Faith Forum

“Milk and Honey: An Easter Series on Food, Faith, and Community”
April 26, May 17, and May 31
Presented by Mo. Kate Salisbury and Fr. Craig Townsend

This three-part Easter series for all ages looks at the role of food and drink in Christian tradition. We’ll explore how meals show up in scripture, worship, and the ways we care for one another. Each session includes stories from the Bible, conversation, and hands-on cooking or tasting. Come to one session or all three!

• April 26, The Supper of the Lamb: We open by considering the role of food and drink in religious ritual. Touching on stories like Cain and Abel, the Passover meal, the Last Supper and the Road to Emmaus, our particular focus is on bread and wine. Experience: Tastes of the Seder Plate
• May 17, Daily Bread: Next, we turn to the role of food in everyday life, and the ways it connects not only to identity and to one another, but also to God. We’ll explore biblical stories of home and hospitality, and spend time reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer. Project: Baking pretzels
  
• May 31, Bread for the World: The series concludes with a discussion of the Church’s role in addressing hunger. We’ll reflect on ancient ways of addressing food insecurity and consider Jesus’ ministry as it relates to experiences of scarcity, abundance, and generosity. Project: Packing snack bags for CHiPS

The Rev. Kate Salisbury serves as Canon for Christian Education at the Mercer School of Theology. She has pursued her love of creative Christian education for over twenty years, serving in Episcopal schools, parish settings and, most recently, the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Garden City.

The Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend is the Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

June 7, “Supporting Trans Health and Wellness in Difficult Times”
Presented by Gabrielle Maggio

St. Ann’s parishioner Gabrielle Maggio will lead a discussion on the current situation facing gender-affirming health care and transgender lives throughout the United States, focusing on the distinct circumstances of trans people under and over 19. We will dispel some myths about gender-affirming health care, as well as consider reliable and unreliable information sources. Finally, we will brainstorm ways that we can support trans people here in New York and around the country.

Gabrielle Maggio MSN, FNP-BC, AAHIVS (she/her) is a nurse practitioner who has practiced for many years at Callen-Lorde, a federally qualified community health center focused on the LGBTQ+ community. There, she provides primary care, HIV care, gender-affirming care, sexual and reproductive health care, and anal cancer screening and prevention. She is currently focused on developing care systems for patients with complex chronic conditions and is intensely interested in the intersection of disabled and trans identities. She serves on too many committees and is proud to be a union delegate for SEIU 1199. She lives in Brooklyn with her fiancée Antonia and cat Edward.

Prior Speakers and Topics

May 10, “Ecology and Spirituality”
Presented by Ben Spier and Canon Marie Tatro

St. Ann’s parishioner Ben Spier and Canon Marie Tatro will lead a conversation on the intersection of ecology and spirituality.

May 3, “‘Let the little children come to me’: Building Sustainable and Joyful Ministry with Children, Youth, and Families”
Presented by Chelsy DeHart

This Faith Forum is for everyone—especially those without kids at home!

Chelsy DeHart is the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. She brings over a decade of experience working with children and families and in curriculum development. Previously, Chelsy was Lead Educator with StoryMakers NYC and served as Director of Youth & Family Ministries at Calvary-St. George’s Church in Manhattan. Under her leadership the past two and a half years, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island has seen growth in children, youth, and family engagement at both parish and diocesan levels.

April 19, “The Bishop Election: What Happened and What Does It Mean?”
Presented by Canon John Denaro and Scott Parker

On Saturday, April 18, the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island will hold a special election for the Ninth Bishop of Long Island. By the time we gather for the Faith Forum on Sunday, April 19, our diocese will have a new bishop-elect! Canon John Denaro and Scott Parker will share the result of the election, outline the role of bishops in The Episcopal Church, and explain what the impact of a new bishop might feel like on the parish level. Learn more about the process at dioceseli.org/bishopsearch.

