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
Kerrie Anderson - Co-Chair
I have been a member of Mary of Magdala since the beginning. I was on the steering committee. I love what this church offers to all focusing on the great commandment, Love God and love one another as you love ourself and as I have loved you. I think it is what drives our community.
I am currently chair of the Liturgy Committee and will continue to serve in that position. My past work background as a department head of a publishing company gave me decision making skills, staff supervision and education, yearly budget skills. I would be honored to serve again on the Leadership Council.
Kathie Wilson
I moved to Timnath, CO in October of 2023 after living my entire life in Southern California. During Covid, Shelley Gibson, my Nana-in-law, had introduced me to the Mary Magdala Community so I felt I already knew where my faith community resided.
Though I have not been a part of Mary of Magdala for long, I was a founding member of my parish in California which was literally built from the ground up. As the Accountant and then Business Manager of Padre Serra Parish, I spent many years building community as well as serving in several leadership positions. I have been a Catechist for over forty years and hold a Master Catechist Certification in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
I have had a few different financial careers and retired as a Mathematics Educator in the middle school I had attended. I found the classroom as one of the best places to find the wonders of God reflected.
During my fifty-two years of marriage, I had the greatest joy of raising three children and now laughing with my three young grandsons. To watch the love I have for my children passed on to their children has become my greatest and most important accomplishment.
I enjoy reading and spending my creative time quilting, crafting and have recently started gardening.
I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve our community as well as becoming more involved in the social justice ministry.
Art Bavoso
I’m a native New Yorker but have lived in Colorado since 1977 and have been in Fort Collins since 1979. I’m married to Johnna, a third-generation Colorado native, and we will celebrate our 46th anniversary in July. We raised two boys here in town and they are now grown men with children of their own. We are blessed to have 4 grandchildren ranging in age from 22-2 years old! They live on both coasts, but we try our best to enjoy each other's company here and there!!!!.
Professionally, in town, I’ve had a career working in leadership positions at various nonprofit organizations and was honored to serve on the first Leadership Council for our Mary of Magdala community. After leaving that role, for the last 11 years, I have served as Chair of the Mary of Magdala Society Advisory Committee. I worked closely with Bishop Francis in starting the committee and now work with Bishop Pablo, and a terrific group of volunteers from across the country. Our role is fundraising and we have set up and increased the endowment to what is now $145,000, Contributions from donors like yourself fund clergy scholarships and youth awards and help to ensure that the future of our communities will be solidly in place for many years to come.
It’s time now though to “return home” and devote some more time to our local Mary of Magdala community. With your approval, and in keeping with the spirit of service we are called to perform, I would welcome the opportunity to once again serve on the Leadership Council.
Russ Johnson
Hi. My name is Russ Johnson. My wife and I are former J23 parishioners who have been in search of a new faith home/community for several years now and believe we have found it in Mary of Magdala. We were active in church leadership during our over 30 years at J23 serving as lead couple for marriage prep for over 2 decades and in co-leadership roles with the senior thanksgiving dinner. I also served on the parish building committee among other activities.
I want to be an active member of the community and believe I have several skills that would be of value to the leadership council.
Deb Klein - Co-Chair
Being a part of Mary of Magdala and the 301 Faith Partners is very important to me. The quarterly combined services are a beautiful example of Christianity at its best.
I was drawn to the inclusivity of Mary of Magdala. The positive, loving, message of God’s acceptance and forgiveness every Sunday is life giving.
I was an administrator at a nonprofit in Fort Collins for 19 years. I retired in July 2025. I’m blessed with four grown children, two sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law and eight grandchildren.
It’s a privilege to be able to join the Leadership Council and serve this community.
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.
Rosanna Bateman - Secretary
I found the Mary of Magdala community in 2019 and fell in love with it right away. You can find me most Sundays behind the piano, joining you in worship through music. I am married and have 2 adult kids. My husband, Ron, has been living and working in Idaho for the past 6 years and is in the process of retiring and moving home! Our daughter, Miranda, often joins me at mass. She and her husband both work in Fort Collins and live with us. Our son, Garrick, lives in Arvada.
I work full-time at CSU as an advisor in the art department. I've been active in the Mary of Magdala Crocus Group and am excited by the chance to further my involvement in our loving, blessed community.
Jennifer Geraci
I was born and raised in Chicago on the city’s North Side and moved to Fort Collins in 1998.
I am a proud public servant and have worked with the U.S. Forest Service for 19 years. I am currently a data analyst for the Forest Service’s procurement branch.
I enjoy birding, going to museums, attending classical and jazz concerts, reading, and spending time with my partner and our pets. My partner and I have been together for 22 years and we have two dogs and two cats, all of whom keep us on our toes! I also have a special interest in Benedictine spirituality and am currently in the Oblate program at Benet Hill Monastery in Colorado Springs.
Over the years I have had the honor of serving as a volunteer with hospice patients and as a spiritual companion for inmates in the Larimer County Jail. My more recent volunteer work is focused on the needs of the immigrant community. I am deeply grateful to have found the Mary of Magdala community and have felt such a genuine, warm welcome from each person I have had the pleasure to meet. It is a privilege to be able to serve the community in this capacity.
