About Our Speakers

Bishop Joseph Edward Strickland serves as the fourth Bishop of Tyler.

To read messages from Bishop Strickland, visit BishopStrickland.com.

Bishop Strickland was born the sixth child of Raymond and Monica Strickland on October 31, 1958. He grew up in Atlanta, Texas. The Strickland’s were founding members of St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Atlanta, Texas where he assisted as an altar server. He entered first grade in Atlanta public schools in 1965 and graduated from Atlanta High School in May of 1977.

He entered Holy Trinity Seminary and the University of Dallas; studying for the Diocese of Dallas in August of 1977, and earned a Bachelor of Philosophy in May of 1981. He continued his education at Holy Trinity and the University of Dallas and was ordained to the Diaconate by then Bishop Michael Sheehan at Holy Trinity Seminary on December 8, 1984.

He earned a Master of Divinity Degree in May of 1985 and was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dallas by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe at St. Monica Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas on June 1, 1985.

He was assigned as a newly-ordained priest to Immaculate Conception Parish in Tyler, Texas in June of 1985 and served as Parochial Vicar until June of 1989. Upon the erection of the Diocese of Tyler on February 24, 1987, he then joined the presbyterate of the new diocese and was named the first vocation director for the diocese in March of 1987 by Bishop Charles Herzig. He was assigned as Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart Parish in Nacogdoches, Texas in June of 1989 and served there until October of that same year when he was assigned as pastor of St. Michael Parish in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. He served as pastor of St. Michael's until August of 1992 when he was assigned to canonical studies at the Catholic University of America by Bishop Edmond Carmody.  

Strickland completed his canonical studies with a Licentiate in Canon Law in May of 1994 and was assigned by Bishop Edmond Carmody as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler, Texas in June of that same year. He was appointed Judicial Vicar for the Diocese of Tyler in May of 1995 and named a Prelate of Honor with the title Monsignor by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in February of 1996.

He was elected Administrator of the Diocese of Tyler in March of 2000 when Bishop Carmody departed for Corpus Christi and served in that capacity until January of 2001 when Bishop Álvaro Corrada, SJ, was installed as the third bishop of the Diocese of Tyler. He continued to serve as rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Judicial Vicar of the diocese until February 1, 2010, when Bishop Corrada named him Vicar General. He served in that capacity until September of 2011 when Bishop Corrada was installed as the second Bishop of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Tyler sede vacante. At that time, Bishop Corrada appointed him as Delegate of the Apostolic Administrator. 

On September 29, 2012, it was announced that His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI had chosen Strickland as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Tyler. He was ordained to the episcopacy on November 28, 2012, by His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston with Bishop Álvaro Corrada, SJ of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe assisting as co-consecrators.

The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., July 2, 1973. He was installed as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix on December 20, 2003.

Prior to his arrival in Phoenix, he served as Bishop of Wichita, Kansas, after being ordained Coadjutor Bishop on April 20, 1999. Before serving in Wichita, he served as the Rector / President of the Pontifical College Josephinum, a Catholic Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

Since 1974, Bishop Olmsted has been a member of the Jesus Caritas fraternity of priests, and thus has been deeply influenced by the witness and wisdom of Charles de Foucauld and by the prayers and encouragement of many brother priests.

For 16 years, Bishop Olmsted lived in Rome, Italy, where he obtained a master’s degree in theology, a doctorate in Canon Law, and worked more than nine years in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. During the nine years of serving in the Holy See, he resided at the Pontifical North American College and assisted seminarians with spiritual direction.

Having been reared on a family farm on the Kansas-Nebraska border, he attended a single-room grade school near Oketo, Kansas, and a small rural high school in Summerfield, Kansas. His first contact with Catholic schools came when he entered St. Thomas Seminary College in Denver, Colorado, from which he graduated in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

Birthday: January 21, 1947
Ordination to the priesthood: July 2, 1973
Ordained a bishop: April 20, 1999

The Spiritual Weapons of Divine Mercy and Mother Mary: Maximized Through Prayer and Fasting

