FOCUS E-News June 18 - 24, 2017

Please support FutureChuch during our

Pentecost Campaign!Download your

2017 Feast of St. Mary of Magdala Resource--Celebrating Women Preachers:

Go and Tell My Sisters and Brothers!

Start a discussion with DeaconChat

Go to Greece with Sr. Chris Schenk!

Celebrate the Feast of St. Maryof Magdala!

Go and Tell My Sisters andBrothers: Celebrating WomenPreachers

Join thousands of Catholics across theU.S. and worldwide as we celebrate theFeast of St. Mary of Magdala.

This year, FutureChurch will liftup women preachers from Scriptureand history -- from Mary of Nazarethand Mary of Magdala to Catherine ofSiena and Thea Bowman. Together wewill honor and learn from theirwitnesses and ask them to pray with usas we work to lift up women’s voices inthe Church and society today.

Download 2017 resource

FutureChurch, the Associationof U.S. Catholic Priests, andVoice of the Faith launch newproject to foster dialogue onwomen deacons - DeaconChat

The goal of DeaconChat is to bringordained and lay Catholics togetherto learn, converse and discerntogether.

FutureChurch, the Association of U.S.Catholic Priests and Voice of the Faithare asking you to engage a localmember of the clergy (your parishpriest, deacon, or your local bishop) ina conversation about women deacons.

Learn moreand download the resources

Read more

FutureChurch heads to themeeting of Association of U.S.Catholic Priests and findssigns of hope in those whoare confronting racism in theworld and in the Church

At the 2017 AUSCP meeting held inAtlanta from June 19 - 22, FutureChurch,Voice of the Faithful, and AUSCPformally launched DeaconChat, a jointinitiative encouraging laity and clergy todialogue about women deacons. Thepacket contains historical, theological,and pastoral reasons for restoringwomen deacons along with tools forstarting a conversation with bishopsand priests.

The theme of this year's AUSCPconference was "Peacemaking in OurFractured Society" and focused onhealing the racial divide in the world andwithin the Church. This year's AUSCPJohn XXIII award winner, Fr. BrianMassingale, opened the conference

with a survey of the tragic violencebeing perpetrated against AfricanAmericans today along with acomprehensive analysis of thehistorical root causes. He also carefullyoutlined the complicity of the CatholicChurch in perpetuating racismhistorically and today.

During the Q & A, some priestsexpressed fear that challenging racismin their largely white parishes wouldresult in angering them. They wanted toseek ways to educate and challengetheir parishioners while avoiding rufflingfeathers. But Fr. Massingaleresponded with several poignantquestions. He asked, "Why do certainpeople matter more than our blackbrothers and sisters who aresuffering?" and "Who are yourpeople?" Participants were remindedof the old adage that the Gospel ismeant to "comfort the afflicted, andafflict the comfortable."

Fr. Clarence Williams, Fr. KennethTaylor, and other priests fromthe National Black Catholic ClergyCaucus continued the process oftransformation by leading a poignantliturgy of lament where participantsreflected on the many ways we stillperpetuate racism in our lives, ourculture, and in the Church.

We learned of the African Americanmen and women who had been turnedaway from the Catholic Church includingFr. Augustus Tolton (1854-1897), aformer slave, who was turned awayfrom the seminary in the United Statesbecause he was black. He went toRome to obtain the education andformation he needed to become apriest and was ordained there in 1886.He came back to the United States andfounded the first black Catholic churchin Chicago. The Chicago archdioceseformally opened his sainthood cause in2010.

In the evenings, participants gainedgreater historical perspective watching

the documentary "I am Not Your Negro"based on James Baldwin's writings,and "Hidden Figures," the story ofsome of the African American womenat NASA.

On the last day of the conference,participants made a pilgrimage toEbenezer Baptist Church where wewalked in the footsteps of Martin LutherKing Jr. and the many leaders of theCivil Rights movement. We ended withMass at Our Lady of Lourdes CatholicChurch, the first Black Catholic Churchin Atlanta. The Gospel music andliturgical dance stirred our hearts. Report by Deborah Rose-Milavec

Correction: Archbishop JohnR. Quinn of San Franciscodies

Retired Archbishop John R. Quinn ofSan Francisco, who led the NorthernCalifornia archdiocese for 18 years,died on June 22 after a long illness. Hewas 88.

