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Our Team

Formation Team

Lisa M. Orchen,

M.Div.

Program Director

Casey Stanton,

M. Div.

Co-Director, Discerning Deacons

Rhonda Miska,

M.Div.

Lead Cohort Facilitator

Kelly Adamson,

Lead Cohort Facilitator

Claire Lucas

Program Associate

Faculty

Ann Garrido,

M.Div., D.Min.

Layla A. Karst,

M.Div., Ph.D.

Anathea Portier-Young,

Ph.D.

Lauren Winner,

Ph.D.

Cohort Facilitators

Kelly Adamson,

Kayla August,

Ximena DeBroeck,

Ph.D, STL, MSPsy

Julia King,

M.Div.

Rhonda Miska,

M.Div.

Carmen Ramos,

Sharon Schuhmann,

MTS, M.Div., D.Min.

Formation Companions

Kelly Adamson

Cincinnati, OH

Kate Barrett

South Bend, IN

Gail Thibaudeau Belluccci

Hartford, CT

Cynthia B. Bernardin

Evansville, IN

BJ Brown

Philadelphia, PA

Susan Casey

Baton Rouge, LA

Sherry Cassedy

Monterey, CA

Ellen Murray Creely

Louisville, KY

Kelly Culver

South Bend, IN

Ximena DeBroeck

Harrisburg, PA

Lisa Dennison

Seattle, WA

Molleen Dupree-Dominguez

Oakland, CA

Theresa Vithayathil Edmonson

Portland, OR

Judith R. Fean

South Bend, IN

Janice Figenshu

Paterson, NJ

Maria Fleming

Portland, OR

Svea Fraser

Boston, MA

Mary Ellen Green, OP

Milwaukee, WI

Judith Hallock, CSC

South Bend, IN

Danielle Harrison

Tampa, FL

Sarah Hennessey, FSPA

La Crosse, WI

Rose Hesselbrock

Seattle, WA

Ellie Hidalgo

Miami, FL

Sharon Howell, CSJ

St. Paul, MN

Laurie Janecko

Hartford, CT

Mary Therese Johnson, OP

Milwaukee, WI

Carolyn Kolovitz

Minneapolis, MN

Nina Laubach

Trenton, NJ

Sara McGinnis Lee

St. Louis, MO

Michelle Lesher, SSJ

Philadelphia, PA

Teri Marchese

New Orleans, LA

Amy Marcum

Toledo, OH

Diana Matthews

Milwaukee, WI

Belinda Monahan, OSB

Chicago, IL

Patty Moriarity, RSM

Hartford, CT

Suzanne Nawrocki

Austin, TX

Claire Noonan

Chicago, IL

Tammy Norcross-Reitzler

Davenport, IA

Mary T. O’Neill

Wilmington, DE

Andrea Pannell

Columbus, OH

Janet Peterworth, OSU

Louisville, KY

Susan Piescik

Hartford, CT

Jane Pitz

South Bend, IN

Elyse Marie Ramirez, OP

Springfield, IL

Carmen Ramos

Indianapolis, IN

Martha Brune Rapp

Springfield, IL

Helen Marie Raycraft, OP

Milwaukee, WI

Sharon Schuhmann

Louisville, KY

Cathy Vetter, CCVI

Jefferson City, MO

Mary Margaret Weber, CSC

South Bend, IN

Jeanne Wiest, OP

St. Cloud, MN

Carolyn Wright

St. Louis, MO

Partners

The Center for the Study of Spirituality

The Center for the Study of Spirituality at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN, offers programs that promote the engagement between faith and reason and the connection between mind, body, and spirit. As an academic center, the Center draws on intellectual resources in the Catholic and broader Christian tradition as well as how individuals practice faith in their daily lives to develop critical conversations around contemporary religious issues, especially as they relate to women’s experiences in society, the academy, and the church. In addition to the dozens of public lectures and other events it hosts each academic year, the Center for the Study of Spirituality also supports ongoing research initiatives and academic formation programs for women in the fields of theology and spirituality, including PROCLAIM. The Center will host the in-person residency weeks each June on the beautiful campus of Saint Mary’s College.

Compelling Preaching Initiative of Lilly Endowment, Inc.

PROCLAIM is made possible through the generous support of the Compelling Preaching Initiative, a project of Lilly Endowment Inc., which seeks to help Christian preachers develop their craft and captivate their hearers in more engaging and effective ways.