Father Chris Alar, MIC, is a priest with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. Father Chris wrote and produced the popular "Divine Mercy 101" and "Explaining the Faith" DVD series and is the author of the bestselling book After Suicide: There's Hope for Them and for You. He is a regular host and guest on EWTN, and he also hosts the online "Divine Mercy Matters" series at DivineMercyMatters.org. He serves as "Fr. Joseph, MIC," the director of the Association of Marian Helpers and is the head of Marian Press, located on the grounds of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Marian.org

How the Porn Culture Impacts You, Your Family, and Society, and How Prayer and Fasting is the Solution

Dann is Certified Addiction Counselor, speaker, author, and a recovering sex addict. Dann has authored several books including From one Addict to Another, 40 Days to Freedom, and Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity. Dann also produced the only full Catholic Men’s Sexual Integrity program called Restoring God’s Foundation. This program has an imprimatur by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila. Dann published the internationally distributed pamphlet 5 Keys to Freedom from Sexual Sin, which was also granted an imprimatur by Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila. Additionally, Dann does presentations to seminarians on how to effectively address pornography in the confessional. He also does training and formation for clergy on effectively addressing sexual sin in the parish. 

Dann was addicted for over 30 years and has been in recovery for over twelve. Dann’s recovery was fueled by his personal drive for change, education about himself, the addiction, and restored relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Dann’s restored relationship with Jesus was so powerful that he felt personally called to devote his life to telling others that the profound emptiness, worthlessness, rejection, and abandonment felt by most addicts is not the truth of their identity in Christ. His calling is to help these men and women in this bondage of lies to find truth, healing, and authentic love in God and their personal relationships. Dann has answered the call through the mission of Road to Purity, a non-profit organization he founded in 2015.

Dann may be contacted through the website www.RoadToPurity.com.

Protecting the Family in Times of Spiritual Warfare

Kathleen is President and Co-Founder of the Foundation of Prayer for Priests, a global apostolate of prayer and catechesis for the holiness of priests through spiritual motherhood and fatherhood. An international Catholic evangelist, radio host, and Ignatian certified retreat director, Kathleen is also the author of the best selling book, A Family Guide to Spiritual Warfare: Strategies for Deliverance and Healing.

Kathleen assists priests in the Church’s ministry of healing, deliverance and exorcism, and for the past twelve years has served on the diocesan exorcist’s team and is currently the diocesan administrator of Exorcism-Deliverance Ministry. She and her husband are business owners and have two grown sons.

KathleenBeckman.com

Fr. James is an internationally known Exorcist Priest and a bold charismatic preacher. He is a powerful instrument of the Holy Spirit as  videnced by many stories of miracles, healings, and conversions. His talks increase awareness of the Spiritual Battle in our world – evil aiming toward the destruction of the holy family life. Dedicated to his healing and deliverance ministry, Father travels preaching and proclaiming the Gospel.

How to Detect and Dispose of Cursed Objects

Fr. Greg Bramlage was born in 1964 and grew up in Indiana.  In 1990 he graduated from Marian College with a Degree in Business Administration. He worked 13 years in the Transportation Industry before being called to the priesthood. In 1996 he graduated Cum Laude from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  He has pastored multiple parishes and a school. He has led ten pilgrimages to the Holy Land and many throughout Catholic Europe.  In 2004, he received the Blessed Gianna Molla Award for his leadership in the Pro-Life Ministry. And in 2005, Fr. Greg inaugurated the first Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel in Southeast Indiana. 

That same year, he began hosting and speaking at regional faith conferences. He incorporated a full-time Healing/Deliverance Ministry at his parish of St. Nicholas.  He has been a guest speaker for EWTN as well as various Catholic Radio Stations. Since 2009, Fr. Greg has evangelized throughout Africa, India, Central & South America as well as in many parts of the United States. In 2011, Fr. Greg received permission from his Archbishop to begin full-time work as a Catholic Evangelist.  That same year, he founded “Missionaries of the New Evangelization” to accomplish this purpose.

MNEHealing.org

Fight Like a Catholic:
The Role of Prayer and Fasting in Spiritual Warfare

Once a New Age feminist, Susan Brinkmann, OCDS, is now a Third Order Carmelite, a Catholic apologist and speaker, and an award-winning journalist and author. She serves as Director of Communications and New Age Research for Women of Grace and is a frequent guest on EWTN.

