Ali Van Kuiken

The Rev. Ali Van Kuiken is an ordained Episcopal priest and a chaplain working at a psychiatric hospital in central New Jersey. She is the Managing Editor of Fidelia Magazine and co-editor of a Lenten devotional, Grace Poured Out, forthcoming from Chalice Press. Ali lives with her husband, two children, and cat and enjoys reading, playing board games, and canning. 

Articles by Ali

  • Letter from the Editor

    by Rev. Ali Van Kuiken I don’t consider myself much of a “summer person,” but even I felt more energized as the daylight hours increased and the weather warmed up. I still feel myself riding the vibe of summer even though the daylight hours are decreasing bit by bit. There is something about the warm…

  • Another Way

    This month, Fidelia begins something new.

  • Book Review: God is a Black Woman

    By Ali Van Kuiken   When I was a child, growing up in a conservative, predominately white church, I was taught that God was beyond gender or somehow included both male and female within Him. (Yes, the masculine pronoun was still used.) And I don’t recall anyone ever telling me God was white, but somehow…

  • Letter in Support of Bishop Mariann Budde

    The Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde Episcopal Church House – Diocese of Washington 3101 Washington Ave NW Washington, DC 20016 January 25, 2025 Dear Bishop Budde,  As the Board and undersigned members of Young Clergy Women International – a professional organization of ecumenical clergy women under 40 across the world – we write to thank you…

  • Liturgical Resources for Advent: A compilation and review

    By Ali Van Kuiken   I’m Episcopalian so I rely heavily on pre-written and prescribed prayers, pre-chosen texts, and liturgies from the Book of Common Prayer and other resources approved by The Episcopal Church. However, as a psychiatric hospital chaplain I draw more widely on outside resources for liturgical planning. Last year my department decided…

  • Home as a Sacred Space

    By Ali Van Kuiken This article contains affiliate links to YCWI’s Bookshop.org storefront. If you purchase books through these links, YCWI will earn a small commission.    When I think about self-care, I think about the things that I do: activities, how I spend my time, spiritual practices, how I deal with stress. Recently I…

  • Is There Power in the Blood?

    By  Ali Van Kuiken   When selecting hymns for church services at a psychiatric hospital a person must be aware of more than just whether or not the hymn fits with the scripture passages for the day or the liturgical season. There is also the consideration of how the subject of the hymn will sit…

  • Pastors are People Too: A Review of Welcome to Triumph

    By Ali Van Kuiken This post contains an affiliate link to bookshop.org. If you purchase a book through this link, a portion of your purchase will go to supporting our work.    Have you ever gone to the grocery store wearing pajama bottoms, a tank top, with your hair a mess and run into a…

  • A Theology of Play

    By Rev. Ali Van Kuiken   The spirit of play is very important in my ministry as a pastoral caregiver at a psychiatric hospital. That spirit comes out in various ways. Sometimes I joke with my patients. Sometimes I’m irreverent. Sometimes I tease. In addition to demonstrating playfulness, my theology also involves a type of…

  • Pastoral Care with Persons with Narcissistic and Antisocial Personality Disorder: An Interview with The Rev. MaryJane Inman

    By Ali Van Kuiken This is part of a series on the intersections between pastoral care and mental health.   Although I work in a specialized setting of a state psychiatric hospital, when speaking to church pastors I sometimes recognize behaviors and problems they describe as having similarities to those I witness in the psych…