The Rev. Canon John E. Denaro is the Rector of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral. Scott Parker is one of the Wardens of the Vestry, as well as the lay delegate voting to elect the next Bishop of Long Island.

April 12, “New Life, Old Wounds: Trans Hope in Resurrection”
Presented by Rev. Brendan Nee

What hope does Easter hold for transgender and nonbinary people amidst mounting anti-trans persecution and violence? Rev. Brendan Nee turns us to the intimate encounter between Thomas and the resurrected Christ (John 20:19–31), which offers a trans-affirming perspective on resurrection and the resurrected body—capacious enough for joy and sorrow, convictions and questions, new life and old wounds.

The Rev. Brendan F. Nee is Associate Rector of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

March 22, “Making Space for the Body in Lent (and Beyond)”
Presented by Annie Ritchart

As we draw closer to Holy Week, we will reflect on the contrasts drawn between the body and soul in canonical Christian texts and traditions, especially during Lent. Supplementing with influential works such as “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” by Audre Lorde, how might we engage the penitential season while troubling the notion of the body as a barrier to the transcendent soul?

Annie Ritchart is a second-year Master of Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary. She is serving as St. Ann’s seminarian for the 2025–26 program year.

March 15, “Faith vs. Fanaticism”
Presented by Harrison Hill

How do we distinguish between faithfulness and fanaticism? For the past several years Harrison Hill has been exploring this question while reporting and writing his forthcoming book, The Oracle’s Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult. The book is keenly interested in the blurry line between devotion and destruction—and it is this hazy middle that will be discussed in the Faith Forum. What distinguishes a “cult” from a religion? How are people pulled into extremism, and how do they get out? What is it about America that makes it such fertile ground for extremist fringe religious groups?

Click here to learn more about The Oracle’s Daughter and pre-order a copy.

Harrison Hill is the author of The Oracle’s Daughter: The Rise and Fall of an American Cult, coming April 2026 from Scribner. He received his MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University, where he also taught undergraduate writing. His journalism and essays have appeared in The Cut, GQ, Vogue, Travel + Leisure, and The Guardian, among other publications. He grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

March 8, “Contemplative Spirituality in a Heartbreaking World: What Growing Up under a Totalitarian System Taught Me about Prayer and Justice”
Presented by Fr. Adam Bucko

In this presentation, Fr. Adam Bucko shares the story of growing up in a country shaped by fear and surveillance, where faith was not abstract but costly. He was formed by priests who preached nonviolent resistance and paid a price for it, including a priest in his childhood parish who was killed. From an early age, he learned that prayer is not escape. It is where fear, grief, and moral responsibility are brought before God and slowly transformed into courage and clarity about one’s offering.

He then connects that story to years spent accompanying unhoused LGBTQ youth on the streets of New York. Though the settings were very different, both were marked by fear, vulnerability, and quiet acts of courage. In a time like ours, marked by war, rising authoritarianism, and deep division, these stories invite a simple but urgent question: how do we stay human? Fr. Adam suggests that prayer must be close to the ground, rooted in real lives and real suffering, and lived out in community.

The Rev. Canon Adam Bucko is an Episcopal priest, teacher of contemplative spirituality, and an interfaith activist. Born and raised in Poland under a totalitarian regime, his early exposure to spiritual activism greatly influenced his life trajectory. His books and teachings often include collaborations with spiritual leaders and activists from different faith traditions. He is author of Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation; The New Monasticism: An Interspiritual Manifesto for Contemplative Living; and his newest book is Let Your Heartbreak Be Your Guide: Lessons in Engaged Contemplation. Additionally, Fr. Adam has been actively involved in social and ecological justice efforts and has helped to found organizations and communities that combine contemplative practice with activism. He spent more than 15 years working to support young people who are homeless or housing insecure in New York City. Currently he serves as a director of The Center for Spiritual Imagination located at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in New York, dedicated to democratizing the gifts of monastic spirituality and teaching contemplative spirituality in the context of hearing and responding to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.

