Maria T. Annoni, PhD, is a native of Duluth, MN. She grew up on the western shores of Lake Superior, and the sounds of the lake still call her home. Schooled in the Benedictine tradition from an early age, Maria strives to live by its principles. An accomplished musician, Maria began playing the organ at mass by the time she was 10 years old, and is a professional guitarist and theorist. She thrived on liturgy and liturgical music at the time when Vatican II was revolutionizing both, and she has been a leader in training liturgical musicians, parishioners, and priests, in the implementation of the philosophy and tenets of Vatican II at diocesan, regional, and national levels. 

She holds a BA in Music and Education from the College of St. Scholastica (Duluth, MN); MA and PhD in Historical Music Theory from The Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), and MA in Scripture from St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN) in preparation for RCWP ordination to the diaconate and priesthood. She currently serves Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, an inclusive “house church,” in Cohasset, MN—a community that supported her for ordination in 2017.

Her commitment to ecumenism and the Benedictine tradition is foundational to the building of the community of “God’s table.” Along with ministering to her own community, she offers assistance and expertise (music, liturgy, sermons, lectionary preparation, etc.) to other local denominations in the Grand Rapids (MN) area.

“All are to be welcomed as Christ.”—St. Benedict

Professional Title: Rev. Maria Annoni

Location: Cohasset, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2016 | Ordained Priest: 2017

My journey toward priesthood has been life-long. After teaching with the Peace Corps in Liberia, West Africa, I completed graduate programs in teaching and anthropology. While raising a faculty of three adopted children, two from Korea and one from Honduras, I was active in parish ministry for many years in the areas of marriage preparation, family life, RCIA, and social justice. During this time, I was an active Lay Franciscan. More recently, I received a Masters of Arts in Women’s Studies: Religion, Theology, and Ministry from United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, MN. I completed a Spiritual Direction Preparation Program at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse, WI. Currently, I preside at the Celebration of the Word and the Eucharist at the House Churches and at Bay View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Red Wing, MN. I was widowed for two years and remarried. I continue to work ten hours at Bay View in the volunteer program for brain injury and the elderly.

Professional Title: Rev. Corene Besetzny

Location: Rochester, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2012 | Ordained Priest: 2013

Amy Louise Bruner was called by the Holy Spirit in 2015 to begin her journey toward priesthood. She was ordained a deacon in 2018 and a priest on October 6, 2021. Amy has been involved with Parish Ministry all her adult life participating with her husband in the Sponsor Couple Program for Engaged Couples, as a facilitator of a Faith Formation Commission encompassing a Catholic Elementary School, Adult Formation and RCIA.

Her work as a facilitator of women’s retreats through the Emmaus Program and ministering to women was particularly instrumental in response to answering the Spirit’s call. Her ministry has involved working as a Shelter Advocate at a homeless shelter in Des Moines Iowa where she assisted the chronic homeless in establishing a source of income and permanent housing. Currently, Amy practices street ministry in coordination with Des Moines Catholic Worker.

In addition to sharing her faith, Amy helps to provide hospitality in the forms of meal service, clothing, a food pantry, immigrant support and offering prayer and companionship to people on the margins of society. Amy’s other interests include practicing as a Reiki Master, ministering by bringing God’s healing touch to those suffering emotionally and/or physically; raising monarch butterflies and being a foster mom to kittens.

Professional Title: Rev. Amy Bruner

Location: Des Moines, IA

Ordained Deacon: 2018 | Ordained Priest: 2021

Annie (she/her) grew up a cradle Catholic with a love of ritual and the spiritual life. She started creating liturgies for social change as a Catholic high school student. In college, she studied to become a lay leader in the church—but quickly hit the “stained glass ceiling,” growing disillusioned with church patriarchy and homophobia. This sent her wandering in the wilderness a while, devoting herself to the Earth and the wisdom of her own body. She re-emerged into the Catholic lineage as a seminarian at Eden Theological Seminary, completing her M.Div. in 2021. Annie is a devout animist on a pluralist path, blending Catholicism with wisdom of contemporary Earth-based and shamanic teachers. She is a queer person devoted to Divine Eros. In priesthood, she tends the seeds of a healed future where human beings once again live in balance with one another and this wild, fragrant Earth. Annie has served professionally as a hospice chaplain, union/community organizer, and church program director. She is a spiritual director and death doula. She likes sharing her ideas through writing and aspires to publish. She loves dance and adores her niblings.

