FutureChurch

On October 8, the Women's Ordination Conference invites you to celebrate the life and witness of Roman Catholic priest Ludmila Javorová. Join us to pray together and hear reflections from people who knew Ludmila. Together, we will ensure her incredible story of priesthood is known throughout the world. Register by visiting womensordination.org.

🍂 FutureChurch’s Annual Fall Event is only three weeks away! 🍂

We’re continuing our introduction to this year’s program with Night Two — Tuesday, October 27 at 7pm ET.

✨ Celebrating Catholic Leaders Who Are Building a More Just Church and World ✨

Night Two is all about honoring the people who are already doing the thing!

We’re thrilled to present the 2026 Louis J. Trivison Award to Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez for her leadership in organizing for justice, her work with the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, and her unwavering commitment to migrants and to justice within the Church.

We’ll also celebrate three incredible young Catholic leaders — Mollie Clark, AnnaMarie Pacione, and Lauryn Sweeney — with the 2026 Christine Schenk Award for Young Catholic Leaders for their founding leadership of Fordham’s Catholic Women Speak conference and their work creating space for the voices and leadership of a new generation.

These leaders remind us that the future of the church is already being built — through organizing, accompaniment, courage, creativity, and hope. ❤️

And that’s Night Two! 👀 Meet our award recipients below, and buy your tickets now!

https://futurechurch.org/fall-event/

📅 October 22 & 27 | 7pm ET | Online via Zoom

🍂 FutureChurch’s Annual Fall Event is just a few weeks away! 🍂

We’re excited to introduce you to each night of this year’s program. First up: Night One — Thursday, October 22 at 7pm ET.

✨ What Is Ours To Do? ✨

We’re bringing together Daryl Grigsby, Gabriel Lara, Angela Howard McParland, and Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv. for a keynote panel exploring a question that feels especially urgent right now:

In a time of deep division, injustice, and violence, what is ours to do?

Grounded in the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, our panel will explore what it means for the People of God—with all our different gifts, roles, and commitments—to respond to the signs of our times with courage, conviction, and care for the common good.

And this is just Night One! 👀 Meet the panelists below, and buy your tickets now!

https://futurechurch.org/fall-event/

📅 October 22 & 27 | 7pm ET | Online via Zoom

🏳️‍🌈 **40 years later, we’re still talking about the “Halloween Letter.”**

On October 30, 1986, the Vatican released its *Letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons* — a document that profoundly shaped the lives of LGBTQ+ Catholics and the history of the Church.

This fall, DignityUSA is hosting a four-part conversation series exploring the immediate and ongoing impact of the letter, including its impact on Dignity and its chapters.

FutureChurch is proud to cosponsor this important series alongside DignityUSA and other LGBTQ+ Catholic and theological organizations.

📅 Sept. 29 — The Immediate Impact
📅 Oct. 13 — Impact on Dignity & Chapters, Part 1
📅 Oct. 27 — Impact on Dignity & Chapters, Part 2
📅 Nov. 10— The Ongoing Impact

All sessions: 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT

Come listen, learn, remember, and reflect on 40 years of Q***r Catholic history. 🏳️‍🌈

Register through DignityUSA and join for as many sessions as you can!

https://dignityusa.app.neoncrm.com/event-detail?event=218

Yesterday at St. Joseph Spiritual Ministries, we gathered for our Boston Preaching Slam—and what an amazing afternoon it was! 💛

It was a gift to hear four perspectives on one reading: the story of Martha and Mary. Each homily offered a unique insight, yet a beautiful unifying message emerged: God sees us.

Thank you to Crista, Lynn, Kelly, and Calista for sharing your wisdom and preaching so beautifully; to Julia for presiding with such care; and to everyone who joined us and helped make the gathering so meaningful.

Here’s to more women at the pulpit and more afternoons like this one! ✨ Happy 10 years, Catholic Women Preach

✨ What is ours to do?

In a time of deep division, injustice, and violence, this question feels more urgent than ever.

Join FutureChurch for our 36th Annual Fall Event: Catholics for the Common Good on October 22 & 27 at 7pm ET on Zoom. We’ll gather with Catholic leaders, organizers, and young voices to reflect on how our faith calls us to respond—with courage, conviction, and care for one another and our common home.

Plus, we’ll celebrate the incredible leaders receiving this year’s Louis J. Trivison Award and Christine Schenk Award for Young Catholic Leaders. 💙

Two nights. One big question: What is ours to do?

🎟️ Register here: https://futurechurch.org/fall-event/

🌿 Happy Feast of St. Hildegard of Bingen! 🌿

A visionary, mystic, theologian, composer, preacher, and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard reminds us that the Holy Spirit is always inviting us to imagine new ways of being Church.

That spirit is alive today in the Community of St. Hildegard in Fairport Harbor, Ohio—an independent Catholic community founded by Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer and rooted in the holistic charism of Hildegard of Bingen.

As part of FutureChurch’s Pentecost Project, Martha highlighted how this community is creating space for people to remain deeply rooted in Catholic tradition while exploring new ways of praying, worshiping, learning, and building community. With both in-person and online gatherings, the Community of St. Hildegard is showing that new forms of community can still be profoundly Catholic.

As Rev. Shanon puts it, their greatest grace is “seeing the fruits of having created a space where people can be Catholic in a new way.”

On Hildegard’s feast day, we celebrate communities willing to trust the Spirit, and who minister inspired by her witness. 💚 Artwork by Nancy Marek Cote (https://www.mareksaints.com/)

We have learned learned today that Ludmila Javorová has died.

She was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1970 by Bishop Felix Davídek to serve the underground church in then Czechoslovakia through decades when Communist rule made that ministry a quiet act of courage.

In 2021, with Women's Ordination Conference, we were honored to co-host a conversation with Sr. Miriam Therese Winter, who shared Ludmila's story as Pope Francis traveled to Slovakia.

You can revisit "Pope Francis: Meet Your Priest, Ludmila Javorová" at https://futurechurch.org/women-in-church-leadership/pope-francis-meet-your-priest-ludmilla-javarova-with-miriam-therese-winter/

Ludmila's priesthood was real, even when the institution tried to deny it. Her witness endures. Rest in peace, Ludmila. Thank you for your witness and your ministry.

✨ This weekend! We’re gathering in Boston to celebrate 10 years of Catholic Women Preach with an afternoon of prayer, community, and powerful preaching on the story of Martha and Mary.

We are officially FULL! 🎉 But we’re creating a waitlist in case spots open up. If you’d still like to join us, please send us a DM or email [email protected] 💜

See you Sunday! 🙌

SAVE THE DATE ✨ What is ours to do?

In a season of deep division, injustice, and violence, people of faith are being asked a powerful question: What is ours to do?

Join FutureChurch for our 36th Annual Fall Event, happening virtually this October! Over two nights, we’ll gather with Catholic leaders and communities to explore how our faith calls us to courage, justice, solidarity, and the common good.

📅 Thursday, October 22 | 7 PM ET
Keynote Panel: Catholics for the Common Good: What Is Ours to Do?
Featuring Daryl Grigsby, Gabriel Lara, Angela Howard McParland, and Bishop John Stowe, OFM Conv.

📅 Thursday, October 23 | 7 PM ET
🏆 Louis J. Trivison Award: Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez
🌟 Christine Schenk Award for Young Catholic Leaders: Mollie Clark, AnnaMarie Pacione, and Lauryn Sweeney

Come hear stories of faith in action, celebrate leaders building a more just Church and world, and reflect on what we are being called to do in this moment.

💻 Join us online via Zoom!
🎟️ Tickets are available now: https://futurechurch.org/fall-event/