Mary Magdalene the Apostle Catholic Community
Staff & Leaders

  • Barbara Bacho-Taylor
    Administrative Assistant

  • Jane Via
    Bishop & Pastor Emerita

    Jane Via has a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature from Purdue University, a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette University, and a J.D. from the University of San Diego. After several years of teaching Religious Studies at a Catholic college and university, she served as an attorney at County Counsel in San Diego, CA and a county attorney with the District Attorney's office in San Diego for a combined 26 years. Jane recognized her call to become an ordained Roman Catholic priest when she learned of the Roman Catholic Womenpriest (RCWP) movement in Europe. She felt compelled to use her theological knowledge, her teaching and public speaking skills, and her love of the church to call the church to change, rather than leave the church. Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Jane is trying to be the change she wants to see in the church. In 2005, Jane founded MMACC with Rod Stephens, a Roman Catholic priest. Jane was ordained a deacon in 2004 on the Danube River and was ordained a priest in June of 2006 on the Bodensee off Swiss shores. Jane is a member of the Immaculate Heart Community of Los Angeles. She lives in San Diego with her husband, Phil Faker. They have two adult sons.

  • Kori Pacyniak

    Kori Pacyniak
    Pastor

    Kori joined the pastoral team of Mary Magdalene Apostle Catholic Community (MMACC) in January of 2017, coming from a background in academia and non-profit work that focused on queer and trans theology, work with veterans and survivors of trauma, and church communications. Kori's ministry focuses on those at the margins of church and society, particularly queer and trans communities. Kori holds a Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Harvard Divinity School with a concentration in queer theology and a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) from Boston University School of Theology with a concentration in Trauma and Theology with work that focused on LGBTQ veterans and service members. Kori has a passion for traveling and has studied in Rome, Poland, and Brazil and has participated in several social justice trips and pilgrimages to Israel and Palestine. Kori previously served as parish intern at St. Luke's and St. Margaret's in Boston, assistant chaplain at Suffolk University, scholar in residence at the Religious Institute and is a member of the steering committee for TransEpiscopal. Kori is pursuing ordination through Roman Catholic Woman Priests (RCWP) and was ordained a deacon in June of 2019 and a priest in February of 2020, becoming the first transgender and non-binary person ordained through RCWP. Kori is also pursuing a PhD in Religious Studies at the University of California at Riverside, focusing on Queer and Trans Studies in Religion.