Susan is a co-founder of The Catholic Life Institute (CLI), a lay-run apostolate devoted to infusing the world with the truth and splendor of the Catholic mystical tradition as revealed by the Carmelite saints and Doctors of the Church. To introduce Carmelite spirituality and authentic Catholic contemplation to the faithful, Susan serves as author, presenter, and retreat director for the Institute’s programs (both in-person and online). These include courses on Teresian prayer, the interior life, the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood as taught by St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and spiritual warfare.

Susan has authored 11 books, including her most recent publications, Fight Like a Catholic: Spiritual Warfare in the Catholic Tradition; and Day by Day in the Little Way: 365 Reflections on the Teachings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Visit www.CatholicLifeInstitute.org for more information.

Marriage & Family:
Practical & Spiritual Solutions for Marriages and Families in these Tumultuous Times

Dr. Pat Fagan, born, raised and educated in Dublin, Ireland, began his career as a grade-school teacher in Cork city, before studying to become a clinical psychologist specializing in child, family and marital therapy.  His first clinical work was in Canada, ending on the clinical teaching staff of McGill University’s affiliate, The Herzl Family Practice Center, at The Jewish General Hospital, Montreal.

Later, after doctoral studies in Washington, out of concern about government actions that were undermining marriage and family, he entered the public policy field, first at The Free Congress Foundation, of which he became the executive director, followed by work in the U.S. Senate for Senator Dan Coats of Indiana. In 1989  President George Herbert Bush appointed him Deputy Assistant Secretary for Family and Social Policy at the Department of Health and Human Services.

In 1994 he moved to The Heritage Foundation for thirteen years, as Senior Fellow on Family and Culture, and built an international reputation through his research and writing on the myriad connections between a well-functioning or wilting society and the strength or weakness of marriage and worship in that society. One of his papers, “Why Religion Matters” became the most read of all publications of The Heritage Foundation.

In 2007 he moved to the Family Research Council to found MARRI, The Marriage and Religion Research Institute, which equips the lay public with social science written for use in their daily discussions about family and culture issues.

Among his many contributions are 22 synthesis papers, written for the layman (starting with Congressmen and their staff) on what the social sciences have uncovered on marriage, family and religious practice, and 50 years of trendline data on the same. In 2016 MARRI became part of The Catholic University of America.  Pat is also a Fellow at The Austin Institute, All his work, including a weekly blog on recent social science findings, can be found at http://marri.us.  Forthcoming work is a book-sized 12 chapter, comprehensive overview of the effects of contraception in physical, psychological, relational and neurological health as well as societal functioning, including fertility, demographics, family structure, public health, crime and abuse.

He is married to Theresa nee Gallagher, sister of Fr Timothy Gallagher O.M.V.  They have eight children, four boys (two of them celibate, one a priest) and four girls.  Theresa and Pat have 17 grandchildren (one within the womb).

America's Not Heading Toward Socialism, but Communism: What will Save Us?

Ted Flynn is a bestselling author and popular speaker well-known for his coverage of all things Catholic: Our Lady, her apparitions around the world, Catholic Saints and prophecy, and the spiritual battle between the forces of good and evil throughout history and in our own time. 

His books include his most recent bestseller, Diabolical Disorientation: The Roots of the Crisis in the Church, Faily, Nation, and Culture. Past works include many bestselling titles including The Thunder of Justice: The Warning, The Miracle, The Chastisement, The Era of Peace (co-written with Maureen Flynn); The Hope of the Wicked: The Master Plan to Rule the World; Idols in the House; and The Great Transformation: Finding Peace of Soul in Troubled Times. He has written numerous articles as a contributing writer for Signs of the Times Magazine and Website (Sign.org).

A popular speaker, Ted has traveled to 50 countries worldwide in his career, speaking over 1,000 times on television, radio, and seminars and conferences. In addition, he has produced several Catholic films, including Prophecy and the New Times and Key to the Triumph. 

Ted is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), American University, the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), and the London School of Economics (England). Throughout his career, he has played active role in several non-profits and in real estate development. He has served as Chief Economist of a government agency, as President and Founder of a publishing company, and has worked in Poland on energy development after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and in Belarus with food distribution for U.S. AID and the Department of Agriculture during Glasnost of the former USSR. 