Discerning Deacons

Launched in April 2021, Discerning Deacons is a project grounded in the practices of faith based, relational community organizing coupled with practices of spiritual direction and communal discernment. Our mission is to engage Catholics in the active discernment of our church around the question of women and the diaconate. We do this by working through the capillaries of the church’s institutions such as parishes, schools, universities, religious orders, alumni networks, and parachurch organizations, growing the space for Spirit-filled and Spirit-led Conversations. Discerning Deacons took the bold step of applying for a Compelling Preaching Grant from the Lilly Endowment to fund the formation of Catholic women as ministers of the Word and preachers.

The McGrath Institute for Church Life

The McGrath Institute for Church Life partners with Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools to address pastoral challenges with theological depth and rigor. By connecting the Catholic intellectual life to the life of the Church, we form faithful Catholic leaders for service to the Church and the world. STEP Online through the McGrath Institute for Church Life is the host learning management system for PROCLAIM’s virtual learning curriculum.

Saint Thomas More Parish

Saint Thomas More is the Jesuit parish of the Twin Cities. We are a community where all are welcome. Nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, we proclaim the Good News and help each other grow closer to Christ. We are called to act justly, to love mercy, and to build the City of God here and now. Saint Thomas More Parish serves as the fiscal sponsor for PROCLAIM.

Lisa M. Orchen, M.Div.

Program Director

Lisa M. Orchen, M.Div. has served in a wide variety of lay ministry assignments for over 30 years from hospital ministry, campus ministry, parish pastoral associate and diocesan leadership in addition to consulting assignments as a spiritual writer, workshop and retreat leader, lay ministry formator and theology teacher.

Lisa brings energy and passion to her new role designing PROCLAIM with an amazing team of creative colleagues. She is excited to welcome our first cohort of program participants and accompany them along a transformative journey in the fall of 2025.

An avid reader, gardener and walker, Lisa loves to connect every day life with her Catholic faith, and finds great joy in helping others see those connections through her preaching and writing.

Lisa is married to John Baker and together they have two college age children. Lisa has both a B.A. and Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame.

Casey Stanton, M. Div.

Co-Director, Discerning Deacons

Casey Stanton has spent over a decade working in the field of social concerns ministries within parish life and as part of broader, faith-based coalitions. She most recently served as Adult Faith Formation minister at Immaculate Conception Parish in Durham, North Carolina. She holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School where she graduated with a certificate in prison studies. A Boston native, Casey is proud to make a home in Durham with her husband Felipe and their three children, Micaela, Teddy and Oscar Francis.

As the co-founder of Discerning Deacons, she serves the Church’s discernment around women’s inclusion in the diaconate. She is humbled by the diaconal ministry of women around the world, and trusts in the Holy Spirit to renew the church and heal our world.

Casey attributes her love of proclamation to her beloved oratory teacher in high school, Mr. Hodges. He taught Casey how to interpret poetry in speaking it aloud, how to project one’s voice so those in the back can hear you, how to inhabit a space and proclaim. An expert in theatre, Old English, and the works of John Milton – Mr. Hodges offered a witness to a Christian life imbued with the arts and elevated through culture, but humble and inclusive enough to welcome a curious 14-year old as apprentice. It’s in honor of him, along with the network of the Religious of the Sacred Heart around the world – that she is dedicated to equip and launch women of courage and confidence to proclaim God’s goodness.

Casey has preached for Catholic Women Preach, Duke Chapel, US Catholic, PREACH, and in the North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women. She has been featured in interviews and podcasts with America Media, the National Catholic Reporter, and Religion News Service. You can find her writing for Discerning Deacons’ newsletter and blog – The Witness.

Ann Garrido, M.Div., D.Min.

Dr. Ann Garrido is Associate Professor of Homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO, where she has been on the faculty since 2000. Ann has also served as the Marten Fellow in Preaching at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Preaching with the Sciences cohort sponsored by a grant from the Templeton Foundation. Her preaching has been featured in U.S. Catholic, Catholic Women Preach, the USCCB Daily Reflections, and—most regularly—on the global Dominican preaching site theWORD.OP. She is a nationally known speaker and writer in the areas of both preaching and Christian leadership. Her books on preaching include Mustard Seed Preaching (LTP, 2004); Preaching to the Choir (New Priory Press, 2014); Let’s Talk About Truth (Ave Maria Press, 2020); and Preaching with Children (LTP, 2023). Her most recent writing in the field can be found in Lay Eucharistic Preaching in a Synodal Church, ed. Gregory Heille, OP (Liturgical Press, 2025).

