To conclude our series of offerings during Lent 2025, FutureChurch welcomes Nancy Sylvester, IHM for this beautiful time of contemplative reflection. This two hour retreat invites participants to experience contemplation and how it awakens us to a new way of seeing, a new way of being.
The retreat begins with a brief introductory to contemplative practices and then invites participants to remain in a contemplative space as Nancy guides us through contemplative reflections on the sacred events of Holy Week.
Please note: To facilitate at home and small group contemplation, we have retained spaces of contemplative silence within the video. There are moments of silence for the initial contemplative sit and after each reflection on the days of the Triduum.
Nancy Sylvester, IHM, founded the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue (https://iccdinstitute.org) in 2002. Prior to that she served in elected leadership positions both within her religious congregation, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) of Monroe, MI., and in the Presidency of the national Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). She served on the staff of NETWORK, a D.C. based Catholic Social Justice Lobby, for fifteen years, ten years as Executive Director. Nancy also taught at Marian high school in Bloomfield Hills and Immaculata in Detroit, MI. She is a well-known speaker, writer and process facilitator. She has recently written the book, Journey-Faith in an Entangled World (available here). She has an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science from St. Louis University and a master’s in human development from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN.
More Resources:
To learn more about the Institute for Communal Contemplation and Dialogue and for more resources, visit https://iccdinstitute.org.
In this fifth session of our Lent series, we celebrate a Eucharist in solidarity with all women.
We are grateful to Rev. Angela Meyer, RCWP and members of the Brownsburg Inclusive Catholic Community who so beautifully led us in prayer. To learn more about BICC, visit https://www.binclusivecatholiccommunity.org/.
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 fourth session of our Lent series, we pray with and for the environment, seeking forgiveness for our role in environmental degradation, listening to the word of God, and discerning “what is mine to do.”
This prayer service was developed by Ariell Watson Simon and led by Molly Sutter. Readers are Ann Farah and Daryl Grigsby.
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.
Used and streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-737115.
Confiteor adapted by Ariell Watson Simon
I confess to Creator God, to Brother Sun, to Sister Moon, to all that lives and moves around me, and to you, my sisters and brothers,
That I have greatly sinned, in my thoughtless consumption and in my broken resolutions; In my willful ignorance, and in the despair that leads me to opt-out; in what I have done to contribute to the destruction of the environment, and in what I have failed to do to prevent it;
Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.
Therefore I ask Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha (patron of ecology), all my spiritual ancestors, and you, my sisters and brothers, to pray with me for our Common Home.
Every month in the Chicagoland area, a group of young adults gathers to pray, talk, listen, and break bread together. These Alternative Liturgies, or Alt-Lit for short, take place in the living rooms of participants and rotate from apartment to apartment. While it is uncertain exactly when these gatherings began, they were revived in 2017 and have been a constant source of spiritual nourishment for participants ever since. The size of the gatherings vary from just a handful of folks to up to 25 participants, but no matter how many are able to gather each month, each participant-led liturgy takes on the creative personality of that month’s host.
A diverse group of young people gathers in a living room around a small table with bread and candles.
“Alt-Lit feels like a communion,” shared Kascha Sanor, one of the monthly participants. It’s predominantly woman-led and it’s a queer and trans-affirming space. We really are church together, and I think that’s one of the reasons why it feels as sacred as it is.”
Though named Alternative Liturgy, Kascha and fellow participant Claire Erlenborn were clear that what they do at Alt-Lit is still a foundational part of their Catholic faith. “I think it’s an alternative way for us to practice our faith, it’s not that it’s an alternative belief to the Catholic tradition,” Kascha reflected. “It’s just a way for us to more fully and more honestly practice. And I think the more we can complicate what it means to be a practicing Catholic, the more each person belongs, and I love that we get to kind of like do that together while still attending our parishes, while still being in professional ministry, like while still being very dedicated in various degrees to the ‘uppercase-C’ Church.”
