Accessibility Tools

Web Accessibility plugin by DJ-Extensions.com
Skip to main content

Media Type: Video

A post with a video embed or link to video

Praying with the Shepherd Within: An Advent Evening of Reflection with Father Anne

Written on . Posted in Justice In the Church, Women In Church Leadership.

On December 9, 2025, FutureChurch welcomed Father Anne who led an evening of reflection on the Incarnation to celebrate the ongoing mystery of Advent. Together we will explored some of the principles in the first section of her new book, The Shepherd Within, creating quiet time during to invite God to minister to us and teach us about God’s essential drive to incarnate into our lives to bring about goodness.

The evening was separated into three movements – each consisting of a brief presentation by Father Anne followed by time for personal reflection and prayer. We invite you to follow along with the video using the prayer guides below, pausing to take as much time in between the three movements as you need.

  1. Movement One – The Incarnation Principle
  2. Movement Two – Recognizing the Incarnation Principle in Our Lives
  3. Movement Three – Embracing Greater Fullness of Life

Learn more about and purchase Father Anne’s book at http://shepherdwithin.com 

About Father Anne

Father Anne was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2021 through a reform movement called the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. Because the Roman Catholic Church prevents the full participation of women in Church life, Father Anne was forced to choose between obedience to God and obedience to Church law. Choosing God, she was excommunicated, ending her career in the Church she loves. She now devotes her life to gender justice in one of the most powerful institutions in the world. Father Anne has a Master of Divinity from Jesuit School of Theology and a Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from San Diego State University. Her deepest desire is to serve as a parish priest in the Roman Catholic Church. She works for the day this dream comes true.

Learn more at https://www.fatheranne.com/

The Spirit Still Speaks: New Voices for Reform

Written on . Posted in Emerging Models of Parish & Community Life, Justice In the Church, Uncategorized.

On November 19, 2025 FutureChurch hosted a powerful conversation with a panel of young thinkers and activists. Moderated by Shannon K. Evans, Katie Gordon, Maxwell Kuzma, Medene Presley, and Yunuen Trujillo shared their experiences, insights, and hopes for a more just, inclusive, and Spirit-led Church.

Key points: 

  • Speaking from his perspective as a convert to Catholicism from the Afro-Pentecost tradition, Medene J.R. Presley comments on how the Church can reach out to communities it has hurt and alienated, noting that simply issuing documents isn’t enough.
  • As someone who occupies many Catholic spaces, Yunuen Trujillo addresses the need for progressive Catholics to open their minds and spaces to true intersectionality and inclusivity as one way to confront the pervasiveness of white Christian nationalism.
  • Reflecting on his journey as a transgender Catholic, Maxwell Kuzma discusses the role of personal discernment and intergenerational solidarity so that we can show up unapologetically in Catholic spaces as our true, authentic selves.
  • Katie Gordon reflects on her work with Nuns and Nuns and her relationships with different communities of women religious to share insights about how faith communities grow, evolve, and change.

More about our panelists:

Shannon K. Evans is the spirituality and culture editor at National Catholic Reporter and the author of the books The Mystics Would Like a Word, Feminist Prayers for My Daughter, and Rewilding Motherhood. With interest in ecofeminism, social change and contemplative practice, Shannon leads workshops and retreats across the country that spark curiosity and compassion. She and her family make their home in central Iowa.

  • Katie Gordon is a spiritual seeker inspired by monastic tradition. She is the Coordinator of Monasteries of the Heart, an online movement that translates Benedictine wisdom for contemporary seekers. Katie is often experimenting with new ways of co-creating community outside of traditional religious forms, including her previous projects like Nuns & Nones and the Formation Project. She is most inspired by Benedict as a model of “living otherwise” today, and writes about this and more on her Substack, Following the Monastic Impulse.
  • Maxwell Kuzma is a writer, advocate, and podcast host exploring what it means to be transgender, Catholic, and committed to justice. A columnist for National Catholic Reporter and board member of DignityUSA, he centers LGBTQ+ voices in the Church and reimagines Catholic theology through a liberatory lens. He has been interviewed by press such as the NYTimes and BBC on queer and trans Catholic identity, church reform, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
  • Medene J.R. Presley is from Sacramento, CA; born and raised in the Afro-Pentecostal Christian tradition, but in 2018, was received into the Catholic Church while studying in seminary. He holds a Bachelors of Psychology from William Jessup University; a Masters of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology, and is currently pursuing a second Masters in Clinical Psychology at Loyola Marymount University.  Medene researches the integration of psychology and theology, moral/practical theology, and pastoral counseling.  He is the co-founder of the God Talk with Medene and James podcast.  Moreover, he is a religious educator, campus minister, and community service director at a private Catholic high school in Los Angeles.
  • Yunuen Trujillo is a lay minister, faith-based community organizer, and immigration attorney. With over 15 years of experience in young adult ministry, she currently serves as the Religious Formation Coordinator (Spanish) for the Catholic Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Persons of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Yunuen has worked with L.A. Voice PICO, a faith-based organization focused on creating a society that reflects the dignity of all, advocating for immigration reform, criminal justice reform, and increased resources for education. She is a board member of New Ways Ministry and FutureChurch. Yunuen is also the author of LGBT Catholics: A Guide to Inclusive Ministry, published in English and Spanish by Paulist Press.