Award-winning author Cathy Gilmore pours her passion into energizing children, families, and schools with the transforming power of virtue. Cathy grew up as a child who was afraid of nearly everything, nearly all the time, but with God's grace, her life was transformed with the strength of virtue.

Cathy enjoys helping others to be heroes; her Tiny Virtue Heroes storybooks empower readers with the desire for virtue using Jesus’ preferred teaching method of telling stories. With a menagerie of tiny insect and animal “sidekicks,” her stories lead children to admire the heroic virtue of biblical and missionary real-life heroes of holiness. At the same time, she empowers grown-ups to be virtue mentors to help unleash the virtue hero inside of each child they love.

Her books include Jesus Lost and Found, Wisdom Finds a Way, A Mouse and a Miracle, Easter Bunny's Amazing Day, and Little Lamb Finds Christmas.

She finds joy in her 30+ year marriage with her husband and their three children, writing, and early morning walks. While Cathy has her sights set on heaven, she says that dogs and chocolate compete for her worldly affections here on earth.

Visit www.VirtueHeroes.com to discover more.

Why You Should Join the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary

Dennis & Angelina Girard are directors of the Marian Devotional Movement, founders of DivineMercyRosary.com & CatholicInCanada.com. They are the authors of Marian Consecration for Little Souls and producers of the DVD "God's Favored Lady." 

BridgeOfRoses.com

VisitationProject.org

The Coming Triumph and the Feast of Tabernacles

Fr. Gunter was ordained in 2009 for the Archdiocese of Boston. He has had a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary that eventually lead him to the Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Gunter has researched Marian apparitions, Marian teachings by saints and popes, and produced a video series – “The Days of Elijah and the Coming Triumph”. Presently, Fr. Gunter lives at the Marian Scholasticate residence in Washington, D.C.

theComingTriumph.org

Mother Gabrielle Marie Breaux, Mother Superior and foundress of the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will, began her religious life as a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration under the holy guidance of Mother Angelica, foundress of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) in Alabama. After a stroke left Mother Angelica incapacitated, Mother Gabrielle Marie took on the responsibility of Abbess from 2002 to 2009. 

Mother Gabrielle Marie was introduced to the writings of a southern Italian mystic named Luisa Piccarreta (1865-1947), whose diaries contain profound teachings about God’s Most Holy and Divine Will. These teachings greatly impacted Mother Gabrielle Marie’s spiritual life, inspiring her to take a leap of faith in 2009, leaving to found a new monastic community in Italy dedicated to Eucharistic adoration and living in the Divine Will. 

She and her daughters currently reside in Talamello (RN), Italy, where they live a monastic schedule of prayer and work, seeking to lead very interior lives of contemplation within the context of demanding, yet gratifying, labor and familial affection. Though the community is fully contemplative, the sisters are not cloistered, for they also feel called to share their life of prayer with others. Each member must exchange nothing more than her own, human will as dear and glorious St. Joseph demonstrates in Nazareth, the secret to this lies in-between the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

BenedictinesOfDivineWill.org

Divine Mercy for America and the World:
The Message, the Plan, and the Movement

Catholic speakers and married lay couple Joan and Dave Maroney have been leading the way in the New Evangelization since 1999.  As founders and directors of Mother of Mercy Messengers, an apostolate of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception based at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, they have presented the Divine Mercy message through live multi-media presentations to over 100,000 souls at more than 1000 events in parishes and schools across the US and beyond.  Their popular materials including DVDs, CD’s and YouTube videos have helped countless others reach thousands upon thousands.

DivineMercyForAmerica.org 

The Mother, the Dogma, and the Triumph

Dr. Mark Miravalle earned his Sacred Theological Doctorate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He holds the Saint John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has been teaching since 1986. 

Dr. Miravalle is the founder and senior editor of Ecce Mater Tua, an international journal of Mariology research. He is also president of the International Marian Association, comprised of more than 130 theologians, bishops, clergy, and laity worldwide who seek to promote Marian devotion and doctrine.

Well known throughout the world for his lectures on Mariology, Dr. Miravalle has addressed several episcopal conferences, including those of South India, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. He has also assisted bishops with preliminary investigations into reported apparitions.

Dr. Miravalle has spoken at numerous international conferences and has appeared on EWTN, National Public Radio, BBC, and Fox News.