February 22, “A Preview of ‘From Brooklyn to Ghana: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Rev. William Howard Melish'”
Presented by Fr. Craig Townsend and Philip Luke Sinitiere

Fr. Craig Townsend and Philip Luke Sinitiere, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow at the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, will offer an overview of the Du Bois-Melish Black History Month event that will take place in the sanctuary at 1:30pm. What brought Du Bois to Brooklyn? How did he form a deep friendship with Melish, the last priest-in-charge of Holy Trinity Church (resident in our buildings from 1847 to 1957)? What led Du Bois to Ghana for the last years of his life, and Melish there to preach Du Bois’ funeral sermon? The presenters are enthusiastic to share what they’ve learned!

Click here to learn more about the event. RSVPs are appreciated.

The Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend is the Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

February 15, “Lessons from the Desert”
Presented by Canon John Denaro

As the season of Epiphany draws to a close, we begin a new series of faith formation sessions called “Hope in Asceticism.” The season of Lent just ahead begins with the story of Jesus’ experience in the wilderness for forty days and nights and his subsequent temptation by the devil. Christian asceticism involves the strenuous spiritual work of stripping back and letting go of the trappings of daily living and committing our whole selves to God through prayer and fasting. It is a practice modeled by the Desert Mothers and Fathers of the third and fourth centuries who were seeking a “transformation into Christ,” as theologian Fr. Richard Rohr of the Center for Action and Contemplation explains. Though asceticism is not for everyone, it can teach us how taking on a discipline of prayer and simplifying our lives may generate hope in us and draw us into deeper relationship with God.

The Rev. Canon John E. Denaro is Rector of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

February 8, “Can These Bones Live?”
Presented by Roger Panetta

For the last 30 years, historian and St. Ann’s parishioner Roger Panetta has been tending the memories of 50,000 men who served prison sentences in Sing Sing between 1825 and 1925, confined to cells scarcely larger than an altar table.

This work led Roger to launch Shadows on Stone, and NEH-sponsored, crowdsourced research project that engages volunteers in transcribing and digitizing Sing Sing admission registers. The project goes beyond sifting through biographical fragments: It is an instrument to witness the humanity of incarcerated persons, welcoming them into our hearts and challenging the dominant view of the “criminal.” To see these lives with new eyes is to be drawn into a deeper encounter with our own humanity, as our moral imagination is expanded and transformed through human connection.

Roger Panetta taught history at Fordham University and has authored numerous articles on the history of New York State and the region. He has served as Adjunct Curator for History at the Hudson River Museum. Panetta was the editor of Dutch New York: The Roots of Hudson Valley Culture, in 2009 and Westchester: The American Suburb in 2006. He co-edited with Eileen Panetta, On Shattered Ground: A Civil War Mosaic published by Penguin Books in 2013. He also has co-authored The Hudson: An Illustrated Guide to the Living River, third edition published by Rutgers University Press and authored The Tappan Zee and The Forging of the Rockland Suburb published by the Historical Society of Rockland County in 2010 and Kingston: The IBM Years, Overlook Press 2014. He served as Curator of the Hudson River Collection at Fordham University. In 2006, he received the Cultural Heritage Award from the Greater Hudson Heritage and in 2013 he was elected to the New York Academy of History. He is currently working on The Inescapable Shadow: A History of the Original Sing Sing Cell Block 1825-1925. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University and Fordham University.

February 1, “A Christian Embodiment of Vocation”
Presented by Christina Rouner and Canon Marie Tatro

Presenters Christina Rouner and Canon Marie Tatro will share their understanding of how their vocations—as an actor and athlete respectively—are intrinsically linked to their relationships to their bodies. For them, to embrace God’s call to a profession or way of life is to incarnate one’s faith. The idea extends to each of us in our vocation and ministry as individuals and as a community.

Christina Rouner is an actor, activist and a vestry member at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church. Canon Marie Tatro is the Canon for Community Justice Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and Priest Associate at St. Ann’s.

January 25, “Hope in the Incarnation: The Body of Christ”
Presented by Fr. Craig Townsend

Let’s look at the language of our prayers of consecration: what do we say in them about Jesus’ body and blood? How does our understanding of God incarnate in Jesus get reflected in what we say about the Risen Christ and us in our primary act of worship? What does it mean that we as a congregation are the Body of Christ? Let’s explore what sort of hope is being offered to us every Sunday.

The Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend is the Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

January 11, “Law, Religion, and Our Duty to Care”
Presented by Maggie Faux and Beth Duthie

Nursing is a caring profession committed to healing others. When nurses and other health care professionals at a faith- based hospital in Schenectady, New York, had their pensions abruptly terminated by an organization lead by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Albany, they sought help from AARP and the Attorney General’s office, who successfully sued on their behalf, winning a $54 million settlement. Join us for a presentation about the case and its legal, moral and theological implications and learn more about distress faced by healthcare professionals in the current tumultuous environment.

Meghan (Maggie) Faux is the Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice in the Office of the New York Attorney General and oversaw the trial team on the case. Elizabeth (Beth) Duthie is a nurse and researcher. Both are members of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church.

December 21, “The Radical Audacity of Contemplation in the Midst of Crisis”
Presented by Linda Etim

There is a church tradition of making use of contemplation in the midst of the most challenging times. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray in U.S. Civil Rights Struggle, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in Apartheid South Africa all offer particular takes on what it means to be still and wait for guidance from God. What do they have to teach us about contemplation in these times?

Prior to her call to ministry, Linda I. Etim spent 20 years in the federal government and non-profits working on conflict mitigation and crisis resolution. Linda is a Postulant for holy orders in the Diocese of Long Island and is currently pursuing a Master of Sacred Theology at Yale Divinity School. She also holds a Master of Divinity in Anglican Studies from Union Theological Seminary. Linda believes in the power of liturgy and contemplative practices for restoring and sustaining communities.

December 14, “John the Baptist, Herald of Hope”
Presented by Fr. Craig Townsend

Fr. Townsend will explore the seemingly mixed messages of our faith’s great harbinger of the season.

The Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend is the Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

November 23, “Seen and Unseen”
Presented by Rudrani Ghosh and Canon John Denaro

Seen and Unseen is a new photography exhibition that explores the question: Who in America has the privilege of being seen without fear? Rudrani Ghosh, photographer and a policy entrepreneur at Next100, began this project as an endeavor to capture the tender, everyday life of asylum seekers as they navigate shelters, look for jobs, care of their children, and rebuild their lives in a new city.

Join Rudrani and Canon John Denaro for a theological exploration of Rudrani’s photo exhibit, on display in the Parish Hall through November 30. More information and visiting hours here.

Rudrani Ghosh is a freelance photojournalist based in New York City. Originally from Kolkata, a bustling city in India, her work captures the resilience and social bonds of communities forcibly displaced due to conflict and the climate crisis across South Asia. Rudrani has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University. Her current work focuses on the housing crisis and access to permanent housing for asylum seekers in New York City. Learn more on her website.

November 16, “Hope Among Today’s Immigrants”
Presented by Fr. Petero Sabune

The Rev. Petero Sabune will speak on “Hope Among Today’s Immigrants,” when he will address his work in today’s difficult immigration environment. He quotes Dr. Martin Luther King: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite Hope. … If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps you moving, you lose the courage to be.”

The Rev. Petero Sabune was ordained to the priesthood in 1981. He has served as Dean of Trinity and St. Philip’s Cathedral of the Diocese of Newark, Vicar for Global Mission at St. James’ Church in Manhattan, Chaplain to the Sing-Sing Correctional Facility, Liaison for Reentry for the New York Dept. of Corrections, and moved to Arizona in 2020 to work with asylum seekers and refugees.