The archbishop had moved to theJewish Home of San Francisco from St.Mary's Medical Center on June 16, buthe "experienced difficulties with hisbreathing early this morning," SanFrancisco Archbishop Salvatore J.Cordileone said in an announcement."He was transported to the nearesthospital but could not be revived."

"He stated several times since hismove that he had achieved his goal ofleaving the hospital for a new homewhere he could enjoy the fresh air,trees and the sounds of birds in theearly morning," Archbishop Cordileonesaid, adding that the prelate's "initialdays at Jewish Home had goneextremely well.""Our hearts are breaking at losing sucha great priest and friend," ArchbishopCordileone said. "Join me in praying forthe repose of his soul."

Read more

Pope honors priests whowere censured for serving thepoor

Nicole Winfield writes that Pope Francismade a pilgrimage to northern Italy onTuesday to honor two 20th-centuryparish priests whose commitment tothe poor and powerless brought themcensure from the Vatican.

Francis flew by helicopter to Bozzolo,near Cremona, to pray at the tomb ofDon Primo Mazzolari. Mazzolari, whodied in 1959, was an anti-fascistpartisan during World War II who, likeFrancis, preached about a "church forthe poor."

Afterward, Francis flew to Barbiana,near Florence, to pray at the tomb ofDon Lorenzo Milani, a wealthy convertto Catholicism who founded a parishschool to educate the poor andworkers. He died in 1967.

Both priests were considered rebels intheir lifetimes and were censured byVatican authorities for their writings. Byhonoring them with his brief visit,Francis sent the church a message ofthe type of priest he wants today:simple, guided by Gospel values,devoted to the poor, and uninterestedin careerism.At his first stop, Francis stood in silentprayer before the simple tomb ofMazzolari, who is considered now to be"Italy's parish priest." Read more

When Pope Francis getstough

Christopher Lamb writes that the Popecan be a very tough when it comes tounity and integrity in the clergy.

It was evident last week when the pope

delivered a stinging rebuke to priestsfrom the Diocese of Ahiara in Nigeria.The priests had refused to accept the2012 appointment of a bishop from adifferent clan.

When he met with the Ahiara clergy heordered each one of them to apologizein writing, pledge their "total obedience"to the papacy and accept whomeverhe appoints to lead the diocese.

The next day, Francis made anothertough move. The Vatican announcedthat the pope had accepted theresignation of Archbishop AlfredoZecca of Tucumán, Argentina, forhealth reasons.

Zecca has reportedly upset the popefor a failure to defend one of his priests,Fr. Juan Viroche, an outspoken voiceagainst local drug traffickers.

In October, Viroche was found hanged,but Zecca resisted calls to put up aplaque in Viroche's parishcommemorating the priest. Instead heaccepted the official version of eventsthat Viroche committed suicide. Manylocals suspect the suicide was staged. Learn more

Astrid Lobo Gajiwala opens upabout the pain of exclusion inthe Catholic Church

I recently attended a service held for ofan old neighbor who passed away andwas shocked to learn that she wasCatholic. Laid out in the boarding schoolof her youth, it was a poignant goodbyewith the religious sisters and her Muslimhusband and children around her inprayer. I do not know if her birth familywas present. I did not see a priest, so Iam guessing she did not receive aChristian burial.

What I do know is that my heart burnedwithin me as I recalled my insensitivity

to her frequent lighthearted commentthat she was “half-Catholic” because ofher Catholic schooling. I never followedup on this hint she offered.I can empathize with her reticence toshare her truth. Married to a Hindu, Ioften found myself in a similarpredicament with regard to my children,who went regularly to Mass andSunday school but were not baptized.Our secrets may have been different,but our fear of public censure was thesame.

Read more

Fortunate Families Respond toBishop Paprocki's latestdecree further excludingLGBT Catholics

After learning that Bishop Paprockiissued another decree finding newways to exclude LGBTQI Catholicsincluding excluding them from Catholicfunerals, Fortunate Families responded.

We regret that Bishop Paprocki ofthe Springfield Diocese found the needto verbally assault the Catholic LGBT+community in his Decree regardingsame sex marriage and relatedpastoral issues. As parents weunderstand that all of our children werewonderfully made in the image of God. We understand that all of our childrenlead whole and holy lives when theylive authentically. Our response toBishop Paprocki can be found here.

We hope that you will join us in writing tothe bishop and condemning this kind ofmessage.--------------------------

Here is the contact information forthose who want to write or call thebishop.

