Leadership Council
The leadership council is the governing body of the community elected by the membership and dedicated to fulfilling the mission of Mary of Magdala. The Council shall be responsible for making and implementing decisions on behalf of the membership - from financial decisions to outreach ministries. A clergy representative who has been invited to serve the community by the Leadership Council shall exercise leadership with respect to matters of theology, spirituality and liturgy.
The governing document is its constitution, approved in April, 2013 along with a Covenant signed by each member. The Leadership Council meets seven times annually on the second Monday of the month to chart the course of the community. (February, April, May, June, September, November, and December.) Meetings are open to any community member who would like to attend.
We welcome all your questions and comments! marymagdalaFC@gmail.com
Laity and ordained.
Guided by the Spirit.Leading from the heart
Leadership Council Membership
David Cloyd - Co-Chair
I have been a member of Mary of Magdala since its inception and currently serve on the leadership council . I am now retired and have time to dedicate to the life and success of this community. I have previously had a medical practice here in Fort Collins.
I am also involved with the Family Housing Network and serve on the Social Justice Committee as well as The World Wisdom Project. I have many interests including photography. I feel that my experience can continue to contribute to Mary of Magdala.
Lisa Jones - Secretary
I want to Thank the community of Mary of Magdala for voting me on to the Leadership Council. I have been a part of the community since the planning stages and birth of our community I was drawn to the ECC because of its inclusive beliefs and yet allowing me to still practice the ritual of the and Catholic Mass and traditions I was raised in. The growth of our church is amazing and I want to be a part of that. I love the joint partnership we have ventured into with the 301 Faith Partners showing our ability to be part of a multi-spiritual community. I currently also am a member of ISAAC ,Interfaith Solidarity and Accompaniment Coalition , the 301 Faith Partners Immigration Task Force and a member of the MoM Social Justice Committee. I am looking forward to working with the leadership council and the community of Mary of Magadala in our spiritual growth
Lisa Jones
Joan Chapman-Smith
Reaching a crossroad on my spiritual path and not sure which way to go, I felt a bit like a wanderer. I would like to say I searched to find the right church community to belong to; however, it would be more accurate to say I was lucky and blessed because Mary of Magdala found me. A friend called to tell me about a new Ecumenical Catholic Communion starting in Fort Collins and invited me to mass. It only took one mass for me to feel like I had found a new spiritual community. Sitting among the people at that first mass I was overwhelmed with the feeling of love shown to one another just as modeled by Jesus. It is this all inclusive love and acceptance that helped me to make the decision to call Mary of Magdala home.
At Mary of Magdala I have been part of the audio/tech ministry and currently I am the chairperson for the hospitality ministry, a linen washer, and a Eucharistic minister. As a new member of the leadership council, it is an honor to continue the work of all those who have been on the council in the past and to be part of helping Mary of Magdala grow as a spiritual community
Pedro Engel
I was born in Colombia, raised as a Roman Catholic but I became an agnostic in my late teens. After marrying, I went to Mass only occasionally to support my wife, Cathy. I often felt emotionally drained and angry after the services, owing to the messages I typically heard there. These messages certainly cemented my agnostic stance, which hid a certain inner spiritual dissatisfaction. Eventually, after dabbling in various spiritual traditions, I became aware of the existence of a reality larger than just physical reality.
In 2013, Cathy and I found Mary of Magdala on the occasion of its induction into the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. Bishop Peter Hickman, who presided over the induction ceremony, left me truly dumbfounded during his powerful homily. He talked about inclusion, openness, total acceptance, mutual respect for each other and a loving attitude that literally took me back to perhaps the first century CE, when there must have been a lot of enthusiasm in what is now Christianity, for this new way of thinking and being.
After that crystallizing event, I was hooked on Mary of Magdala. Following many decades of total sacramental absence, I started taking communion again, given the welcoming given to all to partake in this sacrament. Both Cathy and I have been part of this amazing congregation ever since. After being a lector for several years, I wanted to be part of the leadership council as a small way to serve this incredibly welcoming community, which has nourished my spirit so consistently.
Michael Six - Co-Chair
The genuine welcome and inclusiveness of the people of Mary of Magdala drew me into the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. The opportunity to serve and grow in my spiritual journey has invited me to become part of the leadership at Mary of Magdala. I have spent most of my career in education and healthcare. Currently, I serve as the director of patient experience and physician development for a healthcare system. At Mary of Magdala, I have had the opportunity to join the liturgy community and serve as a lector. It is my hope that, as part of the leadership council, I can give back to the community to help support the growth and sustainability of the welcoming spirit of the ECC and of the people of Mary of Magdala.
Mother Rosean Amaral, Pastor
The radical welcome and true hospitality spelled out in the ECC Constitution first drew me to Mary of Magdala. I served on the steering committee during our discernment period which led to joining the ECC. I am a lector, member of the Foot Washers and the Adult Education ministry, and an ordained priest with the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. Thanks to the open arms of the community, I am free to join my "YES!" to the many faithful who have come before me! My gratitude to all of you!
Reverend Jane Reina, Associate Pastor
Jane says she is still touched by the Mary of Magdala Community. As a member for the last four years she says: “As soon I walked into Mary of Magdala for Mass, I could feel the prayerfulness of the community and that they ‘walked the talk.’ I had recently moved from New Jersey and was looking for a Catholic Community that was open, inclusive, and lived the Gospel. Mary of Magdala welcomed me, and more. I also wanted a church that was part of something larger, and Mary of Magdala is part of the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. I am home in an independent church that is connected to other independent churches in the catholic tradition, one that invites everyone to the Table of Christ.
Carol Yeazell
Being new to Fort Collins and missing our Cincinnati parish, we read mission statements of FC churches. Mary of Magdala immediately met our expectations as an inclusive, welcoming community committed to social justice. Arriving during Covid was awkward at first, but we kept zooming and finally came in person. It has been a gift to find a welcoming parish so quickly and become involved in parish life.
Gray LaFond
I first attended mass at Mary of Magdala at a dark time in my life, shortly after starting at CSU. Now, I am a part of a vibrant faith community and am finishing up my degrees in Biomedical Science and Biological Anthropology. I decided to join the Leadership Council because I feel a calling to leadership in my church. I am also a lector, Eucharistic Minister, and organizer of volunteers. My favorite part of Mary of Magdala is that everyone comes because they want to, not because they feel peer pressure to conform. Mary of Magdala is my faith home, and we would love to welcome you, too.
Atendí misa en Mary de Magdala por la primera vez durante un tiempo oscuro de mi vida, poco después de empezar a CSU. Hoy en día estoy parte de una comunidad de fe vibrante y estoy finiendo mis grados en Ciencia Biomédica y Antropología Biológica. Decidí unirme al consejo de liderazgo porque siento una vocación de liderazgo en mi iglesia. También soy lector, ministro de Eucaristía, y organizador de voluntarios. Mi aspecto favorito de Mary de Magdala es que cada persona viene porque se quiere, no porque se siente presión social ser conformista. Mary de Magdala es mi hogar de fe, y quisiéramos dar la bienvenida a usted, también.