Professional Title: Spiritual Director, Death Doula & Grief Tender

Location: Oakland, CA

Ordained Deacon: 2024 | Ordained Priest: 2026

Website/social media: reclaimingspirit.substack.com

Rosemarie Henzler, a native Minnesotan, knew as a child she was being called to priesthood but put it out of her head because, “it wasn’t possible.” She stayed involved and remained active in various ministries in every Catholic parish of which she was a member. After her husband died suddenly in 1984, she went back to school and received degrees from St. Catherine’s University in English and Theology and was hired by Twin Cities Public Television as a publicist and outreach coordinator developing educational programs for schools and communities. In 1992 she married a longtime friend, Bill Henzler. After two years of retirement in Florida, they returned to Minnesota and bought a home in Park Rapids where Rose was hired by St. Peter’s Catholic Church as its liturgy director. Bill died in 2004, and circumstances found her settling in St. Cloud, MN where she discovered Mary Magdalene, First Apostle womanpriest community. She says, “I believe the Holy Spirit led me there, although it was in a roundabout fashion, to the people and place where I could finally say, “YES!” to God’s call.”

Professional Title: Rev. Rosemarie Henzler

Location: St. Cloud, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2016 | Ordained Priest: 2017

Attended St. Frances de Sales Catholic Seminary. Earned the Master of Divinity Degree in June 2006. After ordination co-pastored a community with five married priests, before establishing the Mary of Magdala, Apostle to the Apostles community in 2010 in Milwaukee WI. Co-pastored it with a married priest until June, 2024. Founded the Body of Christ, Blessed Community house church December, 2024, also in Milwaukee. Taught college for four decades prior to ordination. Mother of three, grandmother of five and great grandmother of three. Single since 1994. Avid gardener, social justice advocate and life-long learner.

Professional Title: Rev. Alice Marie Iaquinta

Location: West Bend, Wisconsin

Ordained Deacon: 2007 | Ordained Priest: 2007

Community: Body of Christ, Blessed Community

Meeting Format: In person

Since my ordination in 2010, I’ve had a faith community that now meets only on Zoom. This gives us broader attendance for many who are not local. We use a model where everyone has a voice and can participate in decision-making and liturgy. Every Sunday, we alternate between having a Eucharist Liturgy and then doing a check-in and Liturgy of the Word. Join us at 4:00pm by going to our website: www.fullcircleic.com.

I’m the proud mother of four adults with three grandkids so far! My spouse and I are now retired and enjoying the freedom to travel. We also love to read, garden and host gatherings. I raise monarch butterflies in the summer and paint rock mandalas as often as possible.

After working for over 30 years as both a hospice and palliative care chaplain, I’m currently a Certified Death Doula. Using my past experiences in healthcare, I get to help others talk about death and dying. I now facilitate Death Cafes for staff at the University of Iowa Healthcare and their PA and nursing students. My hope is that everyone gets to create their own Death Plan so their transition is what they want it to be.

Professional Title: Rev. Mary Kay Kusner

Location: Iowa City, IA

Ordained Deacon: 2009 | Ordained Priest: 2010

Community: Full Circle Catholic Community

Website: www.deatheducationcenter.com | www.fullcircleic.com

Meeting Format: Zoom

Ruth Lindstedt, M. Div., BSN, Master’s of Public Health, Certified Spiritual Director. After retiring from a 40-plus year professional career as a nurse and administrator in home care and hospice settings, Ruth joined with a group in St. Cloud, MN to form Mary Magdalene First Apostle served by womenpriests of RCWP-USA. This process spurred her own call to pastoral ministry and she pursued theological preparation at Saint John’s University School of Theology graduating with an M.Div. in 2015. Ordained to the diaconate in August 2015, and to the priesthood in 2016, Ruth served at Mary Magdalene before relocating to Driggs, ID in July 2017. At present, Ruth continues to serve RCWP-USA as a member of several circles and as a member of RCWP-Midwest Leadership Circle. In her local community Ruth co-facilitates a spiritual growth group at a local Episcopal parish where she also preaches and serves as church treasurer. Ruth enjoys time with her family, especially a precious granddaughter, and continues to connect with nature through hiking, cross-country skiing, and photography.

Professional Title: Rev. Ruth Lindstedt, M. Div., BSN

Location: Driggs, ID

Ordained Deacon: 2015 | Ordained Priest: 2016

Maria Thornton McClain is Pastor Emerita of St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community in Indianapolis. She didn’t seek ordination but her passion for justice, especially for people on the margins, led her to RCWP. She has an M.A. in Religious Studies and a Certificate in Pastoral Studies. She grew up mainly in Buffalo, NY, joined the Sisters of Mercy there and taught in Catholic schools. After leaving the convert, she moved to Indianapolis in 1977 to take a position as parish DRE. She met her husband, Ed, was Coordinator of Boards of Education, wrote and edited publications for the NCEA; later served as consultant to religious and nonprofit organizations until she retired. She helped found a recovery home for women with drug addictions and served on that board for 11 years. She is a Toastmaster, loves to explore new places and ideas and is involved in ecumenical efforts as part of her ministry. 