Ann is married and has one young adult son who she wishes lived closer. She loves digging into scripture commentaries but also reading the Harry Potter series (for the seventh time!) with her nephews. She’s a fan of the Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor and Rev. Alyce McKenzie, as well as late night popcorn, Pamplemousse LaCroix, houseplants that are not finnicky, and anything having to do with moose.

Ann is the designer of the Fundamentals of Preaching course. Learn more about Ann at anngarrido.com

Anathea Portier-Young, Ph.D.

Dr. Anathea Portier-Young is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Duke University Divinity School. She holds degrees from Yale University, Jesuit School of Theology and Graduate Theological Union, and Duke University. In addition to her ministry of preaching, Dr. Portier-Young is a sought-after speaker and teacher on topics pertaining to the intersections of scripture with Christian spirituality, pastoral care, and social justice. She has taught scripture at Duke Divinity School for more than two decades, including courses on Prophetic Literature and on Preaching from the Old Testament. She has taught courses on Old Testament Prophets at University of Notre Dame, Sewanee School of Theology, and in the Diocese of Raleigh Deacon Formation Program. Dr. Portier-Young authored the introductory essays on the Major and Minor Prophets for the Catholic Study Bible (4th ed., forthcoming), is co-author of At Home with the Word: Sunday Scriptures and Scripture Insights, Year A (Liturgy Training Publications, 2025), and has contributed numerous lectionary commentary essays for the online resource workingpreacher.org. Her academic books include the award-winning Apocalypse against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2011) and The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature (Oxford University Press, 2024). She co-edited Scripture and Social Justice: Catholic and Ecumenical Essays (Fortress, 2018). She is a long-standing member of the Catholic Biblical Association and active in its leadership. Among her favorite preachers are the Episcopal Bishop Emeritus Michael Curry and Duke Divinity School’s Associate Professor of Homiletics Dr. Jerusha Neal. Dr. Portier-Young is also a mom, quilter, runner, and dancer. Thea is the designer of the Sacred Scripture course for PROCLAIM. Learn more about Thea at anatheaportieryoung.com.

Lauren Winner, Ph.D.

The Rev. Dr. Lauren F. Winner is an associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Duke Divinity School, Director of the Collegeville Institute’s Ecclesial Literature Project and Episcopal priest serving as vicar of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Durham, N.C.

Lauren holds a BA from Columbia University, Masters from Clare College, Cambridge, an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School and Ph.D. from Columbia University. Lauren has led Collegeville Institute writing workshops since 2012. She writes and lectures widely on Christian practice, the history of Christianity in America, and Jewish-Christian relations.Her books include Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, a study of household religious practice in 18th-century Virginia, A Cheerful and Comfortable Faith, Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, and, most recently, a book on overlooked biblical tropes for God, Wearing God. Her most recent book, Characteristic Damage, examines the effects of sin and damage on Christian practice. Lauren is the designer of the Images of God course. Learn more about Lauren at divinity.duke.edu/faculty/lauren-winner.

Kelly Adamson, MA

Kelly Adamson is a Benedictine oblate, lay minister, preacher, spiritual director, mom, and wife. Kelly has 25 years of campus ministry experience, most recently serving as the Senior Director of Faith Formation and Spiritual Accompaniment and as the Director of the Campus Ministry Graduate Assistant Program at the University of Dayton. She is pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology.

Kelly has a certificate in Spiritual Direction from Benet Hill Monastery, an MA in theology from Xavier University, a post-Masters Certificate in the Practice of Spirituality from Boston College, and a graduate certificate in liturgy with an emphasis in preaching from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

Kelly has preached for US Catholic Magazine, Catholic Women Preach, and faith communities across the country, and has frequently presented at ministry and higher education conferences. Kelly is a co-convener of the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circle. She serves as co-chair of the Higher Education Coalition on Synodality and has served as a leader in the Catholic Education Network Engaging and Resourcing Synodality (CENTERS).

Kelly’s Benedictine spirituality and Marianist influence at the University of Dayton come together in her understanding of preaching as the fruit of listening with the ear of the heart that results in birthing the Word in and for the community. In her preaching, she frequently reminds communities of our creation in Genesis – we are made in the image and likeness of God and breathed into life by the very breath of God.

