Quincy Howard is a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa. She lives in Wisconsin, doing planning work on behalf of her congregation. She recently ended a ministry on Capitol Hill as a federal policy advocate for social justice.
Horizons - As my prayer life has deepened over the years, I've stumbled upon a prayer formula that has become one of my central tools of resilience and accountability.
So many of our systems allow for, or even incentivize, terrible outcomes, and we are dragged along for the ride. The wounds caused by a sense of complicity can range from cognitive dissonance to personal shame or outrage.
Horizons: You have nothing to lose by making hope a practice. In the worst-case scenario, you will have courageously stayed engaged. And you might surprise yourself by helping to chart a better course for humanity.
Horizontes - Necesito afrontar la realidad de que 35 hermanas de mi congregación murieron el año pasado, un número similar al del año anterior. Necesito procesar las catástrofes climáticas que cada vez son más frecuentes y que causan estragos en todo el mundo. No puedo cambiar estas realidades, pero puedo replantearlas a partir de la historia más profunda de la transformación.
Horizons - Jesus' story shows us that new life can come from death, that we can find meaning in tough times, that there is light in the darkness. With the inevitable passing away, something new springs forth.
The synod is a God event. This historic season in the church and in humanity urges us to enter into the biblical story, to trust and to embark on a new journey for the people of God.
Horizons - If you've ever been tasked with cleaning out a family home after the passing of the last of a family's older generation, you have an inkling of the difficult decisions confronting religious communities today.
Horizons - In early 2021 I knew that the stress of my ministry wasn't sustainable. But crafting an intentional exit plan and exploring different ministry options seemed like an impossible luxury, given the relentless pace.
Horizons - What might commitment look like for all of us in the midst of this massive, disruptive global transition? How might the current crisis be a catalyst to push that evolution forward, opening hearts and minds to new possibilities?
Horizons - Three encounters at my motherhouse — involving significant differences of opinion — gave me pause and had me reflecting on progressive and inclusive authenticity.
