Living Your Truth: Lessons from the Catholic(ish) Queer Community
FutureChurch’s 2026 Pride Month panel features LGBTQ+ Catholic(ish)* folks who share their experiences of faith, identity, and belonging in the Church — and what it means to live authentically as queer and Catholic in 2026.
Moderated by James Reding (co-host of God Talk with Medene and James), the conversation features:
- Emma Cieslik – founder of the Queer and Catholic Oral History Project
- Ellen Euclid – a leader in the NE Ohio Dignity Chapter
- Mark Guevarra – co-editor of Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions
- Kathryn Muensterman – a PhD student in Systematic Theology at Notre Dame University
- Michael Sennett – a trans Catholic man and pastoral ministry student at Fordham University
Together they explore what coming out means in 2026, the role of queer and liberation theology in imagining a more just Church, the ongoing work of restorative justice for LGBTQ+ Catholics, and the power of visibility and representation for younger generations still searching for ancestors they can claim.
Throughout, our panelists bring wisdom drawn from personal stories: being fired for living openly, housing LGBT refugees, finding permission through the Gospel, and building community where queer Catholics are not merely tolerated but genuinely welcomed.
*Catholic(ish) – we recognize that each person has their own relationship with Catholicism and the institution. This term is meant to be inclusive of all of those experiences.