Ximena DeBroeck, PhD, STL, MSPsy

Dr. Ximena DeBroeck is a teacher and a life-long student of God’s Word transforming daily life as it unfolds. As a lay ecclesial minister, she has served the Church in various roles, including former Director of Pastoral Formation and faculty at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD, Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at St. Mary’s Seminary, Director of Catechetical and Pastoral Formation at the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and, previously as its Director of Divine Worship and Sacramental Formation. Currently, she is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Loyola University, Chicago, Adjunct Professor at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and Leadership Consultant with the Catholic Leadership Institute.

Her publications include Forming the Hearts of Prophets for the Kingdom, an essay on Lectio Divina in Seminary Formation, various articles on Scripture interpretation and sacramental formation, numerous essays in the devotional Give Us This Day the Study Guide for Sherry Weddell’s book Forming Intentional Disciples, and online pastoral courses for the University of Notre Dame and the University of Dayton. Additionally, she co-authored Manual para proclamadores de la Palabra and Manual para proclamadores de la Palabra 2023 (Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers, and Proclaimers of the Word). She presented a doctoral seminar on “Ritual and Remembrance” at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and has been an invited speaker at various diocesan and parish events.

Dr. DeBroeck grew up in Ecuador and is fluent in English and Spanish. She earned her Theology MA, with Scripture concentration, from Saint Vincent Seminary, her License in Sacred Theology-Biblical Studies from St. Mary’s Seminary, her doctorate in Systematic Theology from Duquesne University, and her MS in Psychology from Divine Mercy University. Her teaching and research include Scripture, sacramental and liturgical theology, discipleship, and integration of the cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and behavioral dimensions of the human person.

Kayla August, MA

Kayla August is a doctoral student at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology and Education with a focus on preaching. Born and raised Black Catholic in New Orleans, Kayla earned her undergraduate and masters degrees at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kayla desires to use preaching to impact religious education by inspiring Catholics to deepen their encounters with scripture, tradition, and how God plays an active role in our daily lives. Her interest in formation is rooted in her experiences of living and working in young adult faith formation as a University Ministry Intern at Loyola University of New Orleans and her professional work as the Assistant Director of Evangelization in the University of Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry department and as a residence hall minister at both Notre Dame and Boston College. She hopes that through preaching, she can help to enliven the young adult Catholic community and also help to inspire marginalized voices—like her own—in the Catholic faith to play an active role in the Church. She speaks openly about the inclusion of marginalized voices like people of color, women, and all those on the outskirts of the church and society, and she looks forward to a day when all voices will be universally heard in the universal church.

“At the heart of preaching, we learn how the living word is not in the past, but ever-present and active in our daily lives. When we preach, we recognize that our bodies are vessels for God at work in the world, and that our voice is needed to make the fullness of God known. When I teach preaching, I know that I am helping to awaken and empower the voices in our Church that God will use to transform our church and world.”

Rhonda Miska, M.Div.

Lead Cohort Facilitator

Rhonda Miska is a preacher, teacher, spiritual director, writer, and lay ecclesial minister, currently serving as Communication Director at the Church of St. Timothy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis. She is concurrently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology.

Rhonda holds an MA from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and a certificate in spiritual direction from the Spiritual Direction Institute. She has served in parishes, universities, retreat centers, and served as a Jesuit Volunteer in Nicaragua from 2002-2004. Rhonda has served on the advisory board of Catholic Women Preach since its inception. She is the founder and co-convener of the Catholic Women’s Preaching Circe, a peer community of Catholic women supporting and accompanying one another in breaking open God’s Word. She is active with Discerning Deacons, a movement to engage Catholics in discernment around the restoration of the diaconate to women in the Roman Catholic Church. Her writing has appeared in Catholic Women Speak: Bringing Our Gifts to the Table (Paulist Press, 2016), Pope Francis Lexicon (Collegeville, 2018), and Catholic Women Preach: Raising Voices, Renewing the Church (2022), Green Saints for a Green Generation (2024). She has also published in various print and online publications including America, U.S. Catholic, and Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry. Rhonda is fluent in English, Spanish and French and highly proficient in American Sign Language.

Rhonda’s passion for preaching was nurtured during participation in the Boston area spoken-word scene while she was studying at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Being a theology student by day and spoken word poet by night ignited passion to bring voice to God’s love and journey of discipleship. Her commitment to preaching led her to discern vowed life with the Order of Preachers and she was in formation with Dominican Sisters from 2016-2020. When she isn’t doing ministry, she enjoys kayaking on Minnesota’s many beautiful lakes, cooking with fresh produce from local farmers markets, and doing short-form improv comedy.