Dr. Miravalle is the author and editor of over 20 books in Mariology and Spiritual Theology, including his most recent works, Meet Your Mother: An Introduction to Mary; Meet Your Spiritual Father: An Introduction to St. Joseph; Time to Meet the Angels; and Jesus In You: The Indwelling Trinity in the Souls of the Just.

MarkMiravalle.com

Fr. Frank Pavone is one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the world. Originally from New York, he was ordained in 1988 by Cardinal John O’Connor. In 1993, he requested and received permission to devote his entire life and ministry to ending abortion. With his bishop’s permission, he serves as the National Director of Priests for Life, the largest pro-life ministry in the Catholic Church. He is also the President of the National Pro-life Religious Council, and as the National Pastoral Director of both the Silent No More Awareness Campaign and of Rachel’s Vineyard, the world’s largest ministry of healing after abortion.

He travels throughout the country, to an average of four states every week, preaching and teaching against abortion. He broadcasts daily to hundreds of thousands of people on television, radio, and online programs. Mother Teresa asked him to speak in India on life issues. The Vatican appointed him to the Pontifical Academy for Life and to the Pontifical Council for the Family to help coordinate the pro-life activities of the Catholic Church. Members of Congress have invited him to address the pro-life caucus, and to preach at the prayer service they had in the Capitol just prior to the vote on health care reform. In 2016, he was asked by then-candidate Donald Trump to serve on his Pro-life and Catholic advisory councils. He was present at the bedside of Terri Schiavo as she was dying, and was an outspoken advocate for her life.

Fr. Pavone received the “Proudly Pro-life Award” by the National Right to Life Committee, and numerous other pro-life awards and honorary doctorates. His work has been praised by Presidents, Popes, and countless citizens. He is the author of four books: Ending Abortion, Not Just Fighting It; Pro-life Reflections for Every Day; Abolishing Abortion; and Proclaiming the Message of Life. Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade abortion decision, called Fr. Frank “the catalyst that brought me into the Catholic Church.”

PriestsForLife.org

Spiritual Warfare

Monsignor Stephen J. Rossetti, PhD, DMin, is currently a research associate professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Monsignor Rossetti heads the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, whose ministry involves exorcisms, deliverance prayers and the support and renewal of priestly spirituality. He is the author of many books and articles in all his areas of expertise. His most recent book, Diary of an American Exorcist: Demons, Possession, and the Modern-Day Battle against Ancient Evil, was published in May of 2021. 

Monsignor Rossetti, a licensed psychologist and an outspoken writer, lecturer, and advocate for the importance of using the insights of modern psychology in collaboration with orthodox Catholic theology, has been a leader in several spiritual arenas. 

He has worked on research into and the promotion of the wellness and spirituality of priesthood, conducting scores of workshops for priests in the US and abroad. He is an activist in the prevention of child abuse, working towards the prevention of child sexual abuse, raising awareness of its effects on victims, as well as working to develop more effective treatment and supervision of offenders. 

He is widely known for his work as the Chief Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington, a position he has held for over 13 years. During his journey to priesthood, Monsignor Rossetti experienced a spiritual episode in which, “in two seconds I learned 80 percent of what an exorcist needs to know.” After training with a senior exorcist in Rome and the US, Msgr. Rossetti has participated in many hundreds of exorcisms since 1999. He handles a very active caseload of demonic possessions, and works diligently to educate the general public about spiritual warfare and how demons are defeated decisively by the power of Christ and His Church—and especially by invocations to the Blessed Mother. 

Since 2009, he has served as the Catholic Chaplain of the Washington Nationals. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1973 and spent six years in the Air Force as an intelligence officer.

CatholicExorcism.org

How God Will Change Hearts, Save the Lives of the Innocent, and Deliver Us from Evil Through Our Sacrifice of Prayer and Fasting

Dr. Monique Ruberu is a daughter of God, a wife to an amazing husband, and a mother to five adorable kiddos (two in heaven). She is a convinced Catholic and a Napro Technology-Trained Board-Certified Ob/Gyn Physician and pro-life advocate who co-leads two 40 Days for Life campaigns in downtown Philadelphia. 