Claire added that Alt-Lit is “a place that’s calling me to be a better version of myself. It’s a replenishing of the soul that gives me a lot of hope in the Church. There’s never been an Alt-Lit that I’ve gone to that I felt worse after.”
The Alternative Liturgy group gathers on the street to sing. In the foreground, sheet music reads “Los Posadas.”
Whether placing photos of deceased loved ones on an Ofrenda for All Souls Day, or singing carols through the streets of Chicago for Las Posadas, the Alt-Lit community leans on the Liturgical Calendar to discern what shape their gathering takes each month. And the friendship that has blossomed from the consistent gatherings has inspired participants to show up for each other in other ways, too, at celebrations like birthdays and weddings and in civil actions like protests and mutual aid events. Alt-Lit has “kind of seeped into the way that we belong to each other beyond Sunday evenings,” shared Kascha, “and in the next three to five years I only see that commitment growing.”
When asked about the significance of Alt-Lit in their lives, participants Kascha and Claire couldn’t say enough. Claire began: “I’ve never been in a space where both my talents can be lauded, and my brokenness cared for in such an affirming way. I think that comes from that consistent dedication to community that all of us have.”
The Alternative Liturgies celebrates St. Phoebe Day. A table is adorned with bread, candles, icons of St. Phoebe, and worship aids.
“It’s very clear to me,” added Kascha, “who I’m called to be when I’m surrounded by this community. I think being able to show up to Alt-Lit both as a facilitator preaching and saying some prophetic things, but then also the following month as a participant who’s listening and bringing some weariness, has really helped me feel whole in it. It just reminds me what it means to be a place of refuge and a place of sending forth at the same time.”
Though the community that the participants of Alt-Lit have built is clearly a special one, Claire and Kascha were quick to share that it’s something that can be done anywhere. “I think the beauty of it is– it’s really simple,” said Claire. “Get a couple readings, talk about what you think about them, and then eat soup together!”
“I think the hardest part of doing something like this,” added Kascha, “is just deciding that you’re sacred enough to facilitate a moment with such spiritual meaning for the people around you. The hardest obstacle is just believing you’re capable and worthy of doing something like this. But you are! I promise, you are!”
Inspired by the story of the Alt-Lit community? Do you feel compelled to start your own monthly gatherings? Reach out to martha@futurechurch.org for suggestions, resources, or inspiration to get started!
Do you know of or belong to a community that you would like to see highlighted? Reach out to Martha at martha@futurechurch.org.
Sr. Christine Schenk joins FutureChurch to present on her latest book, Bending Toward Justice: Sr. Kate Kuenstler and the Struggle for Parish Rights
In Bending Toward Justice (Rowman Littlefield, 2024) Schenk the story of the rampant closings of Catholic parishes across the United States and documents the courageous advocacy of Sr. Kate Kuenstler and hundreds—indeed thousands—of ordinary Catholics whose persistence charted a new course in canon law. Sr. Kuenstler’s expertise eventually gave increased leverage to the laity—and their parishes—in the struggle to preserve their parish homes, especially in ethnically diverse and poor neighborhoods.
To learn more about FutureChurch’s Save Our Parish Community initiative, click here.
Christine Schenk, CSJ has worked as a nurse midwife to low-income families, a community organizer, an award-winning writer-researcher, and the founding director of an international church reform organization, FutureChurch. Her first book Crispina and Her Sisters: Women and Authority in Early Christianity (Fortress Press, 2017) received a first place in history from the Catholic Press Association and her most recent work, To Speak the Truth in Love: A Biography of Sr. Theresa Kane RSM (Orbis Books 2019) received first place awards from The Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Press Association.
Schenk also writes a regular column for the National Catholic Reporterand is one of three nuns featured in the award-winning documentary Radical Grace. Schenk graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University and holds two masters’ degrees, one in science from Boston College and an MA in Theology “with distinction” from St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland.
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.
