Celebrating Sister Theresa Kane, RSM
On September 4th, FutureChurch hosted a virtual celebration of life for Sister Theresa Kane. WATER was happy to co-sponsor. Over 400 people remembered, honored, and gave thanks for this extraordinary woman, leader, friend, and visionary.
In addition to singing, praying, and reflecting on Scripture, we heard tributes and remembrances from:
• Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ: Founding Executive Director of FutureChurch and author of To Speak the Truth in Love: A Biography of Theresa Kane
• Kate McElwee: Executive Director of Women’s Ordination Conference
• Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D.: Co-founder and co-director of Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual (WATER)
The recording can be found here:
Upcoming Programs
WATERmeditation
Monday, September 23, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET with Cheryl Nichols
“Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki and Roykan: Between Two Souls”
Cheryl loves the work of the late Benedictine Mary Lou Kownacki, a poet and peace activist, a spiritual leader in movements for nonviolence. She draws on the volume Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki and Roykan: Between Two Souls, the ‘conversation’ between a postmodern Catholic nun and a nineteenth century Zen monk.
WATERritual
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET with Diann L. Neu and the WATER Community
“Honoring Peacemakers for International Day of Peace”
“I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.” − Sadako Sasaki
Every year on September 21, people around the world come together to advocate for peace in its many forms. The United Nations’ theme for this year is Cultivating a Culture of Peace. Join us to pray with peacemakers worldwide.
WATERtalk
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 1 PM ET
“The Impact of Women’s Ordination on the Episcopal Church Fifty Years Ago and Now”
WATER celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the momentous ordinations in the Episcopal Church by asking what it meant and what it means.
Join us with Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, recently elected Vice President of the House of Bishops; the Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward, one of the 1974 ordinands; Darlene O’Dell, author of the book The Story of the Philadelphia Eleven (50th anniversary edition); and Margo Guernsey, director of the documentary film The Philadelphia Eleven for a thoughtful conversation.
We highly recommend reading the book and/or watching the film before the event though it is by no means obligatory. Information on viewing the film for $5 will be provided to those who register. The book is available through Church Publishing.
Feminist Liberation Theologians’ Network
Friday, November 22, 2024 from 4 to 6 pm PT
The 2024 FLTN Gathering in San Diego, CA
Agenda and location yet to be announced.
In Memory of Her – Dr. Jann Aldredge-Clanton (May 3, 1946-September 20, 2024)
WATER laments the death of our colleague the Rev. Dr. Jann Aldredge-Clanton who died on September 20, 2024. Jann was a Christian feminist whose work on gender, anti-racism, music, and liturgy shaped a generation through her work with Christian Feminists Today.
She gave several WATERtalks in our Feminist Conversations in Religion Series:
“The Gathering: A Womanist Church—Origins, Stories, Sermons, and Litanies” with Rev. Irie Lynne Session, Rev. Dr. Kamilah Hall Sharp (2021)
“Building Bridges: Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Friends” with Dr. Kendra Weddle (2020)
“She Lives! Sophia Wisdom Works in the World” (2015)
We send our sympathy to her family, friends and colleagues. We celebrate her signal contributions with deep gratitude.
Working Together: Feminist and Queer Theology in Conversation with Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D.
With gratitude to FutureChurch, we share their resources here:
Mary Hunt, Ph.D., kicks off FutureChurch’s Pride Month series with a presentation on “Working Together: Feminist and Queer Theology in Conversation.”
Dr. Hunt’s presentation names the current lived reality for women and LGBTQ+ people in the Catholic Church, explores the histories and intersection of both feminist and queer theologies, and offers practical suggestions and principles for working together toward justice in the world and church. Dr. Hunt then engages in conversation with several participants.
Intern at WATER
Be a Part of an Action-based Community
Become a WATER Intern
for Summer 2024 or Fall 2024 or Winter 2025!
WATER welcomes students from seminaries, universities, colleges, volunteer programs, and more to work in the WATER office.
Interns at WATER engage in the full range of activities from office work to program planning. They learn how a small non-profit is run and what it takes to nurture an Alliance. Those wishing to do their own research will have a chance to utilize WATER’s constantly growing Resource Center as well as consult with our experienced staff through in-house seminars.
Interns must commit to a minimum of six weeks and can stay for as long as a year or two. All participants are encouraged to apply for academic credit from their home institutions for their work at WATER. We are delighted to work with programs which sponsor volunteers with expenses shared by WATER as the on-site placement.
What is WATER? 40 Years and Forward!
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Land Acknowledgement
WATER, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, acknowledges that it sits on the traditional and contemporary homeland of the Piscataway and Nacotchtank (sometimes known as the Anacostan) people, the original stewards of this land.
We are committed to lifting up the names of these lands and the community members from these nations who reside alongside us and who were here long before we were. We affirm WATER’s intention to promote healing, respect, and love for all people through our work, with special indebtedness to Native people whose lands we are privileged to share.