What does it look like to continue loving and hoping for the Church when your experience of it has left you wounded? In this third reflection in The Broken Heart series, Ani Weinman shares her story of leaving, learning, loving, and continuing to live into the calling God placed within her.

This post brings in the third voice we are using throughout the Communion of the Saints series: the neighbor. The “ancestor” gives us the wisdom of those who came before us, the “friend” brings a contemporary theological voice, and the “neighbor” grounds those ideas in the lived experience of our own community. For The Broken Heart, Ani Weinman is that neighbor. COG BLOG #4 edit Ani Weinman MA…

What happens when the church finds itself in a season of loss, disruption, and deep examination? Drawing from St. Catherine of Siena and contemporary theologian Dr. Elaine Heath, this reflection explores the “Dark Night of the Soul” not simply as an ending, but as a difficult path toward renewal, deeper faithfulness, and a church centered again in the love of God.

The post continues the Broken Heart portion of the series. It moves from St. Catherine of Siena as “the ancestor” to Dr. Elaine Heath as “the friend,” using Heath’s threefold contemplative path of Purgation, Illumination, and Union to explore how difficult seasons can become places of spiritual transformation and renewal. 

"When mysticism was veiled in mystery and wrapped in private ecstasies and personal devotions, Catherine's mysticism plagued her with the worries of the world and plunged her into the very center of life… When everything in the world around her was in chaos, in both church and state, Catherine refused to buy into it or look away."

What can the lives of faithful Christians who came before us teach us about remaining hopeful, present, and faithful in difficult times? Communion of the Saints begins with the “great cloud of witnesses” and an invitation to learn from those who widened the road before us.

Communion of the Saints blog… is a life-line for those who love and serve in hard places.  It assumes you’ve been looking for friends and mentors who have gone before.  Dr. Kit Danley of Neighborhood Ministries has 44 years in the barrios of Phoenix and has unearthed our traveling companions.  Join us for a real-world experiential journey within a communion of the saints.

From Kids Club songs and classroom moments to Kids Camp memories and youth stepping into leadership in their RISE internship roles, this summer was full of moments that will stay with children for years.