Professional Title: Rev. Maria Thornton McClain

Location: Greenwood, IN

Ordained Deacon: 2011 | Ordained Priest: 2012

Angela Nevitt Meyer was ordained a deacon in 2019 and a priest in 2021. She holds a BA from Butler University, an MA in Religion with emphasis in Biblical Studies from Earlham School of Religion, and a Master of Public Health from Boston University.

Angela serves as co-pastor of Brownsburg Inclusive Catholic Community alongside Bishop Nancy Meyer — a hybrid community gathering in person and via Zoom, featured in FutureChurch’s Pentecost Project (https://futurechurch.org/brownsburg-inclusive-catholic-community). Her ministry is rooted in liberationist and feminist theology, attentive to the holy realities of God-with-us and the collective flourishing of life on earth as it is in heaven. Deeply influenced by the human rights framework of reproductive justice, her ministry is grounded in reimagining ways of being church together that dismantle systems of oppression and nurture collective wellbeing.

Her own motherhood and work alongside infants and families in crisis have shaped her theology — deepening her conviction that every child is precious, every family deserves the dignity of a safe and healthy environment, and that the practices of religion and public health are intimately tied.

Angela is bilingual (English/Spanish), collaborates with Catholics for Choice and Women’s Ordination Worldwide, and serves on the Board of Trustees of FutureChurch.

Her spouse and children are at the center of her world — shaping how she shows up every day. The women who have gone before her are her heroes. The generations who inherit the world we give them are her inspiration.

Professional Title: Rev. Angela Nevitt Meyer

Location: Brownsburg, IN, USA

Ordained Deacon: 2019 | Ordained Priest: 2021

Website/social media: binclusivecatholiccommunity.org; https://medium.com/@amnevitt

Nancy L. Meyer was ordained a deacon in August 2009, a priest in May 2010, and a bishop in June 2014. Nancy is co-pastor of Brownsburg Inclusive Catholic Community in Brownsburg, Indiana. It is a Eucharistic Community that practices all sacraments for all peoples. It is inclusive of everyone as we reach out to all, no exclusions. The strong community spirit is evident as we strive to live the gospel message of love, justice and inclusion. Nancy participates in the Women Priest’s community in the Indianapolis area as well. She is a spiritual director with a Master’s in Spirituality from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and a B.S. in Biology from Marian University. She also holds certificates in Theological Studies from Washington Theological Union and in Pastoral Family Life from the University of Mount St. Joseph. For 25 years, Nancy served as a pastoral associate in a Roman Catholic parish, where she worked with RCIA, marriage preparation, women’s spirituality, outreach, and refugees, especially those from Sudan. As a Sister of St. Francis, she taught in secondary schools and served as vocation-formation director. She is bishop emerita of the Midwest region.

Professional Title: Bishop Emerita

Location: Brownsburg, Indiana, USA

Ordained Deacon: 2009 | Ordained Priest: 2010 | Bishop: 2014 | Bishop emerita: 2022

Community: Brownsburg Inclusive Catholic Community

Community Contact: binclusivecatholiccommunity.org

Meeting Format: Both (In person and zoom)

Kathy Redig, M.A. in pastoral ministries, served as a certified chaplain in hospice, acute and long-term care for 20 years, retiring in 2015. Through this ministry, she became aware that many besides herself felt disenfranchised from the Catholic church as well as other churches. Her call to priesthood came as a gentle invitation over the years wherein she chose first to enter the convent, taking another direction after 2.5 years, which included marriage. With her husband, she raised two children and has been blessed with one grandchild. Through all these experiences, the call toward priesthood continued and when the option became possible through Roman Catholic Womenpriests, she pursued it realizing she needed to become part of the change she hoped to see in the Catholic church. She found the program of discernment toward ordination, first as a deacon, after which she began forming a community around her and then ordination to priesthood most valuable and affirming of the call she felt long ago. After ordination, Kathy and her husband, Robert established All Are One Roman Catholic church in 2008. Their inclusive parish reaches out into the community through the local food shelf, the Catholic Worker homes and sharing most of their revenue with local, national and international organizations in need. AAORCC is a Vatican II parish where all are welcome at the table.

Professional Title: Rev. Katherine Redig

Location: Winona, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2007 | Ordained Priest: 2008

My journey to ordination began when I was a child but, of course, “women can’t be priests,” so I allowed myself to veer from the path, since at that point there was no path. However, it seems that my entire life has prepared me for ordination, even when the path was not apparent. Following the promptings of the Spirit I earned an MDiv degree from St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee in 1992. That same Spirit, which always leads one into the unknown, guided me during the 20-plus years of service in justice and peace ministry with a congregation of women religious. And, by raising a recurring question over the course of several years, I finally was able to discern the voice of the Spirit who has been so very patient with me, allowing me to move towards ordination at the right time. The journey continues, still into the unknown, but I have come to trust her leadership.  Thus far she has led me to serve a growing House Church community in southeastern Wisconsin for over five years. My husband, Bob, and I have four adult children and nine grandchildren and we are fortunate that they all still live in the area. 

