Sister Christine Schenk Leads Discussion to Share with Bishop, by Lillian Guevara-Castro, Gainesville Sun, March 24, 2012

Sister Christine Schenk Leads Discussion to Share with Bishop

By Lillian Guevara-Castro
Gainesville Sun
March 24, 2012

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120324/ARTICLES/120329746

Sister Christine Schenk, SSJ, executive director of FutureChurch, is the guest speaker at “A Lenten Evening of Prayerful Dialogue & Listening” at United Church of Gainesville, 7-9 p.m. Monday. (Courtesy photo)

Sister Christine Schenk, SSJ, executive director of FutureChurch, is the guest speaker at “A Lenten Evening of Prayerful Dialogue & Listening” at United Church of Gainesville, 7-9 p.m. Monday. (Courtesy photo)

Sister Christine Schenk, SSJ, executive director of FutureChurch, an organization of Catholic lay people, priests and nuns working within the Roman Catholic Church to effect change, is the guest speaker at “A Lenten Evening of Prayerful Dialogue & Listening” at United Church of Gainesville, 7-9 p.m. Monday.

Organizers addressed the event invitation to “Vatican II reform-minded Catholics” adding that the evening is an effort to gather input from the laity about the state of the Church in the Diocese of St. Augustine and present it to Bishop Felipe Estevez prior to his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome in May.

“(It) is meant to give a sounding board to the laity to express their issues with the church,” said John Frank, professor of educational leadership at the University of North Florida and the event’s facilitator. “There are 30 million former Catholics in the U.S. alone. Any company dealing with that kind of loss of market share would be dealing with what it’s doing or not doing right.”

Frank said Bishop Estevez declined an invitation to attend Monday’s event.

Bishop Estevez is leading a pilgrimage to Cuba next week, said Kathleen Bagg, communications director for the Diocese of St. Augustine. Estevez is among the bishops meeting with the pope in that country as part of the 400th anniversary celebration of the appearance of Our Lady of Charity, Cuba’s patroness.

Schenk, a Sisters of St. Joseph, spearheaded a FutureChurch effort to get rank-and-file Catholics to sign an open letter to U.S. bishops calling on them to begin genuine dialogue about optional celibacy in the face of critical priest shortage, as well as the ordination of women to the permanent deaconate.

“She will stimulate the conversation,” said Frank.

United Church of Gainesville is at 1624 NW Fifth Ave. The event is free but donations are accepted.