Carmen Ramos, MA

Carmen Ramos is a first-generation Mexican-American raised in central California. She is an educator, spiritual director, retreat master, and formator. Currently, she serves Latinx parishes as Director of Renovación (Parish Renewal Initiative) at Marian University in Indianapolis.

Carmen attended Cal Poly Pomona and earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a K-12 teaching credential. For over ten years, she lived as a vowed religious sister and taught in Catholic parish schools where her passion for education was nurtured. After teaching the youth for over ten years, she decided to change course and focus her teaching on adult education. Carmen graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with an M.A. in Pastoral Theology and a focus on spiritual direction. She worked in the Office of Diaconate Formation in the Archdioceses of Los Angeles.

Carmen is passionate about promoting the ﬂourishing of all women and is committed to seeking new pathways that enhance the active presence of women in the Church. Fascinated by the Word of God, she enjoys breaking open the word through retreat work. She has also participated in promoting women’s preaching through preaching circles for Discerning Deacons’ Phoebe Day and Catholic Women Preach. Carmen continues to be inspired by many women preachers, who from the time of the Resurrection to our day proclaim Jesus with boldness.

Without women preachers, we would have no knowledge of the resurrection.
– Jürgen Moltmann

Claire Lucas

Program Associate

Claire Lucas is originally from Oregon where she grew up bike-riding, berry-picking, camping and hanging out with her brother and their little herd of dairy cows. Claire attended Seattle University where she graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Theology and Religious Studies in 2019. After graduation, she moved to rural southeastern Montana as a Jesuit Volunteer/Americorps member with Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest where she was immersed in a new kind of natural splendor and embraced her little community’s spirit of honesty. Since living there, she has worked in multiple positions at an assisted living facility for Northern Cheyenne elders, as well as in hospital chaplaincy in Billings, Montana. Claire is in the process of earning her Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry from Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, and looks forward to graduating in December 2026.

Claire’s professional experiences throughout her career in social justice education, end-of-life care, writing and storytelling, administrative support and hospital chaplaincy have all inspired her to hone her skills to pursue a life of service and ministry for the people of God. Claire has always had a strong voice and desire to compel people with words, whether written or spoken. This gift and passion has been nurtured by many throughout her life who have consistently encouraged her to speak, teach and write, and who have validated the ways that her experiences and perspectives can impact others. She is proud to support the vitally important work of PROCLAIM in forming Catholic women as preachers and ministers of the Word in a time that desperately needs their voices and perspectives.

Layla A. Karst, M.Div., Ph.D.

Dr. Layla A. Karst is Associate Professor of Liturgical Theology and Graduate Director for the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Layla teaches and writes at the intersection of liturgy and ecclesiology, prioritizing the study of liturgical practice as it is lived and celebrated across diverse communities of faith.

Her recent publications have explored the ways that racism, sexism, and sexual abuse have impacted Roman Catholic liturgical celebrations. She is currently studying theologies and practices of lay liturgical preaching and their implications for building a more synodal church. Her preaching has been featured on Catholic Women Preach and on PrayTell’s 60-second sermon blog.

Layla is a member of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the North American Academy of Liturgy, and the Catholic Academy of Liturgy. She holds a doctorate from Emory University and a Master of Divinity from the University of Notre Dame.

Layla enjoys hiking, swimming, and everything to do with her dog, Kiki (named after Catherine of Sienna, of course!).

Layla is the designer of the Liturgical Preaching course for PROCLAIM.

Sharon Schuhmann, MTS, M.Div., D.Min.

Dr. Sharon Schuhmann has served the Catholic Church for over two decades — in parish ministry and as Coordinator of Evangelization and Coordinator of Pro-Life Ministries for the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky.

Her deep love for the Catholic faith, Sacred Scripture, and the proclamation of the Word of God led her to pursue a Master of Theological Studies with a Certificate in Homiletic Supervision from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Sharon currently teaches homiletics to Deacon Candidates throughout the United States through Saint Meinrad’s Permanent Deacon Program, and brings the art and discipline of preaching to young people at Saint Meinrad’s One Bread One Cup Youth and Young Adult Evangelization Conferences. She is delighted to bring her passion for preaching and her commitment to advancing the role of women in the Church to PROCLAIM.

Sharon’s recent book, Preaching Through Guided Awareness: Seeking the Encounter of God’s Presence (2025), reflects the depth of her theological and homiletical vision.

Sharon and her husband, Charlie, make their home in Louisville, Kentucky, where they are the proud parents of four adult children — and grandparents to eleven beautiful grandchildren.