Professional Title: Rev. Irene Senn

Location: Franksville, WI

Ordained Deacon: 2012 | Ordained Priest: 2013

Martha Sherman grew up in St. Charles, MO, across the street from her parish and school.  The School Sisters of Notre Dame strongly influenced her during elementary and high school.  After graduating from St. Louis University with BA in English and Theology, she entered the SSNDs.  Though she left after just four years, she continued to teach in an SSND run school for eight more years.  She completed her MTh from Global Ministries University.  For the past 25 years she and her partner, Marie, have owned and operated Camp America Campground in Salem, SD.  They considered this a ministry of hospitality.  Having retired from the camping industry, she prays with an RCWP led community in Coralville, IA, writes and uses her gifts in the national leadership of RCWP-USA.

Professional Title: Rev. Bishop Martha Sherman

Location: Washington, IA

Ordained Deacon: 2012 | Ordained Priest: 2013 | Bishop: 2022

I am a retired registered nurse who worked in psychiatry for forty-three years, in staff and in leadership positions. My husband of fifty years is my strongest advocate in all my endeavors. I am also supported by three adult sons, an adult stepdaughter, their spouses, and six grandchildren. I earned my Master of Arts Degree in Theology from The College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, Minnesota in 2008. I have a certificate in spiritual direction from Christos.

I was ordained a Roman Catholic deacon by Bishop Patricia Freson in 2008. I was ordained a Roman Catholic womanpriest by Bishop Regina Nicolosi in 2009. There is a lovely but challenging Zen koan that says, “Show me your original face, the face you had before your parents were born.” This sense of deep awareness is descriptive of how I felt on the day of my ordination to Roman Catholic priesthood. With some trepidation, but also great joy, I realized as I stood at the altar, in persona Christi, that I was doing what I had been born to do.

It has been as a Roman Catholic laywoman that I have always experienced the Church, the powerful social institution that framed my spiritual life from my birth. My belief in the progress of women in the Roman Catholic Church is very deep and strong. It is my joy to stand with women and men who bring life and growth to the Church.

Professional Title: Rev. Mary Smith

Location: Long Lake, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2008 | Ordained Priest: 2009

Bernadyne Sykora has longed to be at the altar to celebrate the liturgy of the Eucharist throughout her life. In her early adult life she spent five years in the Maryknoll community. After leaving there, she taught in various school districts in the state of Minnesota for 25 years, and earned a Master’s degree in education of children with special needs. She is currently taking classes from Global Ministries University in theology. She is on the leadership team of the Community of Mary Magdalene, First Apostle in St Cloud MN, which is pastored by RCWP Womanpriest Mary Smith. Working on the leadership team has afforded her with a view of the feminine Godde who gives her much comfort and joy. Bernadyne was married to Don for 49 years before his death, and together they raised four children; she has seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Professional Title: Rev. Bernadyne Sykora

Location: Post Falls, ID

Ordained Deacon: 2012 | Ordained Priest: 2013

Helen Weber-McReynolds was ordained June 3, 2018, in Indianapolis, IN. In January of 2019, she assumed leadership of the St. Mary of Magdala Catholic Community, from Pastor Emerita, Maria McClain. Helen is a Physician Assistant in Family Practice and Emergency Medicine, with a BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame, a BMS in PA Studies from St. Louis University, and an MTS at Christian Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Jeff, have four children and seven grandchildren.

Professional Title: Rev. Helen Weber-McReynolds

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Ordained Deacon: 2017 | Ordained Priest: 2018

Professional Title: Rev. Barbara West

Ordained Deacon: 2009 | Ordained Priest: 2010

I received my M.A. in Theology and Pastoral Ministry at the College of St. Catherine in 2005. I have been active in a variety of ministries through the years in my parish, including the Just Faith program. My husband and I belong to a small faith community. Most recently I have been involved in hospice, ministry to the homeless, and hospital chaplain ministry. I have been a Benedictine Oblate with St. Paul’s Monastery in Maplewood, MN. for eight years. I became interested in women’s ordination through exposure to the movement at the Call to Action gathering that I attend each year. I have a passion for cooking. As I discerned my call to the priesthood I felt a strong connection between planning and preparing a meal and the Benedictine value of hospitality. I am now co-pastor of Compassion of Christ Catholic Community in Minneapolis, MN where I gather at the table with community and celebrate the breaking of bread at an inclusive table where “all are welcome.” Linda and her husband Russ are parents of four grown children.

Professional Title: Rev. Linda Wilcox

Location: Afton, MN

Ordained Deacon: 2008 | Ordained Priest: 2009