Prayers:

 

Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns Accepts 2025 Fr. Louis J. Trivison Award

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

FutureChurch is honored to present the 2025 Louis J. Trivison Award to Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns in deep gratitude and recognition of her care-filled and faithful service to the People of God – and especially those at the margins – as a delegate to the Synod on Synodality. 

The Fr. Louis Trivison award is given to a Roman Catholic who exhibits outstanding leadership in advancing FutureChurch’s Vatican II mission or vision in one or more areas of: teaching, administration, research, publication, advocacy, and pastoral care.

Barbara Anne Kozee Accepts 2025 Sr. Christine Schenk Award

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

FutureChurch is honored to present Barbara Anne Kozee with our 2025 Sr. Christine Schenk Award, in celebration and recognition of her courageous work as a scholar-activist, working for justice for women and the LGBTQ+ community in Church and society.

The Sr. Christine Schenk Award for Young Catholic Leaders is given to a young Roman Catholic whose research, writing, advocacy, or ministry exhibits outstanding leadership in promoting justice in the church and whose efforts will inspire and foster a new generation of reformers and activists.

2025 Fall Event Night Two – Award Ceremony

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

The full presentation of night two (October 23, 2025) of FutureChurch’s 35th Annual Fall Event, “The Spirit Still Speaks.” FutureChurch is honored to welcome our award recipients:

  • We present our 2025 Christine Schenk Award to Barbara Anne Kozee in celebration and recognition of her courageous work as a scholar-activist, working for justice for women and the LGBTQ+ community in Church and society.
  • We present our 2025 Louis J. Trivison Award to Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns in deep gratitude and recognition and gratitude of her care-filled and faithful service to the People of God – and especially those at the margins – as a delegate to the Synod on Synodality. 

2025 Fall Event Night One

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

The full presentation of night one (October 21, 2025) of FutureChurch’s 35th Annual Fall Event, “The Spirit Still Speaks.” Executive director, Russ Petrus, offers a welcome and opening remarks. Martha Ligas, program associate, leads an opening prayer she wrote for FutureChurch’s 35th Anniversary. Board president, Marie Graf, introduces our keynote speaker, Heidi Schlumpf – a Catholic journalist and commentator who presents “The Spirit Still Speaks” and takes questions from the community. Finally, board member, Courtney Esteves closes with a blessing by Ruth Fox, OSB.

 

2025 Keynote Presentation by Heidi Schlumpf

Written on . Posted in Fall Event.

Heidi Schlumpf offers the keynote presentation, “The Spirit Still Speaks,” to begin FutureChurch’s 35th Annual Fall Event. In her presentation, Schlumpf names the current reality of disaffiliation among church-goers (and especially women), considers the ways the Spirit speaks to us as individuals and as a community of believers, and offers where she finds signs of hope for the future. After her presentation, Schlumpf addresses comments and questions from the FutureChurch community.

Heidi Schlumpf is an award-winning journalist and podcaster with three decades of experience covering religion and spirituality as well as political, social, and women’s issues. She spent 16 years with the National Catholic Reporter as a columnist, correspondent, and executive editor/vice president. She previously served as managing editor of U.S. Catholic magazine and a reporter at Chicago’s archdiocesan newspaper. Her work has appeared in Mother Jones, CNN Opinion, Commonweal and Sojourners magazine. She has made appearances on CNN, NPR, PBS and the New York Times podcast. Schlumpf has been a co-host of the Francis Effect podcast for five years. She also is a part-time faculty member in theology at Loyola University Chicago. She previously taught journalism as an associate professor of communication at Aurora University in Chicago.

2025 Mary Magdalene Celebration: Women Speaking Truth to Power

Written on . Posted in Mary of Magdala, Women In Church Leadership.

FutureChurch’s 2025 Mary Magdalene Celebration, “Women Speaking Truth To Power” prayerfully uplifts the voices of women who, following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, are speaking truth to power on a variety of justice issues facing both Church and society.

This year’s celebration features the prophetic words of Nontando Hadebe, Christine Zuba, The National Black Sisters’ Conference, Sr. Norma Pimentel, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.  Our liturgy of the word concludes with powerful preaching by Sr. Eilis McCulloh, HM – a member of the Grassroots Mobilization Team for NETWORK – the Catholic Social Justice Lobby. A guided meditation invites participants to listen to the Spirit within them and discover what truth God is calling them to proclaim.

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this year’s celebration:

Presider: Martha Ligas
Guest Preacher: Sr. Eilis McCulloh, HM
Readers: Bishop Paula Hoeffer, Leslye Colvin, Ronnise Handy, Pilar Siman, and Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ
Prayer service and guided meditation developed by Olivia Hastie.

Music:
Permission to stream “All Are Welcome,” “Your Words Are Spirit and Life,” and “Celtic Alleluia” obtained from ONE LICENSE, License #S-921009. “You Shall Be My Witnesses” used with permission of the composer. All rights reserved.

More Resources: