Who We Are

The planning team for this virtual prayer service includes many participants from the Discern, Dream & Scheme workshop, an intensive, five-week digital experience in which faith leaders get more deeply in touch with their call story, why they do the work they do, their dreams for ministry and the church, and their goals. The first two cohorts included 73 participants engaged in a variety of works and ministries across the United States and also India and New Zealand.

The workshop co-facilitators also served in a catalyzing role for the virtual liturgy:

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 Masters of Divinity 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 two children, Micaela and Teddy. She loves reading poetry out loud and seeing her favorite band, Hardworker, perform live (back when we went to concerts). She has a few posts over at Women in Theology.

You can contact Casey at casey.mccabe.stanton@gmail.com.

Luke Hansen has worked as a teacher, journalist, prison chaplain and university chaplain. He has an MA in social philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, a Masters of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has studied the history of women deacons and the restoration of the permanent diaconate at the Second Vatican Council. He has served as a contributing editor for the Jesuit journals America and La Civiltà Cattolica in Rome. He reported from the Synods of Bishops in Rome in 2015, 2018 and 2019, and he has won several awards from the Catholic Press Association for his writing. A native of Wisconsin, Luke enjoys running, playing basketball and cheering for his favorite sports teams.

You can contact Luke at lukehansensj@gmail.com.

Ellie Hidalgo served for 12 years as the pastoral associate and previously as a pastoral assistant for Dolores Mission Catholic Church and School, a Jesuit parish in the immigrant community of Boyle Heights, just east of downtown Los Angeles, California. This small church with a giant heart is known for its restorative justice ministries and faith-based community organizing, and for being the home parish of Homeboy Industries. Ellie holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Pastoral Theology from Loyola Marymount University. She was commissioned as a pastoral associate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2013. Inspired by the prophetic role of grandmothers, mothers, women and girls in bringing forth God’s dream for God’s people on earth, Ellie has preached for Catholic Women Preach in 2018 and 2020. Ellie recently moved to Miami, Florida, to live closer to her family. She enjoys walking, writing, telling or listening to a good story, and cooking.

You can contact Ellie at elliehidalgo@gmail.com.