Dr. Monique founded The Fertility Solved Course and Coaching Program to help women search for the root causes of every GYN issue and address them, rather than just covering them up with birth control and contraceptives. 

Her beautiful conversion story, Rising with Roses, delves deep into her faith journey which brought her from a broken marriage to an amazing and precious relationship with God. It also addresses many interesting life lessons that she learned along the way and now shares with her patients on a daily basis.

She loves to salsa dance, spend time with her Lord in Mass and Adoration, scuba dive, travel, and love on her family. For more information, visit www.DrRuberu4Life.com and www.FertilitySolved.com.

Praying With St. Faustina for the Holy Souls in Purgatory and the Conversion of Sinners

Susan Tassone has long been a passionate champion for the holy souls in purgatory and is recognized as leading a worldwide “purgatory movement.” The award-winning author of fourteen best sellers, including Jesus Speaks to Faustina and You, Day by Day with Saint Faustina, St. Faustina Prayer Book for Adoration, St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Conversion of Sinners, St. Faustina Prayer Book for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Susan shares her passion for saving souls through innumerable speaking engagements throughout the country. More than a dozen cardinals and bishops around the world have endorsed her works.

She is a frequent, popular guest on national radio and television pro- grams, as well as having a major impact through social media. EWTN Global Catholic Network declared that Susan is the all-time best-selling author in the history of EWTN. In 2017, she appeared on the cover of Catholic Digest. In 2013, she was featured in the groundbreaking documentary Purgatory: The Forgotten Church, bringing her unique style and penetrating message to a new generation.

Through her tireless work, she raises awareness of purgatory as well as donations for Masses for the holy souls.

Susan holds a master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University Chicago, and in addition to her numerous awards, she has had the privilege and honor of being granted two private audiences with St. John Paul II, who bestowed a special blessing on her ministry for the holy souls.

Learn more at: susantassone.com.

Maria Esperanza and the Triumph

Fr. Timothy E. Byerley, Ph.D., is the Vice-Postulator for the Beatification and Canonization Cause of Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini. He is the pastor of Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church in Merchantville, New Jersey, and director of the Collegium Center for Faith and Culture. He is also a spiritual director for the Betania Foundation, headquartered in Venezuela, and supports other Betania Communities around the world.

After pursuing a career in engineering, Fr. Byerley answered God’s call to the priesthood and was ordained on May 25, 1985, for the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. He completed his studies for the priesthood at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, with a Master of Divinity. Later he attained a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a Master of Theology in Ecumenism at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey; and a Doctorate in Religious Education at Fordham University in New York City. He also earned a certificate in Spiritual Direction from De Sales University in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.

Fr. Byerley has initiated programs for youth and young adults, and organized lecture series, pilgrimages, special liturgies, concerts, and retreats. He has been a spiritual director of seminarians and of various lay apostolates, and authored three other books: St. John Neumann: Wonder Worker of Philadelphia; The Great Commission: Models of Evangelization in American Catholicism; and Maria Esperanza and the Grace of Betania.

7 Lessons from Heaven:
How Dying Taught Me to Live a Joy-Filled Life

Board-certified spinal surgeon, Dr. Mary Neal, author of To Heaven and Back, and 7 Lessons from Heaven, is both a scientist and a woman of deep faith and trust in God. The New York Times Bestselling author shares her story of drowning while kayaking on a South American river, and how, during her time under the water, she experienced life after death. She went to heaven, conversed with Jesus, and experienced God's all-encompassing love. She gained an understanding of God's presence and of “good” and “bad.” She was returned to Earth with information and expectations regarding some of her undone work, including the sharing of her experience with others and the future death of her young son.

Her experiences transformed her faith into a complete trust that the promises of God are true, underpinning her ability to face challenges and loss with a joyful heart. Her story inspires others to make a similar transformation by seeking God's presence in their own lives.

She’s been interviewed on many national talk and television shows and has spoken to audiences throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe, where her story gives reason to live by faith and trust. It is a story of hope.

Dr. Neal was born and raised in Michigan and graduated from the University of Kentucky before attending UCLA medical school. She completed her orthopaedic surgery training at the University of Southern California after which she lived in Sweden, Switzerland, and Los Angeles, while undergoing 1 1/2 years of specialty training in spinal surgery before becoming the director of spine surgery at USC. Five years later, she left the University for private practice.