November 9, “Learning from the Activism and Faith of Dorothy Day”
Presented by Annie Ritchart

Annie Ritchart is a second-year Master of Divinity student at Union Theological Seminary. She is serving as St. Ann’s seminarian for the 2025–26 program year. After growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, Annie graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in English and Digital Media Practices. Before seminary, Annie was a teacher at Brooklyn Forest, where she co-led outdoor early childhood classes in Prospect Park and Central Park. She lives in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.

November 2, “Hymn Sings and Songs from the Heart”
Presented by Freddie Pearson-Nunez

From the very beginning of the Jesus Way, gospel music and hymns have been the heart and soul of our faith communities, no matter what denomination we belong to. Just look at the Psalms, a collection of songs and poems that express every aspect of the human experience. Just like in our lives, we sing, hum, and make music to encourage, support ourselves during tough times, and express our deepest gratitude to God when we’re victorious. Together, we’ll sing hymns and songs like those in Lift Every Voice and Sing II, building our hope in the strength of our faith community and faith in God’s promise.

Since 1993, Reverend Freddie Pearson-Nunez has dedicated his life to the study, discovery, and dissemination of faith and holistic well-being tools. He is Licensed and Ordained in the Gospel Ministry (Missionary Baptist) and is a Master Holistic Health Practitioner and Certifying Instructor (Ideokinesis – Embodied Anatomy, Pilates, Yoga, Qigong, and Usui Reiki). A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Reverend Pearson-Nunez continues to cultivate his expression of a life in faith through the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Way.

October 26, “Breaking Down and Bubbling Up: Taking Cues from Creation on Resurrection”
Presented by Fr. Carl Adair

The Rev. Dr. Carl Adair serves as Missioner at The Episcopal Mission in Sunnyside. Fr. Carl is gathering this new church—this new community of Christian practice—which officially launched on September 14, 2025. His passion is to help create spaces where people feel seen and known, where they are opened to awe and wonder, where their pain is held and their gifts are cherished, where they feel empowered and supported to grow into greater integrity.

October 19, “Re-Creating Space and Time in the Sunday Liturgy”
Presented by Fr. Craig Townsend

Genesis 1 shows God creating the universe in space and over time. Let’s look at how our Sunday service of Holy Eucharist repeats and renews that process in four dimensions.

The Rev. Dr. Craig Townsend is the Associate for Faith Formation at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

October 12, “Solidarity Economies in God’s Creation”
Presented by Canon Marie Tatro and Katy Lasell

• Download the slide deck
• View the short video on public banking
• Listen to the audio recording of the presentation

The Rev. Canon Marie Tatro is Canon for Community Justice Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. Canon Marie represents Bishop Provenzano and the concerns of the diocese at large in regard to social ministry activity. She coordinates all diocesan activities around justice, discrimination, and bigotry that exists in the direct contradiction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and helps create policy for diocesan efforts in areas of social and community concerns. Canon Marie also serves as priest associate at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral.

Katy Lasell is Policy Associate at New Economy Project. Katy joined New Economy Project in February 2025 and is coordinating state policy campaigns on housing and economic justice. Katy brings a decade of experience as an organizer and educator, working with diverse constituencies including tenants, homeowners, formerly incarcerated people, and college students. Katy graduated from Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work with a Master’s degree in Macro Social Work (Community Organizing) with a policy focus. She is a rent-stabilized tenant living in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn and in her free time likes to dance salsa, write science fiction, and make zines.

September 28, “Changing How We Think About Climate Change”
Presented by Kyle Pope

Kyle Pope is the co-founder of Covering Climate Now, a global media collaboration that helps newsrooms better tell the climate story. Before that, Kyle spent decades in journalism, as a reporter, foreign correspondent and editor in chief.