Category: Faith Team

Defending the Faith Team

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Steve Ray

Steve Ray is an intrepid traveler, expert on the Holy Land, popular Catholic apologist, documentary producer, Bible teacher and best-selling author. He appears on many TV and radio shows. Steve is one of the most fascinating and inspiring Catholic speakers around and is appropriately dubbed “Jerusalem Jones.” His popular film series The Footprints of God has inspired and enriched the faith of thousands around the world. Steve leads pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other biblical and Catholic sites. He has been married to Janet for 43 years and is the father of 4 and grandfather of 17.

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Shane Owens

An alumnus of Franciscan University, Dr. Shane Owens (MA ’13) returned to the Ohio Valley in 2023 as an assistant professor of theology. Dr. Owens has taught classes at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, the Dominican House of Studies, and The Catholic University of America, where he completed his doctorate in historical theology. The theological exegesis and ecclesiology of St. Augustine of Hippo is the primary focus of his scholarship. He has a forthcoming book with Emmaus Road Publishing on the spirituality of Augustine’s Confessions, Return to the Heart. Dr. Owens met his wife, Esther (Power ’14, MA ’15) at Franciscan. Together, they raise two children in the Steubenville area.

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Mike Aquilina

Mike Aquilina is executive vice president of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He is the author of more than 70 books on Catholic history, doctrine, and devotion. With Scott Hahn, he has hosted 11 long-running TV series on EWTN. He is also a contributing editor to Angelus News and series editor for the Reclaiming Catholic History series at Ave Maria Press. He does a podcast twice monthly for CatholicCulture.org. Mike and his wife, Terri, are parents to six and grandparents to six.

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Kimberly Hahn

Kimberly Hahn married Scott in 1979. They met at Grove City College, where she earned a BA in communication arts. While Scott studied to be a pastor, Kimberly earned an MA in theological studies in 1982. They have 6 children and 22 grandchildren. Kimberly became a Catholic in 1990 in Joliet, Illinois, after a difficult struggle during the four years following Scott’s entrance into the Catholic Church. Together they wrote Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism. Kimberly also wrote Life-Giving Love: Embracing God’s Beautiful Design for Marriage, and a four-volume series on marriage and family life: Chosen and Cherished, Graced and Gifted, Beloved and Blessed, and Legacy of Love. Her podcast, “Beloved and Blessed,” reaches tens of thousands weekly.

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Karlo Broussard

Karlo Broussard, a native of Southern Louisiana, left a promising musical career to devote himself full time to the work of Catholic apologetics. As a staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, he travels the country giving talks on apologetics, the Bible, theology, and philosophy. Karlo holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology and is working on his PhD in philosophy. He also worked for several years with nationally known author and philosopher Fr. Robert J. Spitzer at the Magis Center. Karlo is one of the most dynamic and gifted Catholic speakers on the circuit today, communicating with precision of thought, a genuine love for God, and an enthusiasm that inspires.

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Jeff Cavins

Jeff Cavins returned to the Catholic Church after serving as a Protestant minister for 12 years. He received his MA in theology from Franciscan University and was founding host of Life on the Rock on EWTN. Jeff created The Great Adventure Bible Studies using a system that enables students to understand the chronological flow of Scripture. He is the author of several books, including Praise God and Thank Him: Biblical Keys for Joyful Living and When You Suffer: Biblical Keys for Hope and Understanding, and he also leads pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Learn more at jeffcavins.com.

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Gary Michuta

Gary Michuta is popular speaker, debater, and author of several books on Catholic apologetics and biblical studies such, as Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger, Making Sense of Mary, The Case for the Deuterocanon, Hostile Witnesses: How the Enemies of the Church Provide Christianity, and Revolt Against Reality: Fighting the Foes of Sanity and Truth-From the Serpent to the State. He is an instructor of apologetics for Home School Connections and the host of the radio show Hands On Apologetics on Virgin Most Powerful Radio.

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Dr. Scott Hahn

Dr. Scott Hahn is the Father Michael Scanlan, TOR,  Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also the founder and president of the St. Paul Center, an apostolate dedicated to teaching Catholics to read Scripture from the heart of the Church. Dr. Hahn has been married to his wife, Kimberly, for 44 years. They have 6 children and 22 grandchildren. They also have one son ordained to the Diocese of Steubenville, Father Jeremiah Hahn. As the author and editor of over 50 popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn’s works include best-selling titles Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb’s Supper, and Hail, Holy Queen. His most recent title is Catholics in Exile; Biblical Wisdom for our Journey Home (Emmaus Road, 2023).

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Dr. Andrew Swafford

Dr. Andrew Swafford is professor of theology at Benedictine College. He is co-author of A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships (with his wife, Sarah), and What We Believe: The Beauty of the Catholic Faith (with Marcellino D’Ambrosio) and co-host of Ascension’s video series filmed in Rome under the same title. He is general editor and contributor to Ascension’s Great Adventure Catholic Bible and co-host and author of Ascension’s Bible studies on Romans and Hebrews. He is also an avid student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and lives with his wife and their six children in Atchison, Kansas.

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Dr. André Villeneuve

André Villeneuve is a Catholic biblical scholar and Assistant Professor in the Honors College at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, CA. He holds an M.A. in theology and catechetics from Franciscan University in Steubenville (2005), a Ph.D. in Scripture from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2013), and an S.S.L. from the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Rome (2019). He has taught theology and Scripture at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, CO, and summer courses at Franciscan University. He is the author of Nuptial Symbolism in Second Temple Writings, the New Testament, and Rabbinic Literature. André is passionate about the Jewish roots of the Catholic faith, leading pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and fostering the reconciliation of Israel and the Church through the work of of Catholics for Israel (www.catholicsforisrael.com).

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Dcn. Bob Rice

Deacon Bob Rice lives in the Diocese of Steubenville with his wife, Jennifer, and seven children. He is a professor of catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he teaches courses on Scripture, youth ministry, and music ministry. He travels around the country preaching about Jesus and leading worship. He also does a weekly podcast with Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, called “They That Hope.” Learn more about him at deaconbobrice.com.

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Curtis Martin

Curtis Martin is the founder and CEO (Chief Evangelization Officer) of Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). Curtis holds a master’s degree in theology and is the author of the bestselling book Made for More. Curtis and his wife, Michaelann, live in Westminster, Colorado. They have nine children.

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Bishop Earl Fernandes

The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, on May 31, 2022. He previously served as pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola Church in Cincinnati. He was a member of the staff of the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., and dean of the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West and an associate professor of moral theology. He holds a doctorate in moral theology. Bishop Fernandes is a member of over a dozen boards across the nation. He is an author, with articles in three collections of essays published by the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha. He has also given presentations around the country.