Mag image November  2009 E-Newsletter
In This Issue
Anglicans and Optional Celibacy
Widespread Support for US Nuns
Circulate Petition to Support Sisters
Are You Going to SOA This Weekend?..
Optional Celibacy and the Year for Priests
African Synod Calls of Inclusion of Women
Discuss Women's Ordination Says Bishop Walsh
Sr. Louise Akers gives outstanding keynote
Archdiocese Must Disclose Plans for Closed Parish
Diocese Sells Closed Parish artifacts online
Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America
Women and the Word for Educators: Free Sample!
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A GREAT Christmas Gift!

Women Officeholders in the Early Church CD and Presenter's Guide

WOEC
Includes 43 images of catacomb frescos and sarcophagi friezes of early women leaders and an extensively researched 16 page presenter's guide. Click here to order

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Celebrating Women Witnesses Notecards
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Women and The Word

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Optional Celibacy

Optional Celibacy
Click here to download free education/prayer resources.

Click Here for info and to Send an e-postcard.
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P
arishes Open!
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Order the Save Our Parish Community packet
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Email
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to become a parish contact in your area and track parish closings and encourage best practices in a time of fewer priests!


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Anglicans and Optional Celibacy On October 22, the Vatican announced that it will establish special ordinariates for Anglicans wishing to become Roman Catholics because they disagree with their own church's acceptance of women priests and actively gay priests and bishops.  Many commentators believe the surprise move from Rome could lead to greater acceptance of a married priesthood in Roman Catholicism. FutureChurch has issued a media release requesting  married priests for everyone, not just Anglican converts.

Click here for analysis by Fr. Thomas Reese, SJ

Click here for an excellent overall summary by Scott P. Richert

Click here FutureChurch media statement:  Married priests for everyone

Click here to send a postcard requesting optional celibacy

Click here to download free organizing kit

Related Articles quoting FutureChurch

Vatican offer may lure Church of England priests (Associated Press)
Offer Raises Idea of Marriage for Catholic Priests (New York Times)
Priestly celibacy gets new look after Vatican welcomes married Anglican clergy (Sacramento Bee)
Widespread Support for US Nuns  Vigorous support from laity, priests and bishops for US sisters being investigated by the Vatican may be bearing fruit.  On November 10, church officials rescinded their request for sensitive information about financial assets, land holdings, and demographic data related to age and individual ministries. California Bishops publicly voiced their support as did leaders of religious communities in Asia and Oceana. Many view this as a welcome response to the Stonehill College symposium of conservatives that is said to have influenced the decision to launch the investigation in the first place.

To read more see related links:

California bishops laud work, ministry of women religious in state (Catholic News Service)
Controversial questions stricken from religious study (NCR online)
Asia, Oceania women religious offer support to beleaguered U.S. sisters (NCR online)
Stonehill Symposium played role (NCR online)

Links to overview of all stories
Circulate a Petition to Support the Sisters: A California parish group calling itself the Women of Magdala garnered 1400 signatures (half of parish adults) on a petition supporting US sisters and sent copies to church officials. The group,  which regularly participates in FutureChurch's annual Mary of Magdala celebrations, was supported by its pastor who published supportive information in the parish bulletin prior to the petition circulation

FutureChurch is encouraging Catholics to circulate a petition in their parish or small faith community. 

Click here for a petition template and sample bulletin announcements   

Click here  to add your name to the sign on ad supporting US Nuns (takes you to another website)

For more info click here
Are You Going to SOA This Weekend? If so, stop by the information tables of the Progressive Catholic Coalition and meet FutureChurch board member Kathleen Thomas.  Kathleen will be handing out FutureChurch materials, distributing postcards to send to the Vatican regarding our Optional Celibacy and Women and the Word campaigns , and meeting other Catholics interested in our mission.  If you sign your postcards there and return them to Kathleen, your name will be entered in our raffle for a Fair Trade gift basket.
Optional Celibacy and the Year for Priests To celebrate the Year for Priests FutureChurch has  created a Novena to the Holy Spirit for an Inclusive Priesthood_  to be prayed on the first Friday of every month during the Church's Year for Priests.

Click here for the Novena

Download free Optional Celibacy Education/Prayer Kit 
 
African Synod Calls for Inclusion of Women: Nuns and Laity Speak Out The final recommendations from the Synod on Africa called for a more collaborative style of decision making in the Church, and new structures for decision-making authority by women. African nuns told a Vatican Synod in early October that they want more of a say in running the Catholic Church on their continent, saying they have special talents and shouldn't be relegated to cleaning churches and mending vestments.

"The synod fathers have heard the cry of women," said Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana. "Women need to be recognized in society as well as in the church as active members."

To read more click here (NCR online)
And here (Associated press)
And especially here (NCR online)
Irish Bishop Calls For Discussion of Women's Ordination.   In an interview with Dublin journalists, Bishop Willie Walsh of Killaloe Diocese in Ireland said he wanted to see "another Pope John XXIII," for such a pope would open up discussion about critical issues in the church, particularly the exclusion of women from the priesthood.

 To read more click here (BBC article)
Sr. Louise Akers gives outstanding keynote at the November 6-8 Call To Action conference in Milwaukee.  She was substituting for Fr. Roy Bourgeois who cancelled to attend to his critically ill father.

To order or download Sr. Louise's presentation click here ($10.)

For more on Sr. Louise's presentation, click here

 How to support Sr. Louise,
1. Print a copy of the previous articles from the African Synod about establishing structures that include women.

2. Send it and a cover letter asking Cincinnatic Church officials to reconsider this decsion.  Write Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarcyzk and his coadjutor Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr at The Archdiocese of Cincinnati 100 East 8th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

3. Remember to send a copy to the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 and to our offices (address below) or email  chris@futurechurch.org
Boston Archdiocese Must Disclose Plans for Closed Parish.  According to a Catholic News Service article, a Massachusetts judge has ruled that the Boston Archdiocese must reveal its plans for the property of a parish closed five years ago under a massive reconfiguration effort if it intends to forgo paying a six-figure real-estate tax bill. 

To read more, click here
(Catholic News Service)

Click here for info and free resources about our Save our Parish Community project
Cleveland Diocese sells parish artifacts online, protests continue . The Cleveland diocese is advertising hundreds of items for sale including Baptismal fonts crucifixes, gold plated chalices and ornate altars. The items are not available to the public. Only Catholic parishes and other religious institutions may purchase them and all sales must be approved by the diocesan chancellor. Meanwhile, parishioners in some parishes continue their appeals and protests at closing Masses.

 To read more click here (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

 And here  (Fox 8 video coverage of closing Mass protest)
Women and Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America  A new exhibit documenting the contributions made by US women religious in the history of the United States opened last winter. It will run for three years and has achieved significant critical acclaim.

View short videos and city venues here
Women and the Word for Educators: Free Sample! 
Includes sample essays, prayer services and student work sheets about notable women such as Prisca, Phoebe, Dorothy Day and Mary of Magdala. Spanish resources also available. A professional educator helped us develop worksheets with creative activities. Email info@futurechurch.org for a free sample packet to give to your favorite high school religion and Spanish teachers.

For more info or to purchase CWW packets click here

For Spanish Celebrating Women Witnesses click here

To send a postcard to put women biblical leaders back in the Lectionary, click here
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