Bishop Thomas John PaprockiDiocese of Springfield in IllinoisCatholic Pastoral Center1615 West Washington St.

Springfield, Illinois 62702-4757Phone: 217-698-8500Fax: 217-698-0802E-mail: webmaster@dio.org

Read more

Read response of New Ways Ministry

Read response of DignityUSA

What will future houses ofworship look like?

Over the past few decades the conceptof a “church” — in fact, of all kinds ofreligious buildings — has been shifting,some might even say radicallytransforming, because of big changes inpeople’s attitudes about religion.

Do we even need a building to bereligious, to be spiritual, to practice ourbelief? Is there a future for religiousarchitecture at all? We put thatquestion to a group of architecturestudents at the Catholic

The students revealed a willingness togreatly broaden the definition of whathappens inside a house of worship,and why it was important to them.

Students found new opportunities todefine a sacred place in such activitiesas performing music or making art; inmoving their bodies through space inthe medium of dance; in digitallyconnecting with people and eventsaround the globe; in sharing with andcaring for other human beings throughthe concept of “giving and receiving”; increating a safe place for women whoare victims of domestic violence; inlandscape and nature serving as asetting for contemplation, reflection andcelebration; in providing support tothose seeking to strengthen their bodiesand spirits through nutrition andexercise.

Conventional ideas about houses of

worship were pretty sparse.

Read more

Who will the Pope pick as newbishop of Milan

Pope Francis is preparing to changethe leadership of several importantdioceses around the world. The moves,which he’s expected to begin rolling outin the coming days, are likely to give ahuge boost to his unrelenting and long-term project to change the mentalityand direction of the global CatholicChurch.

It will give him a golden opportunity toreplace men who have been less thanexuberant about his attitude adjustmentprogram and efforts at reform. Learn more

Megan Clark sees parallelsbetween Mary of Magdala and Wonder Woman

I am a theologian who knows well theexperience of being the only woman atthe table. “Wonder Woman” beautifullycaptures the intensity and frustration ofthis experience, as well as the feeling ofgreater responsibility for those notallowed in the room.

In the Gospels, one of Jesus’ mostradical choices is his use of women aswitnesses. From Mary Magdalene tothe Samaritan Woman at the Well,Jesus trusts women to tell his story. Infact, if it were not for female witnesses,preserving an account of the crucifixionand resurrection would have been quitedifficult as it was the women who didnot flee.

Unfortunately, women’s space in theGospel narratives has not beencelebrated for much of Christian history.The most blatant distortion is themaligning of Mary Magdalene as a

repentant prostitute, a claim with nogrounding in Scripture. Her strength andwitness in otherwise male cultural andreligious spaces were less threateningif she could be reduced to a femalestereotype.

Over the last 75 years, there havebeen many attempts to weaken ordiminish Wonder Woman. Read more

Tom Fox receives welldeserved honor

Thomas C. Fox, retired publisher andeditor of National CatholicReporter,received the Bishop JohnEngland Award June 22 from theCatholic Press Association of theUnited States and Canada.

Read more

The God Squad: The NextGeneration of Catholic Priests

Time Magazine writes that nogeneration may ever be able to repeatthe post-World War II priest boom,when droves of men were ordained atthe average age of 28 and fewerlaypeople could serve in leadershiproles. But the share of men under age29 who enter Catholic seminary hasrisen 15% in the past 15 years,according to CARA, and the averageordination age has fallen from 37 to 34.

The new priests represent a culturalchange in the church. For the first time,the next generation of Latino Catholicsin the U.S. is larger than that of whiteCatholics. Only seven in 10 of thenewest priests in the U.S. are white,compared with more than 9 in 10 U.S.priests overall, according to CARA. InChicago, where 44% of Catholics butonly 14% of priests are Latino, churchleadership is recruiting young priestswith brochures that read, Sé un líder.

Sé un héroe. ¡Sé un sacerdote! (Be aleader. Be a hero. Be a priest!) As partof their studies, seminarians often learnSpanish. Read more

The future of the priesthoodlooks more hopeful

Pat Perriello writes that her concernabout the future of the priesthood in theUnited States has centered aroundeverything I have heard andexperienced involving those priestsordained in the last few decades. NowTime magazine presents a thoughtfularticle on the latest attitudes amongseminarians today, and it isencouraging.

