Category: Uncategorized

Dr. Kristin Witte directs U.S. Catholic Educational and Catechetical Engagement for the USCCB’s official international humanitarian aid organization, Catholic Relief Services. Dr. Witte strives to encourage fellow disciples to embrace Christ’s healing mission. She has served as a campus minister, coordinator of Pastoral Care for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, parish youth minister, and Catholic school religion teacher. She has earned three master’s degrees and completed her doctorate in ministry with an emphasis in pastoral counseling from The Catholic University of America. Dr. Witte and her husband, Andy, reside in the Baltimore area with their daughter, Kyra Grace.

Paola A. Quintero-Araujo is the director of St. Junipero Serra Institute in the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas. With more than 10 years of ministry experience at the parish and diocesan level, she has served in catechetics with adults, children, families, and young adults, RCIA, and sacramental preparation, as well as in catechist formation, Hispanic ministry, and Pastoral Juvenil Hispana. She also received an MA in theology with a concentration in catechesis from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where she was part of Church Life Institute’s Echo graduate service program. She is fully bilingual and bicultural and enjoys teaching in both languages and mentoring catechetical/pastoral ministers.

Joann Roa iis the Director of Adult Faith Formation for the Diocese of Brooklyn. She has her M.A. in Theology & Christian Ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She has served as a Director of Hispanic Ministry, a Coordinator for RCIA and continues to have a love and a passion for sharing the faith with others. Joann has presented on various aspects of evangelization at conferences, parishes and prayer groups throughout the country and internationally.

André Regnier and his wife, Angele, are co-founders of Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO), a university student movement engaged in the new evangelization. In 2015, they received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal for distinguished service to the Church, the highest medal awarded to the laity by the pope. André has written three books: Catholic Missionary Identity, Five Tenets to Renew the World, and Clear and Simple. André hopes CCO can expand internationally to build up Catholic leaders to renew the world. He desires to draw people to a deep conversion to Jesus Christ and to be a catalyst for them to embrace the Church’s evangelical mission.

Lucas Pollice, M.T.S., is the director of the MA in leadership for the new evangelization degree and associate professor of theology and catechetics for the Augustine Institute. He had previously served as the director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas. Lucas has been involved in full-time parish and diocesan catechetical ministry since 1999. He is the author of Open Wide the Doors to Christ: Discovering Catholicism and has helped develop Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained, Beloved and other catechetical series produced by the Augustine Institute. Lucas and his wife, Mary, have six children and live in Colorado.

Dr. Gerard O’Shea is director of Mission and Religious Education for the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes. He is also professor of Religious Education at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney campus. Dr. O’Shea’s recent book, Educating in Christ, has been well received in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. His own parent resource, As I Have Loved You, helps parents train their children in a Catholic vision of sexuality. Dr. O’Shea and his wife, Anne, served a five-year term as president couple for the National Association of Catholic Families (2003-2007). They have 5 children and 10 grandchildren.

Mary Mosher has over 35 years of experience in Catholic education. She has served as the director of Christian Formation for two parishes and authored, implemented, and taught programs of family-based catechesis in three parishes. Most notably, Mary is the author of the Family Program, which she wrote based on the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For 23 years she taught the faith to parents and provided materials and support for them to be their own children’s catechists. Mary holds a master’s degree from Franciscan University in theology and Christian ministry and a certification in catechetics.

Michael Hall is the senior content development specialist for Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO). He has been a missionary with CCO since 2003 and has been directly involved in the training of missionaries for over 12 years. Most recently, Michael authored the latest title in CCO’s Faith Study series, Trust. He holds a master of arts degree in theology from the Augustine Institute. Originally from Vancouver, BC, Michael now lives in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Amy, and their four children.

Dr. Bill Keimig  is the assistant director of the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University. For 15 years, he served as the DRE at St. Mary’s of Piscataway in Clinton, Maryland, and he has served as a speaker in many settings in over 50 dioceses. Dr. Keimig served for nine years as director of the Association for Catechumenal Ministry and holds master’s degrees in public management from the University of Maryland and in theology from Franciscan University. He also holds a doctorate in ministry from The Catholic University of America. He and his wife, Heather, have six children, Rose, William, Julianna, Theodore, Elizabeth, and Gregory.

Jim Beckman serves as the executive director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Jim has served in various roles of leadership for national, regional, and local ministry ever since. Jim also is the executive director of ImpactCenter, a nonprofit dedicated to leadership development in the Catholic Church, and serves as an adjunct professor for the Augustine Institute, teaching on leadership and discipleship. He also serves as an ambassador for Franciscan University. He and his wife, Meg, live in Oklahoma City with their five children.

Paul George has spent over 25 years helping people discover the “art of living” through searching themselves, discovering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and finding true happiness. Throughout these years, he has served in various capacities, including president of a nonprofit, speaker, mentor, consultant, coach, and author. Paul currently serves in development for Hospice of Acadiana Foundation, helping families know their dignity in the most vulnerable time of life. He and his wife, Gretchen, also coach engaged and married couples through their nonprofit. It’s his role as a husband and as a father to five children that he cherishes the most.

Sister Mary Elizabeth Albers is the vocation servant for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT). As a student athlete at Benedictine College, she experienced a profound encounter with Jesus, both in the Eucharist and through solid friendships—three of her basketball teammates also became religious sisters! After graduating and spending two years as a missionary teacher in Belize, Central America, she heard the Lord calling her to be his bride and entered the SOLT Sisters in 2006. Sister Mary Elizabeth currently serves in Seattle, Washington, and speaks internationally on topics of vocation, evangelization, and mission.

Fr. Joshua Johnson was aware of a deep ache in his heart for something more throughout his teenage years. He sought to fill that ache in every way that the world could offer him happiness. He wrestled deep within his heart and came to know Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the restlessness in his heart. Today Father Josh is the director of Vocations for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. He is also a nationally recognized speaker, author with Ascension Press, and podcast host of Ask Father Josh.

Father Michael Schmitz, is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth as well as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Father Mike attended Saint Paul Seminary and was ordained in 2003. He offers weekly homilies on iTunes and bulldogCatholic.org and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press, as well as through regular short video messages on Ascension Presents.

Fr. Ed Fride has been the pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a charismatic personal parish, for 25 years. He has been actively involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal since 1971, which was also the year he entered the Catholic Church. He has a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. Its focus was “The Second Vatican Council’s Charismatic Rediscovery According to Pope John Paul II and its Implications for the New Evangelization.” His parish is a member of the Divine Renovation Network and is pursuing on-going parish renewal as all parishioners are being encouraged to become the intentional, missionary disciples that the Lord Jesus intends all His People to be.

Leah Darrow is an international Catholic speaker who inspires others to embrace mercy and be a light and leader for Christ Jesus. Leah is the founder of Lux University and the first Catholic app a community exclusively for Catholic women that provides spiritual formation. She owns a white couch, is a mama to six wild saints-in-training, and wife to a pretty cool dude named Ricky.

Sarah Kaczmarek serves as the Director of Pastoral Ministry at Encounter Ministries and overseer of the Encounter School of Ministry. She has served in ministry for the last 15 years and has a desire to see all of God’s children walk in wholeness and holiness. She is the co-founder of the Millenial Church Conferences and a co-creator of Kindred Collective. She has loved serving as a youth minister in a parish and as the Associate Director of Alpha Catholic before joining Encounter Ministries. She holds an MA in Counseling and is currently completing a certificate in Spiritual Direction.