Kayla August is a student at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology and Education with a focus on preaching, particularly preaching from the lay perspective.

Practicing what she preaches, Kayla steps out of the margins to preach as a layperson in a variety of places and communities, such as McGrath’s Institute for Church Life Saturday with the Saints at Notre Dame, the St. Francis of Assisi Parish in New York’s 7 Last Words of Christ Prayer Service on Good Friday, and Future Church’s Catholic Women DO Preach Prayer Service in Support of Women’s Voices in the Church. Her interest in the formation of voice is rooted in her experiences with young adults as a University Ministry Intern at Loyola University of New Orleans, her professional work as the Assistant Director of Evangelization in the University of Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry department as well as the Rector of Lyons Hall, and her ongoing work as a Resident Minister at Boston College. She desires to use preaching to impact religious education by inspiring Catholics of all ages to deepen their encounters with scripture, tradition, and God playing an active role in their daily lives. She also hopes, through preaching, to inspire and empower marginalized voices—like her own—in the Catholic faith to play an active role in the Church because when we are able to hear more voices in the Church, we are able to grow in our understanding of God.