She currently lives and works in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she and her family enjoy everything the outdoor world offers, especially all forms of skiing, bicycling, boating, and hiking.
 

DrMaryNeal.com

ConvergentBooks.com

What You Should Know About Blessed Carlo Acutis

Fr. Joel David Jaffe is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington. He is currently the pastor at Christ the Redeemer Parish in Sterling, VA. He has served as the Director of the Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Arlington, the chaplain of Pope St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, VA and has been a Parochial Vicar at both Blessed Sacrament Parish in Alexandria, VA and St. Luke Catholic Church in Mclean, VA. He was ordained a priest in 2003. He also serves as a chaplain for the Courage Apostolate, an outreach to persons experiencing same sex attraction. 

The Divine Will—The Era of Peace and the Time We Are in:
God is Getting Us Ready for a New Era

Born in Newark, NY, Fr. Tom Celso entered St. Bernard Seminary in 1974. While in Clinical Pastoral Study in 1976 at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MA, he was introduced to the Divine Will.

He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on March 9, 1979. After faithfully serving at parishes throughout upstate New York, in 1994 the Bishop of Rochester gave Fr. Celso permission to work with the Secretariat of the Cause in Trani, Italy, for the promotion of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta. He was present at the opening of the Cause of Luisa on November 20, 1994, on the Solemnity of Christ the King in Trani, Italy.  In 1996, Fr. Celso was asked to help copy the original writings of Luisa Piccarreta in the Secret Archives of the Vatican under the Direction of the then-Cardinal Ratzinger. On October 29, 2005, he attended the closing of the Cause of Luisa Piccarreta in which the Diocese of Trani gave its positive evaluation, asking the Vatican for its approval to have Luisa Canonized.

Fr. Celso has given and continues to give Retreats and days of Recollection throughout the United States and Europe focusing on the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta, and the Divine Will. He says that “Everyone who loves Luisa and the Divine Will is waiting for The Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta, to be named ‘Venerable.’  Many of the miracles attributed to her are being studied by the Vatican at this time.”

Fr. Celso became a Third Order Benedictine Oblate of the Divine Will in 2016 with Mother Gabrielle Marie and Father Elijah’s Communities in Italy. Fr. Celso, now a retired senior priest, helps out weekly at St. John Bosco and Chesterton Academy Schools in East Rochester, NY, offering weekly Holy Mass and Confession for the faculty and students. He is also on Weekly Programs on Mary’s Hill, The School of Mary. 

A Revelation of the Kingdom of Heaven

Do you wonder if Jesus Christ is alive in you? Do you wish to know that God can raise the dead? 

Paul Zucarelli suffered 9 Cardiac Arrests after surgery at Mayo.  He was dead for 2 hours and was Graced with to witness Heaven. In the midst of a culture that is wrought with fear and questioning God's existence, please join us to hear Paul's miraculous testimony of healing which occurred on Pentecost Sunday 2017.

His witness will reinvigorate your soul with Faith and Hope if you let it. It is a witness of God's love and saving grace. The reality of Jesus' Divine Mercy working through prayer and Scripture will captivate you to know God's unfathomable love for us in Christ.  

Let your own faith arise as you hear the story of God at work to transform loves and draw all souls to His Kingdom.

FaithUnderstood.org

Strong Marriages, Strong Families

Chuck Neff is a veteran broadcast journalist. Most recently he has worked as a Show Host of "The Inner Life" TM on Relevant Radio, a national Catholic radio network airing in more than 170 markets. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, he has worked in radio and television as a news reporter in Chicago, Denver, St. Louis, and Terre Haute, Indiana. Chuck has also traveled the world producing documentaries in the Holy Land, as well as South America and Eastern Europe.

Chuck is the author of The Deal, a Catholic novel about marriage and its importance, especially in this chaotic 21st Century. In Chuck’s words, “It’s everything I have ever wanted to say about the Sacrament of Matrimony.”