I should say that if I were writing myvision of the future of the Catholicpriesthood, it would certainly includepriests being able to marry if theychoose to, and a priesthood thatincludes women in significant numbers.It would also include a clergy even lessdriven by doctrine than the youngseminarians appear to be. Yet, thearticle does suggest that the youngestcrop of seminarians is moving in apositive direction.

The article describes the post-Vatican-IIclergy as "reserved men, removed anddogmatic, who present themselves atthe lectern to guide theircongregations." I would add that mysense has been that this generation ofpriests sees themselves and theirfunction as sacred and cultic. This hascreated distance between them andthe people. Of course, not all priests fitthis stereotype, but it does seem tohave some resonance.

The Francis effect seems to bechanging that. No one would accuse thelatest crop of seminarians and newlyordained as being wildly liberal, butchange is evident, especially in the

area of social justice. Read more

Fr. Bernie Survil: Leading alife of peacemaking

In the early 1960s, after leaving hisstudies at Carnegie Tech in Pittsburghto enter the minor seminary at St.Mary's, Kentucky, Bernard Survil lookedahead to a conventional and calm lifeas a priest in his home diocese ofGreensburg, Pennsylvania.

"My bishop was very happy to haveme go and get out of the diocesebecause I was speaking out against thewar in Vietnam," Survil recalled on arecent afternoon when he visited myhome in Washington, D.C., after apeace rally at the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops.

Read more

The Tale of Two Cardinals: One offering welcome toLGBT Catholics and onewithholding it

Four years ago Pope Francis declared“if a person is gay and seeks out theLord and is willing, who am I to judgethat person?”

The implications of Francis’ statementare profound and are playing outinternationally at a pace that - by theglacial standards of the church – mightbe called breakneck.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, 65, wasprofiled this week in The New YorkTimes for welcoming a group of openlygay people to mass.

But in New York, Cardinal TimothyDolan, 67, appears to be resisting anyreconsideration in tone or doctrine overgays. This week he signaled he wouldtake a different approach by publicly

endorsing Daniel Mattson’scontroversial new book, “Why I Don’tCall Myself Gay, How I Reclaimed MySexual Identity and Found Peace.”

Learn more

In a move to engage the worldmore effectively, Francisbrings in new leaders toAcademy for Life

Some pro-life Catholics are upset overthe appointment of the Rev. NigelBiggar, an Anglican clergyman andmoral theologian, to the PontificalAcademy of Life. He is RegiusProfessor of Moral and PastoralTheology at Christchurch College,Oxford, and director of the McDonaldCentre for Theology, Ethics, and PublicLife. He was recommended by theArchbishop of Canterbury, JustinWelby, who was asked to send arepresentative. He is also a sign thatPope Francis wants the Academy tobetter engage with the world.

Learn more

John O'Malley recalls the manwho fought papal infallibility

In the Treaty of Tolentino, 1797, PopePius VI, thoroughly humiliated, had topay a huge indemnity, agree to Frenchoccupation of the most important citiesin the Papal States, like Bologna andFerrara, and cede to Napoleonpossession of hundreds of preciousmanuscripts and works of art. He diedtwo years later in France asNapoleon’s prisoner.

After Napoleon’s defeat, the situationallowed a religious revival to takeplace, but a deep feeling of insecuritygripped many Catholics. In 1819,Joseph de Maistre published hisbook Du Pape (On the Pope), in whichhe argued that an infallible papacy wasthe only salvation from the chaos that

threatened. The book set off acontroversy about the role of thepapacy in church and society thatraged in the popular press for the next50 years, until the opening of the FirstVatican Council (1869-1870).

Learn more

Visit our website

Support our work

Don't miss theseopportunities and events!

FUTURECHURCH FALL EVENT

SAVE THE DATE!October 27, 2017

Sr. Sandra Schneiderspresents:

John's Gospel: Blueprint forthe Future of Parish Life

Join FutureChurch inGreece and follow in thefootsteps of ourforemothers in faith

Listen to Sr. Chris and RussShare a Preview of thePilgrimage

From October 5 - 14, 2017 joinFutureChurch as we explore thearchaeological sites of early Christianwomen. Learn about the ancient Greekgoddesses Athena, Artemis and Gaiato women of the New Testament and

finally present day nuns in Greekmonasteries. This pilgrimage will focuson the influence of women on thespirituality and history of Christianity. Sr.Christine Schenk will serve aseducational director and Russ Petrus,FutureChurch program director willserve as spiritual director.

