On November 14, three professionals from varied fields joined a panel on Boston College’s campus. The event, entitled “Catholic Innovators: Revitalizing Our Church,” was sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century (C21) Center, and marked the fifth installment in their Easter Series. It showcased three members of the faith who recalled their work, their triumphs, and their trials. They advised listeners about how to better the world through dedicating their efforts to God.
Though all of the panelists are Catholic, their work is diverse: Molly Burhans, a cartographer, is the founder of GoodLands, a project that advises the Catholic Church on how best to utilize its properties. Nell O’Leary is a writer and the Managing Editor of Blessed Is She, an online and in-person community for Catholic women. Finally, Marcellino D’Ambrosio is the co-founder of Catholic Creatives, a movement to bring together Catholic artists of every medium.
Burhans spoke first, making a strong connection between her faith and her work with land management. She was brought up by two scientist parents, and she had discerned religious life with the Benedictines. Prayer was integral to her vision for her future. “Ignatian contemplation,” she said, “was a huge part of my life.”
She discerned a need in the Church for her cartography and management skills. According to the GoodLands website, the Church is “one of the largest landholders in the world,” and yet in many areas, the stewards of these properties are not making proper use of them. Burhans founded GoodLands to resolve this problem, offering complex map making techniques to create strategies for more effective management.
“Everything that we do touches land, and stewarding the land…is also loving our neighbors,” she said. “The only way you can do that, in a scientifically informed way, is by using maps.”
Burhans relies partly on good communication between herself and Church leaders to help GoodLands carry out its mission. She added, “I’ve been very open with the Vatican…about my intentions.” Her goal is not to operate in isolation, but to build both “community and consensus.”
O’Leary was also searching for community when she joined Blessed Is She, a fellowship for Catholic women. She recalls hearing her Protestant friends talk about the women’s meetings and Bible studies they would have together, and was disappointed that she could not find an equivalent for Catholics.
Blessed Is She aims to fill that gap, offering emailed Scripture devotions, in-person retreats in the US and Ireland, and a blog staffed by 40 writers.
“It’s for other women to know, all ages and stages, we are not alone in this journey,” she explained. “It’s for women to come together, to know each other, and to be known.”
She noted that the shared fellowship builds on itself. “When the Holy Spirit is moving in us, we’re able to love each other, and that contagion just spreads.”
Marcellino D’Ambrosio hopes for a similar enthusiasm to catch on among Catholic artists. The movement he co-founded, Catholic Creatives, aims to give artists “a home and a space for ideation” by helping them to connect with one another. The Church’s past status as a major patron of the arts is a part of his inspiration.
“Why are we not there as a Church now?” he asked. “We’ve lost that culture. We need to be investing in young people, teaching creative skill sets.”
To that end, he spoke about the Innovation Challenge, for which Catholic Creatives partnered with the Our Sunday Visitor Institute. Next year, they will award 3 winning artists grants of $100,000 each.
The panelists all encouraged audience members to take on the risks and challenges of innovation in the Church. They recommended searching out others who have similar ideas.
Said D’Ambrosio, “If you start something, it’s because you care about it so freaking much. Every time you talk to someone and they don’t get it, you get so frustrated and stirred up.” He added, “It’s not a journey so much of outward success. The whole thing is about your relationship with God, and this is His way of telling you to trust Him.”
O’Leary agreed, saying, “When you really love something, God will multiply your time.”
All three concurred that though failure has been an inevitable part of their journeys, the courage to continue has been more important. Burhans smiled and said, “I wish I’d known not to sweat the small stuff. Or medium stuff. And just sweat the large stuff a bit.”
Featured image courtesy of C21 via Facebook
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