About Dr. Toni Reaves

Dr. Toni Reaves is a Catholic theologian, catechist, educator, and transformational speaker committed to cultivating belonging, healing, and authentic faith within the Church and beyond.

A cradle Black Catholic from Philadelphia, Dr. Reaves has remained Catholic not only by baptism, but by conviction—a conviction shaped by lived experience, theological formation, and a deep love for the Church. Rooted in the richness of Black Catholic spirituality and informed by over three decades of ministry and educational leadership, her work bridges theology, culture, and lived experience.

Dr. Reaves has served as a catechist at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Catechetical Institute for three years she formed adult learners through courses such as Who Is Jesus of Nazareth? (Part II) and The Gift of Prayer. She also serves as an instructor for the Office for Black Catholics, teaching courses including Music and Movement in the Black Catholic Community and The Gifts Black Catholics Bring to the Church, integrating theology, culture, and worship in ways that invite full participation and authentic expression.

Through speaking, writing, and program development, Dr. Reaves creates transformative spaces where individuals and communities are invited to move from belief to embodied faith—where faith is not only professed, but lived.

She is the author of Truly Catholic: The Intersection of Social Justice Teaching and the Call to Belonging and the creator of initiatives such as The Road to Racial Healing Retreat and Transforming Trauma Through Drama. Her work calls the Church to fully live what it proclaims—grounded in human dignity, justice, and love.

Her mission is both pastoral and prophetic: to challenge the Church to become what it teaches, and to ensure that all people—across cultures and communities—can encounter Christ in spaces where they are seen, valued, and truly belong.

“The Church cannot be fully Church unless we all belong.”