Read more

FutureChurch resources

Want to learn about modern womenwitnesses of mercy? Or the history ofearly Christian women leaders? Wantto know more about the priest shortageand what you can do to open the doorsto married priests, women deacons,and lay leadership? Want to purchaseour cards featuring St. MaryMagdalene, Apostle to the Apostles? Visit our store to view all our excitingresources.

Visit the FutureChurch store

FutureChurch offers secondretreat for Catholic womendiscerning a call to thediaconate

FutureChurch will host a second retreatfor women who are discerning a call tothe diaconate September 8-10 in SanFrancisco, CA. This second retreat willalso include a special workshop on onecomponent of diaconal ministry: theMinistry of the Word -- particularlyLiturgical Preaching. Sign up today!

Learn more

Catholic Women Deacons

Are you called or are youdiscerning a call to thepermanent diaconate? Share your story.

As Pope Francis' commission on

women deacons continues their work,women around the world are alreadydiscerning their own call to be adeacon. Share your story today andhelp make Catholic Women Deacons areality!

Learn more

Catholic Women Preach

Each week throughout the year,Catholic Women Preach offers thewisdom and challenge presented bythe Gospel through the experience andfaith of women. Be inspired by theCatholic women who preach eachSunday and some holy days.

Learn more

Join us as we launch our newinitiative - Emerging Models ofParish and Community Life

2017 - 2018 SERIESSeptember 13, 2017Association of US Catholic PriestsPriestless Parishes October 23, 2017Professor Ed HahnenbergEmerging Models for Ministry October 27, 2017Sr. Sandra SchneidersJohn’s Gospel: Blueprint for the Futureof Parish LifeNovember 8, 2017Fr. Robert D. DuchThe Lobinger Model for ParishLeadership and Ministry January 17, 2018Jamie MansonReligious Life for the Next GenerationFebruary 7, 2018Chris LowneyEveryone Leads: How to Revitalize theCatholic Church

Save the dates!

Learn what you can do to saveyour parish community

FutureChurch supports parishionerswho want to preserve their parishcommunity from being merged orclosed. In doing so we have, together,changed Vatican policy. ThisFutureChurch initiative is designed toprovide Catholics with tools to defendtheir parish homes has contributed to ahighly significant change in Vaticanpolicy. Since 2007, our Save OurParish Community project has guidedsuccessful parishioner appeals acrossthe U.S., and in Cleveland, Ohio.

Learn more

Make your voice heard toopen the door for marriedpriests

On a trip home from Tel Aviv, PopeFrancis stated, "Celibacy is not adogma of faith, it is a rule of life that Iappreciate a great deal and I believe itis a gift for the Church. The door isalways open given that it is not adogma of faith." Bishop Erwin Krautlerand Pope Francis discussed the priestshortage and future of the priesthood inBrazil urging the Bishop and all localbishops to be "courageous" and tomake concrete suggestions on thepossibilities available to assist in thiscrisis, including expanding thepriesthood to include married men.Catholics in the United States call onour bishops to follow Pope Francis' callto be courageous in seeking solutionsto our growing priest shortage and topresent these solutions to Rome.As you know well, over the past fortyyears, the Roman Catholic Church inthe United States and worldwide hasexperienced a steadily worseningpriest shortage. At first, the processwas so gradual that it was hardlynoticed. But now, the rapidity of thedecline is having a devastating impacton parish and sacramental life.According to a 2008 Center for Applied

Research in the Apostolate study, halfof the 19,302 active diocesan priestsplan to retire by 2019. Following Pope Francis' model we urgethe U.S. Bishops to undertake a freshexamination of our early churchtradition of a married and celibatepriesthood, a diaconate served bywomen and men, and invite priests whohave married back to ministry. Pleaseencourage local bishops to open thisimportant dialogue at a diocesan levelparticularly in the areas most affectedby the priest shortage.We also ask U.S. Bishops to open adiscussion of these issues at theirgeneral assemblies with a view topresenting concrete suggestions foropening ordination to Pope Francis.We call on you, our bishops andbrothers in Christ, to encouragediscussion of the genuine reform sonecessary to the future of the Church.We urge you to take action now.Learn more

Support our work

FutureChurch |17305 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 44107 | 216.228.0869info@futurechurch.org