Night One: Tuesday, October 21st at 7pm ET via Zoom

Heidi Schlumpf, Keynote Presenter

FutureChurch is excited to welcome Heidi Schlumpf as our Keynote Presenter. With more than three decades of experience as a Catholic journalist, Heidi is uniquely positioned to point out where “The Spirit Still Speaks.”

Heidi Schlumpf is an award-winning journalist and podcaster with three decades of experience covering religion, 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.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she also earned a master’s of theological studies from Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University, where she studied with feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether.

She is the author/editor of three books, including Elizabeth A. Johnson: Questing for God (Liturgical Press, 2016), the Notre Dame Book of Prayer (Ave Maria, 2010) and While We Wait: Spiritual & Practical Advice for Those Trying to Adopt (ACTA, 2009).

Schlumpf is based in Chicago, where she lives with her husband, Edmund, and their two children, and where she is a member of St. Gertrude Parish.

Night Two: Thursday, October 23rd at 7pm ET via Zoom

Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns, Louis J. Trivison Award

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

Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns is one of four lay people from the United States appointed by Pope Francis as the first lay women and men to be voting delegates at the general assemblies of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality in 2023 and 2024. She was also one of the six St. Paul & Minneapolis Archdiocesan representatives in the Continental phase of the pre-Synod preparations.

Dr. Bailey Manns is the Director of Adult Learning at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community in Minneapolis—a community whose vision is to be a visible, progressive Catholic Community, compassionate and welcoming to all. She holds a Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Florida and currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities.

FutureChurch was honored to host Dr. Bailey Manns as the keynote presenter at our 2023 Fall Event after her return from Rome. And we were grateful that for her pastoral presence at FutureChurch listening sessions on women and on the working document in the lead up to the October 2024 Assembly. Finally, Dr. Bailey Manns was a panelist at our recent program on the election of Pope Leo, speaking about the Pope and the future of synodality.

There has been no stronger advocate and or more committed champion of both the principal and process of Synodality than Cynthia.

Barbara Anne Kozee, Christine Schenk Award

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

Barbara Anne Kozee is a PhD candidate in theological ethics at Boston College. Barb is interested in the intersection between theology and the social sciences and works primarily in the fields of gender and sexuality as well as war and peacebuilding. Her dissertation focuses on how building just forms of social trust might contribute solutions to contemporary political and religious contexts of polarization.

Prior to starting at BC, Barb received her M.Div. and certificate in women’s studies in religion from the Jesuit School of Theology and her undergraduate degree in international political economy from Georgetown University. Barb has also previously held jobs in university ministry and Jesuit international programs. Having been Jesuit educated or employed since 2013, Barb deeply values Ignatian spirituality and the intersections between faith and justice.

Along with her academic studies, and as a queer and feminist Catholic, Barb values staying close to grassroots work for Church reform and justice. She is a regular contributor to the New Ways Ministry blog on LGBTQ issues and served as a board member and Vice President for Women’s Ordination Conference. She continues to stay connected to WOC’s development of feminist theology and advocacy for human rights at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women.

Join FutureChurch for “The Spirit Still Speaks: New Voices for Reform” – a powerful conversation with a panel of young thinkers and activists who are doing their part to shape the future of the Church. Katie Gordon, Maxwell Kuzma, Medene Presley, and Yunuen Trujillo will share their experiences, insights, and hopes for a more just, inclusive, and Spirit-led Church. Guided by moderator Shannon K. Evans, this dialogue will highlight the voices of a new generation of reformers who are challenging the status quo and calling the Church to deeper faithfulness, courage, and commitment to the gospel.

About our panel:

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.