Christine Schenk

St. Joseph Sr. Christine Schenk, an NCR board member, served urban families for 18 years as a nurse midwife before co-founding FutureChurch, where she served for 23 years. Her book Crispina and Her Sisters: Women and Authority in Early Christianity (Fortress, 2017) was awarded first place in History by the Catholic Press Association. She holds master's degrees in nursing and theology.

***

La hermana Christine Schenk (St. Joseph), miembro de la junta directiva de NCR, sirvió a familias urbanas durante 18 años como enfermera partera antes de cofundar FutureChurch, donde trabajó durante 23 años. Su libro Crispina y sus hermanas: Las mujeres y la autoridad en el cristianismo primitivo (Fortress, 2017) obtuvo el primer lugar en historia por parte de la Asociación de Prensa Católica. Posee maestrías en enfermería y teología.

By this Author

Gospel nonviolence is a source of joy in dark times

"Living within this limitless love can only bring joy — and inevitably justice. It is what our nation needs today," writes Christine Schenk. Let us embrace Gospel nonviolence, and as the pope suggests, work to change unjust structures.

Sr. Barbara Ann Brigham teaches English as a second language in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. (Courtesy of Medical Mission Sisters)

Medical Mission Sisters' centenary: Sister-pioneers found new ways to help others

Medical Mission Srs. Estelle Demers, Joan Chunkapura and Barbara Ann Brigham found new, inventive ways to live radical love.

Pioneering Medical Mission Sisters celebrate 100 years of international healing

Sept. 30 marked the 100th anniversary of the Medical Mission Sisters, an international community of women whose outsized impact on the well-being of those made poor could be compared to the proverbial mustard seed.

Deacons vested in white with their families and the public behind them attend a diaconate ordination Mass in St. Peter's Basilica celebrated during the Jubilee of Deacons at the Vatican Feb. 23, 2025. (CNS/Pablo Esparza)

Women's role in the church remains a hot potato the Vatican can't seem to handle

Christine Schenk asks: Is the Holy Spirit telling us that female exclusion from ordained ministry and church decision-making is no longer acceptable and that something needs to be done about it?

A crucifix is seen at Our Lady of the Island Shrine in Manorville, N.Y., April 16, 2025. (OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Where is God when headlines are bleak?

Let's face it: It looks like the bad guys are winning. Where is God? Is there no heavenly response on the horizon? Believing that love of God and love of neighbor are one and the same, what am I being asked to do?

Rabbi Enid Lader of Beth Israel-the West Temple addresses the Cleveland interfaith prayer in solidarity with migrants on June 24. (Christine Schenk)

Interfaith leaders across the US pray, act in solidarity with migrants

A recent interfaith witness in Cleveland, Ohio, is just one of many such gatherings held in U.S. cities as the Trump administration ramps up deportation strategies denying the human and civil rights of immigrants. 

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago addresses migrants at the Migrant Ministry's first location at St. Catherine of Siena-St. Lucy Church in Oak Park, Illinois, in a December 2023 photo. Program organizer Celine Woznica is pictured at the right. (Courtesy of Migrant Ministry)

Christine Schenk: Chicago seniors mentor migrants amid deportation threats

The Migrant Ministry of the Catholic Parishes of Oak Park has provided assistance to thousands of migrants — and nearly all of the ministry's volunteers are senior citizens.

West Bank

Jerusalem Christian leaders decry suffering, potential annexation of Palestine

 A Jerusalem Voice for Justice is an ecumenical witness for equality and peace in Palestine/Israel. Christine Schenk interviews its spokesperson, Jesuit Fr. David Neuhaus.

Lit purple candle

Trump keeps my spirits down, so it is time to lean on God's own Spirit

Now is not a time to deny that it is dark, says Sr. Christine Schenk. It is a time to lean on God's own Spirit to help us figure out which candle is ours to light. 

Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale are seen at the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden, July 15, 1976 in New York City. Jimmy Carter died Dec. 29, 2024, his presidential library announced. At 100, Carter was the longest-living U.S. president. (OSV News/Library of Congress handout via Reuters/Warren K. Leffler)

Jimmy Carter was not a failed politician

Christine Schenk reflects on the "prophetic and consequential" presidency of Jimmy Carter.

A copy of the Pledge of Allegiance rests on a desk next to an immigrant in a writing class at the U.S. government's holding center for migrant children in Carrizo Springs, Texas, July 9, 2019. (CNS/Eric Gay, pool via Reuters)

It is time to take a stand for our immigrants

Catholics are being called to stand with immigrants and migrants, writes Christine Schenk.

Attendees are pictured at the first Catholic Social Teaching and Investing Summit in Chicago, held Sept. 25-26. (Courtesy of the Francesco Collaborative)

A new economy for people and the planet

How can ordinary Catholics support a new "faith first" economic paradigm?

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House, July 24 in Washington, about his decision to drop his Democratic presidential reelection bid. (OSV News/Reuters/Evan Vucci)

Power is a gift to be shared. When used wisely, it will multiply.

Christine Schenk draws parallels between this summer's politics and the Gospel story of Lazarus and Dives.

Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski of St. Louis is seen during his installation Mass Aug. 25, 2020 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. (OSV News/St. Louis Review/Lisa Johnston)

Good news for smaller parishes? Vatican upholds three merger appeals from St. Louis Catholics

Rome's Dicastery for the Clergy recently upheld an unprecedented third merger appeal from St. Louis Catholics determined to defend their parish homes. Could this be a sign of change?

Pallbearers accompany the casket of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton.

Sisters bid farewell to a beloved bishop and friend, Tom Gumbleton

Sr. Christine Schenk wanted to pay her respects to Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. She found a personal and heartfelt memorial service at the motherhouse of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters in Monroe, Michigan.

St. Joseph Sr. Helen Prejean speaks in front of a banner that reads, "End the death penalty."

'Will you be with me when I'm executed?': Interview with Sr. Helen Prejean

Sr. Helen Prejean accompanied Ivan Cantu through his Feb. 28 execution. Her act "mirrors that of the many courageous women who stayed with another man executed for a capital crime," writes Christin Schenk. 

Pope Francis gives his blessing at the conclusion of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops' last working session Oct. 28, 2023, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. (CNS/Vatican Media)

Synod report has wide-ranging implications for church governance, ministry

The synthesis report from the first session of the synod on synodality calls for significant structural changes that could have profound implications for how governance and ministry function in the church. Christine Schenk offers an analysis.

Woman stands with a group of children in a classroom. The children are wearing crocheted headbands,

Rose Torrence: Legendary Catholic school teacher, mentor, poet, friend

The legacy of Rosemary Torrence, who died Nov 11, speaks to the powerful influence of Catholic school teachers. 

Mural on a brick wall that says, "Greetings from Cleveland" (Wikimedia Commons/Erik Drost)

Cleveland Diocese LGBTQ policy a 'slap in the face' to God's creation

Sr. Christine Schenk reflects on the LGBTQ policies issued in the Cleveland Diocese and on the response of her Sisters of St. Joseph community.

Sr. María Rosa Legoll of the School Sisters of St. Francis in the documentary "With This Light"; inset: Nicole Bernardi-Reis, producer and co-director of the film (Photos courtesy of Miraflores Films)

Q&A with Nicole Bernardi-Reis on her film about Sr. María Rosa Legoll

Nicole Bernardi-Reis speaks to GSR about the award-winning documentary she co-directed, "With This Light," which chronicles the extraordinary life of Honduran Sr. María Rosa Legoll of the School Sisters of St. Francis.

Advertisement