For Immediate Release
June 14, 2010
Contact:
Emily Holtel-Hoag
(work) 216-228-0869 ext. 3
(cell) 216-401-8827
emily@futurechurch.org
FutureChurch Program:
Celebrating the Prophetic
Witness
of Women Religious Today
On Thursday, July 15th,
FutureChurch will be celebrating the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala with an
evening celebration honoring women religious in the Cleveland area. The evening will be held at the
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood, Ohio 44122.
From 5pm-7pm the Maltz
Museum will be open for FutureChurch guests to view Women &
Spirit: Catholic Sisters in
America, revealing Ōthe mystery behind a
small group of innovative American women who helped shape the nationÕs social
and cultural landscape.Ķ The
program begins at 7pm with 3 sisters sharing their stories. Sr. Catherine Pinkerton CSJ recently
returned to Cleveland after 26 years of service as a Registered Federal
Lobbyist with Network, a Catholic Social Justice lobby. Sr. Marian
Durkin, CSA was a teacher and administrator in the Cleveland
Diocesan schools for almost thirty years. After that, she did
ministry with persons who were HIV+ for 15 years and was the founder of The
Open House in Cleveland. She is also involved in advocating against the death
penalty. A native of Akron, Ohio, Jennifer Wilson is a second
year novice taking her first vows in the Fall as a Sister of Mercy. She
has a background in social work and teaching and has been learning about the
ministries of the Sisters of Mercy for the past 2 years.
Donation for the evening is $10. Religious sisters will be the guests of FutureChurch.
FutureChurchÕs mission is guided by the reforms of the
second Vatican Council. Of all the groups in the Church, women religious have
been among the most zealous in embracing and implementing the far-reaching
changes and blessings of the Council. FutureChurch regularly advocates on
behalf of women ministers in the Catholic Church. We care about the concerns of
women religious who pioneered todayÕs leadership roles for lay women and men.
To educate about women
leaders and to model gender balance in scripture proclamation, FutureChurch
began special international celebrations of the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala in
1998. Each year between 200 and
300 such events are held in mid July. Participants hear presentations by
biblical scholars about early women leaders and experience prayer services at
which competently prepared women preach and preside.
The
presentation in Cleveland is one of over 200 international celebrations organized
by FutureChurch for the July 22 Feast of St. Mary of Magdala in 2010.
Aside from the United States, celebrations will occur in
Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. They will engage between 10
and 300 people in parishes, convents, Catholic schools, Protestant churches,
private homes and small faith communities.
A list of St. Mary of Magdala celebrations
nationwide is available at www.futurechurch.org.
FutureChurch, headquartered in
Cleveland, Ohio, is a U.S. coalition of 5,000 parish centered Catholics
striving to educate fellow Catholics about the seriousness of the priest
shortage, the centrality of the Eucharist (the Mass), and the systemic
inequality of women in the Catholic Church. FutureChurch makes presentations
throughout the country, distributes educational and informational packets and
recruits activists who promote widespread discussion of opening ordination to
all baptized persons called to priestly ministry by God and the people of God.
FutureChurch
17307 Madison Ave. Lakewood, OH
44107
216-228-0869 www.futurechurch.org