Media Type: Video

Professor Rafael Luciani, S.T.D. is a world renown expert on synodality in the Catholic Church who knows much about the current efforts of Pope Francis to create a new phase in the reception of Vatican II — a church that “walks together” discerning the future.

Professor Luciani argues that what is at stake is nothing less that the Church’s fidelity to her calling as a follower of Jesus and her response to the new signs of the times.  He contends that synodality is a re-ordering of relationships within the church.  In this new ecclesial “we”, all the faithful – from the pope to the laity – are equals in a communion, with the same responsibility regarding the identity, vocation, and mission of the Church.

Professor Rafael Luciani is lay theologian from Venezuela who has been appointed as Expert of the Theological Commission of the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops. He holds degrees of Doctor in Theology and Licenciate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; Baccalaureatum in Philosophy and Baccalaureatum in Theology from the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome; and Licenciate in Education (with mention in Philosophy) earned from the Jesuit`s Catholic University Andrés Bello in Caracas. He is an Associate Professor of the Practice at Boston College and is currently engaged in postdoctoral research activities at the Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany.

He is the author of Synodality: A New Way of Proceeding in the Church, the book FutureChurch used during our three-week book study in October.

The first night of FutureChurch’s 32nd Annual Fall Event – “Fertile Ground: Building a Synodal Church” features remarks from our award recipients, Yunuen Trujillo and Sr. Maureen Sullivan, OP. Don’t miss the special appearance by Sr. Jeannine Gramick, SL or Deb Rose’s celebration of the publication of Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices, Renewing the Church.

FutureChurch’s Christine Schenk Award for Young Catholic Leaders is given to a young Roman Catholic who has demonstrated promising leadership in advancing FutureChurch’s Vatican II mission in one or more areas of social justice, pastoral care, ministry, advocacy, teaching, researching, or publishing.

FutureChurch is pleased to present the 2022 Christine Schenk award to Ms. Yunuen Trujillo for her ministry with LGBTQ+ Catholics.

Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister, a faith-based Community Organizer, and an Immigration Attorney. As a lay minister, she has served in Young Adult Ministry for more than 15 years and she is one of the leading figures for inclusive Catholic LGBT Ministry in the United States. Yunuen is a regular speaker at the yearly Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, a Congress that draws about 30,000+ attendants from all over the world, where she teaches about inclusive LGBT Ministry. As a community organizer, she has worked with L.A. Voice PICO, a faith-based, multi-faith, multi-racial organization that works to create a society that reflects the Dignity of all persons; working on issues such as immigrant rights, education, and criminal justice reform. Yunuen is also the founder of the Instagram @lgbtcatholics, an online platform of resources for Catholic LGBT Ministry, and she is the Religious Formation Coordinator (Sp) for the Catholic Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Persons of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She is the author of the new book, LGBTQ Catholics: A Guide for Inclusive Ministry (Paulist Press, 2022).

The Louis J. 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.

FutureChurch is honored to present Dominican Sister of Hope, Sr. Maureen Sullivan, with the 2022 Louis J. Trivison award, for her life-long efforts educating Catholics about and instilling in them a love for the Second Vatican Council.

In the past few years, Sr. Maureen has been instrumental in advancing FutureChurch’s mission of reviving our Vatican II church. Offering several FutureChurch series on the revolutionary importance of Vatican II, Sr. Maureen has earned the love, trust, and devotion of many Catholics who share the goal of making the Spirit of Vatican II come alive throughout the church. Her work has helped us arrive at this moment where synodality, a radically new way of being church, is being shepherded forward by Pope Francis.

As world renown church historian and theologian Massimo Faggioli told us,

Sister Maureen Sullivan is not only a dear friend, but also a scholar and a teacher from whom I have learned a lot, especially during my first years in the USA. There is no doubt that Maureen is one of those American scholars and teachers of Vatican II who kept the light of Vatican II aflame. She is one of those who made possible the comeback of the theology of the council today, in the context of Pope Francis’ pontificate and of Synodality. We as a church and as a scholarly community are indebted to her for helping American Catholicism prepare for a new phase in the reception of the council.

Theologian and Ecclesiologist Richard Gaillardetz agrees:

For decades now, few if any have matched the zeal of Sr. Maureen Sullivan in championing the continued relevance of the Second Vatican Council. Her deep knowledge of the council and her pastoral perspicacity have fueled her many writings and speaking engagements. Her work wonderfully supports Pope Francis’s own commitment to the council. She continues to be an extraordinary gift to the life of the church.