mears, Svea Fraser, and Anne Mears. Music displayed and streamed under OneLicense #A-737115.

More Media from This Prayer Service

Portraying Mary Magdalene Today: The Movie Version(s) with Joan Taylor, Ph.D.

Written on July 19, 2023. Posted in Mary of Magdala, Women In Church Leadership.

Mary Magdalene has been a figure of religious and artistic inspiration for Christians for some 2000 years. In the Bible, she is a disciple of Jesus and a key witness at his crucifixion and resurrection. In the Western Church her role and character changed and she became known as a penitent prostitute. In medieval art, she is often portrayed naked, covered only with her long hair. In more modern versions, she has been portrayed as the romantic partner and wife of Jesus. What is the truth? Professor Joan Taylor of King’s College is an expert in the field and shares her insights into some of the images of Mary Magdalene that we receive today.

About our presenter

Prof. Joan Taylor: After a BA degree at Auckland University, New Zealand, Joan completed post-graduate studies at the University of Otago and then went to the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem (Kenyon Institute) as Annual Scholar in 1986. She undertook a PhD at New College, Edinburgh University, and was appointed in 1992 to a position of lecturer (subsequently senior lecturer) at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, in the departments of both Religious Studies and History. In 1995 she won an Irene Levi-Sala Award in Israel’s archaeology, for the book version of her PhD thesis, Christians and the Holy Places (Oxford: Clarendon, 1993, rev. 2003). In 1996-7 she was Visiting Lecturer and Research Associate in Women’s Studies in Religion at Harvard Divinity School, a position she held in association with a Fulbright Award. She has also been Honorary Research Fellow in the Departments of History and Jewish Studies at University College London. She has taught at King’s College London since 2009. View the engaging and informative documentary on Jesus’ women disciples featuring Joan Taylor.

Opening Prayer

Litany to Saint Mary Magdalene adapted from “Thirteen Ways of Calling Out To Mary Magdalene” developed by The Women Who Stayed, the women’s ministry at the Church of St. Francis Xavier, NYC.

SynodWatch Series Session Three

Written on July 13, 2023. Posted in Justice In the Church, Synod on Synodality.

FutureChurch hosts a 3-part online series exploring the Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) for the October 2023 Assembly of the Synod on Synodality which was released on June 20, 2023.

Session 3: Participation, Governance, and Authority

This third session covered the third priority in the working document – “Participation, Governance, and Authority” FutureChurch co-directors, Russ Petrus and Deborah Rose, were joined by Sr. Lynn Jarrell, OSU; Ellie Hidalgo; and Rev. Joseph Healey, MM who offered their own insights and commentary from their experience and expertise.

Deborah Rose provides an overview of who will be attending and voting at the October Assembly.
Sr. Lynn Jarrell, OSU, a canon lawyer, addressed how canon law could be used to promote synodality.
Ellie Hidalgo, co-director of Discerning Deacons, will discussed her recent journey to the Amazon to learn how synodality is taking shape there.
Rev. Joseph Healey, MM spoke about synodality in the African context from his own decades-long experience as a Maryknoll missioner – mostly in Tanzania and Kenya – in a number of capacities.

View Deb’s Slides

Mary of Magdala Education Resource

Written on July 12, 2023. Posted in Mary of Magdala, Women In Church Leadership.

Mary of Magdala is perhaps the most maligned and misunderstood figure in early Christianity. Since the fourth century, she has been portrayed as a prostitute and public sinner who, after encountering Jesus, repented and spent the rest of her life in private prayer and penitence. Yet, nowhere in scripture is Mary of Magdala identified as a public sinner or a prostitute. Instead, scripture shows her as the primary witness to the most central events of Christian faith, named in exactly the same way (Maria e Magdalena) in each of four gospels written for diverse communities throughout the Mediterranean world.

Thankfully, contemporary scholarship has rightfully restored our understanding of Mary of Magdala as an important early Christian leader. Now she becomes the same inspiring role model for twenty-first century disciples that she was for first century Christians.

Learn more about Mary Magdalene with our educational resource.

Download

Gender and the Role of Women in Our Liturgical Life

Written on July 12, 2023. Posted in Women Erased, Women In Church Leadership.

FutureChurch is joined by Yale Divinity School Professor Teresa Berger, Ph.D. who has spent a lifetime examining both past and present liturgical developments from the perspective of women’s lives. In her presentation, Dr. Berger offer insights into the roles women played in Early Christianity, the history of women’s liturgical ministries, and the development of the calendar of saints and the uneven ways we have come to formally venerate women within the tradition.

Teresa Berger, Ph.D. is Professor of Liturgical Studies and Thomas E. Golden Jr. Professor of Catholic Theology at Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.

Further Reading: