Steubenville Conferences

Dr. Joshua Miller is devoted to building culture in which each person can flourish in his/her personal vocation for building up the body of Christ and sanctifying the world. He is the co-author with Luke Burgis of Unrepeatable: Cultivating the Unique Calling of Every Person (2018) and a contributing author of The Motivation Code (2020). Dr. Miller helped build The Center for Leadership (CFL) at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He leads the freshmen seminar, Personal Vocation and Christ Centered Leadership, and coordinates the CFL vocation coach program. He has an MA and PhD in philosophy of the human person. He and his wife, Brooke, are joyfully Catholic, have six children and live in Steubenville, Ohio.

Dr. Douglas Beaumont earned a PhD in theology from North-West University and an MA in apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, where he taught for several years before coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. He has since appeared on The Journey Home and Catholic Answers Live and has been interviewed for The National Catholic Register, EWTN, Relevant Radio, and The Patrick Coffin Show. Douglas is the author of Evangelical Exodus and The Message Behind the Movie, has contributed to Mind, Heart, and Soul: Intellectuals and the Path to Rome, Bumper Sticker Catholicism, The Best Catholic Writing, and The Apologetics Study Bible for Students, and has written for Catholic Answers Magazine, Strange Notions, National Catholic Register, and Catholic World Report.

I had a great upbringing, the oldest of four boys to two loving parents. Married right after college, we had three kids in six years. I bought a business at 27 and grew it moderately over 10 years before hitting the proverbial homerun.

Although things looked good from the outside, I was never satisfied. I was chasing the American dream. I was incapable of living in the moment, always pushing for more, striving for what I hadn’t already achieved. The pace crowded out the peace.

I then suffered significant tragedy, where I was literally forced to my knees, in need of real help. Quite unexpectedly in March, 2006, I experienced conversion, really feeling the unconditional love of God for the first time in my life. My journey began there.

Having become passionate about my faith, I felt a real call to leave the commercial world to go to work for the Catholic Church, joining Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2012. Today I work as the Vice President of Outreach and Evangelization at the University, where I am part of a team that gets to evangelize, educate, and empower, all by God’s grace, tens of thousands every year.

Given what I’ve learned and how the message resonates with so many, all by the grace of God, I’ve become committed to helping others.

I’ve written a book, which was published in August, 2018 by Our Sunday Visitor, and launched this web site. I blog, speak, and work with people who are overwhelmed by life to understand that they are made for greatness, coaching them through the process that leads to peace, joy, and fulfillment.

I am married to my best friend, Cyndi, and have three adult children, two son-in-laws, one soon to be daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter. Cyndi and I live outside of Pittsburgh, PA., where our passions are faith, family, health, and fitness.

Chris Vaughan is the director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Fort Worth. He graduated from Franciscan University with a BA in theology with a concentration in religious education in 2000 and completed his MA from Franciscan in 2017. Chris’ experience in catechesis has included parish religious education, RCIA, Hispanic ministry, and youth and young adult ministry. He and his wife, Angie, have been married for 20 years and have six children.

Antoniette Pace responded to a unique calling that eventually led her from the classroom to parish ministry. Bringing her gift of teaching to her position in the active Salesian parish of St. Benedict in the Toronto Archdiocese in Canada, Antoniette’s ministry is further enriched by clinical pastoral education (CPE) training and theological studies from the Toronto School of Theology. For nearly 25 years, she has served in various areas of parish life including sacramental preparation, RCIA, and refugee resettlement. Two decades ago, Antoinette helped bring the Toronto chapter of Magnificat, an international ministry of Catholic women, to the archdiocese and continues to serve in the ministry.

Dr. Therese Recinella has worked in education for over 30 years. She earned a bachelor of science and secondary education degree from Central Michigan University and a master of arts in theology and Christian Ministry with a specialization in catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville. She earned her doctorate in ministry from The Catholic University of America. A teacher at the elementary, secondary, and graduate levels. Dr. Recinella served 13 years as a parish director of Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Currently, Dr. Recinella is director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas.

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.