Who We Are

In the Gospel of John, the woman at the well comes in the heat of the day. She would rather face this heat than face the rejection of her peers.

Jesus had to pass through Samaria just so he could seek her out and love her. He was excited to share the special news that He was the Messiah with this woman who may not have normally been acknowledged by the Jews at all for many reasons among which was her complicated journey with longing and relationship.

At the well, Jesus meets her and offers the living water of the Holy Spirit, inviting her to worship the Father through Him, the Truth. He invites her to bring her whole story, every experience and mistake, and to worship in Spirit and Truth.

We want to walk alongside you as you answer His invitation, to bring your whole story to Jesus and worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

Meet Our Leadership Team

  • Jessica Bailes

    FOUNDER & PRESIDENT

    Jessica is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in English and Music. Since first sharing her testimony about her own experience integrating faith and her LGBTQ+ experience, she has joyfully walked with other college students through similar experiences after beginning Spirit and Truth at her school in 2021. Her hobbies include playing the organ, swimming, and reading graphic novels.

  • Gabe Laughlin

    CHAPTER LEADER

    Gabe was born in Jackson, Mississippi to two loving parents and lived most of his life as an atheist until his father passed when he was sixteen leaving him confused and searching for answers. After moving for college, he found Christ, and Spirit and Truth was a big step along that journey. He finally discovered a community that loves Jesus and accepts his experiences as they are and always encouraged him to change for the better.

  • Elizabeth Thorner

    CHAPTER LEADER

    Elizabeth is a recent graduate from the University of Florida and works now as a software developer. She is interested in reading, embroidering, and playing video games. She appreciates how Spirit and Truth allows her to dive deeper into topics that people aren’t always willing to talk about in the wider Catholic community.

Meet Our Board

  • Fr. David Ruchinski

    Fr. David entered the major seminary of the North American College in Rome and was awarded his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine on June 23, 2007 by Bishop Victor Galeone at the Cathedral Basilica. He served as Pastor and Director of St. Augustine’s Parish and Catholic Student Center in Gainesville, Florida from 2010 to 2023 and now serves as the pastor at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jacksonville, FL. His guidance and support have been essential in establishing Spirit and Truth for the Catholic Gators. When Fr. David is not nurturing souls, you can probably find him in his garden.

  • Ashley Hemingway

    Ashley Hemingway is the Senior Campus Minister at St. Augustine Church and Catholic Student Center, home of the University of Florida. In her 17 years of ministry, she has found herself serving in nearly every ministerial role that campus ministry has to offer... with the exception of the kitchen crew, because she cannot cook to save her life. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, as the lone Gator in her household alongside her Florida State fan husband and her Louisiana State fan daughter (she's only 7, so there's still time). In her spare time she enjoys reading theology, writing poetry, and pretending she knows her way around a camera. If she has learned anything at all over the course of her career, it's that young adults (and older adults) desperately need to know that they are seen, known, and loved, uniquely and unrepeatably, by a God who will chase them to the ends of the earth and back to win their hearts, over and over and over again. 

  • Jim Grinaker

    Jim is a Florida native, and graduate of Ave Maria School of Law and the University of South Florida.  He has worked as an attorney since 2010.  Outside work, Jim has assisted with various Catholic and community arts organizations.  He currently serves as president of the Polish American Society of St. Petersburg and the McGivney Foundation.  Jim has a love of nature and the arts, enjoys polka and contra dance, and is learning to play the accordion.  He also has a pet rabbit named Maximillian.

  • Henry Seawright

    Henry was born in West Palm Beach, FL and studied accounting at the University of Florida starting in 2019. He became involved in the Catholic student center in 2021, eventually joining the church choir and UF Men's Choir in 2023. He graduated with his bachelors and masters in accounting with the goal of using his experience to help small businesses and nonprofits.