Over his career in broadcasting, Chuck and his production company have been awarded 15 regional Emmys. He has also received dozens of other national and regional awards for outstanding programming. In 1999, he coordinated the worldwide television pool coverage for the Pastoral Visit of Saint John Paul II to the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

SaltRiverProductions.com 

Feasting, Fasting, Faith, and Fun:
The Apostolate of Family Fun

Catholic Author and speaker, Kendra Tierney, describes herself as a “Catholic wife and mother of many, from little to teenaged, who also dabbles in teaching, reading, writing, cooking, baking, sewing, crafting, party planning, graphic design, home remodeling, and streaming with the captions on so I can understand British.” 

Her popular blog, "Catholic All Year," is a place for her to share how her family members live out their Catholic faith throughout the year, with how-to activities that viewers can also do with their own families. She is the author of  The Catholic All Year Compendium: Liturgical Living for Real Life, and offers Catholic All Year subscription boxes, which deliver useful, meaningful, and beautiful resources like calendars, recipes, saint summaries, books, and more to viewers’ doorsteps or computers to be printed out before each liturgical season. For more information, visit: CatholicAllYear.com

A Holy Battle:
The Fight for Christian Marriage

Chris and Linda Padgett admit that, like many young Catholic couples today, they had no idea what they were getting into on their wedding day, and felt totally unprepared for the often harsh realities of married life.

After 30+ years of navigating life's ups and downs together, while mining the depths of the Church's very practical wisdom for marriage and family life and applying that wisdom to their own lives, they confidently affirm that marriage is a vocation that leads to authentic happiness, fulfillment, and yes, holiness!
They are on a mission to empower couples to embrace and live the Church's vision for marriage and family life – sharing with them that same practical wisdom that is the foundation of all authentically happy and joy-filled marriages.

Chris holds a master’s degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the International Marian Research Institute. He is currently a professor of Theology at Catholic Distance University.

Linda holds a Certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Cenacle School of Spiritual Direction.

Together they have written three popular books on marriage: Not Ready for Marriage; Not Ready for Sex; Holy Marriage, Happy Marriage; and Marriage & Ministry.

Visit their websites at: ChrisandLindaPadgett.com & SanctifyYourMarriage.com

The Power of St. Joseph:
Five Reasons He is the Terror of Demons and How You Can Be One, Too

Fathers are the link between Heaven and earth, and are intended to be an image of our Heavenly Father. Devin Schadt is a husband, father, author and speaker who transmits the message of the glory, necessity and power of fatherhood. Drawing on the example of St. Joseph, Devin Schadt shows us how to become a father on earth like the Father in Heaven. 

Devin Schadt is the executive director of the Fathers of St. Joseph, an apostolate that labors for the restoration, redemption, and revitalization of fatherhood. Devin is the author of Joseph’s Way: 80 Days To Unlocking Your Power as a Father; CUSTOS: Total Consecration Through Saint Joseph; and is the creator of the video-devotional system "LEAD: The Four Marks of Fatherly Greatness". 

Devin lives with his wife and five daughters in the Midwest. 

Learn more at: FathersOfStJoseph.org and on YouTube at: The Catholic Father Devin Schadt.

What is Catholic Men’s Fellowship (CMF)?

Dr. Tom Graves always knew he wanted to be a doctor; he remembers praying to God as a young child asking for the opportunity to attend medical school. After graduating from Williams College, his lifelong dream was realized when he entered Wayne State University School of Medicine. 

In 1989, Dr. Tom co-founded Bay Area Family Physicians in New Baltimore, Michigan. He and his co-founders wanted an “old-fashioned” family doctor’s office. They wanted to create an office environment where people’s spiritual life is as important as their medical health. Dr. Tom feels incredibly blessed to be a family doctor, saying that it is so fun “it’s like getting paid to play baseball.”

He especially loves praying with his patients—something he considers to be the most important aspect of his care. 

While Dr. Tom loves being a doctor, he loves his wife, Anne, and their children, Tommy and Sarah, even more, and counts his family as his greatest treasure on earth. 

Dr. Tom’s strong faith is part of everything he does. He seeks to bring the message of Jesus Christ to everyone he meets. He co-founded HART (The Haiti and Africa Relief Team), which seeks to bring Jesus to Haiti through medical and dental service, as well as food, clothes, and most importantly, love. 

And Dr. Tom helped start CMF (Catholic Men’s Fellowship) - a group of men who meet weekly to grow closer to Jesus, and to learn to love, share, and serve Jesus with His people.