FutureChurch is honored to welcome Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns, one of 10 non- bishop voting delegates chosen by Pope Francis to represent the North American region at the first general assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in October.

In her keynote presentation, Dr. Bailey Manns offers reflections on her experience at the synod, details the process, and offers highlights and disappointments, and offers suggestions for moving forward as a synodal Church.

Cynthia Bailey Manns, DMin, is the director of adult learning at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community—a community whose vision is to be a visible, progressive Catholic Community, compassionate and welcoming to all. She holds a DMin in Spiritual Direction from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Florida, and has served as professional faculty in St. Catherine University’s Theology Department, as the coordinator of the Spiritual Director Certificate Program, and as co-director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. She has also served as adjunct faculty at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota and Drew Theological School, teaching courses in human development, spirituality, spiritual formation, soul care for lay and ordained leaders, and sacred activism. She is a contributor to the anthology, Embodied Spirits: Stories of Spiritual Directors of Color (2014), and she is an experienced soul companion, supervisor, and retreat leader. She lives with her family in Bloomington, Minnesota.