MEET OUR SPECIAL GUESTS
Cardinal Timothy Dolan
Speaker
On his return to St. Louis, Cardinal Dolan served in parish ministry from 1983-87, during which time he was also liaison for the late Archbishop John L. May in the restructuring of the college and theology programs of the archdiocesan seminary system.
In 1987, Cardinal Dolan was appointed to a five-year term as secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. When he returned to St. Louis in 1992, he was appointed vice rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, serving also as director of Spiritual Formation and professor of Church History. He was also an adjunct professor of theology at Saint Louis University.
In 1994, he was appointed rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he served until June 2001. While in Rome, he also served as a visiting professor of Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University and as a faculty member in the Department of Ecumenical Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. The work of the Cardinal in the area of seminary education has influenced the life and ministry of a great number of priests of the new millennium.
Cardinal Dolan served as chairman of Catholic Relief Services, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.
Cardinal Dolan completed a three year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in November, 2013. He also completed terms as chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life activities and the Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty.
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades
Speaker
Kevin Rhoades was ordained a bishop on December 9, 2004, by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia. On that date, he began his ministry as Bishop of Harrisburg, a diocese that encompasses 15 counties of south-central Pennsylvania and which includes more than 250,000 Catholics. Bishop Rhoades was appointed the Ninth Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend on November 14, 2009, by Pope Benedict XVI, and installed on January 13, 2010, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne.
Currently, Bishop Rhoades serves as Chair-Elect of the USCCB Committee on Religious Liberty, as a member of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine, and as a member of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism. He also currently serves as a member of the Foundation Board of Catholic Relief Services, as Chair of the Board of Directors of Our Sunday Visitor, as Episcopal Moderator of the Society of Catholic Scientists, as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Eucharistic Congress, and as a member of the Bishops’ Advisory Board of the National Eucharistic Revival. He also serves on the Advisory Boards of the following entities: the Theology of the Body Institute, the Institute for Priestly Formation, the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors, the Augustine Institute, and the Catholic Leadership Institute.
Fr. Mike Schmitz
Speaker
Fr. Mike Schmitz is a Catholic priest and Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries in the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, as well as a speaker and author. He is known for his internet presence, especially his YouTube videos. He has been a speaker for various Catholic programs and events, including the Fellowship of Catholic University Students leadership summit, Ascension Presents, and Steubenville Conferences. Lighthouse Catholic Media publishes many of his talks.
Immaculée Ilibagiza
Speaker
Immaculée Ilibagiza is a powerful Catholic witness who survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide. She credits her survival to prayer and specifically a set of rosary beads which were gifted to her by her father.
Immaculée’s first book, Left to Tell; Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (Hay House) was released in March of 2006 and quickly became a New York Times Best Seller. She has since published six additional books including Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide and Visit from Heaven.
Immaculée has received honorary doctoral degrees from nearly a dozen universities and colleges including the University of Notre Dame, Saint John’s University, Seton Hall University, Siena College, Walsh University, Duquesne University, and the Catholic University of America. She has also been recognized and honored with numerous humanitarian awards including The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace.
Today, Immaculée is regarded as one of world’s leading speakers on faith, hope and forgiveness. She has shared this universal message with world leaders, school children, multinational corporations, churches, and at events and conferences around the world.
DEBBIE & PETER HERBECK
Speakers
For the past forty years, Debbie has worked extensively in youth and women’s ministry, speaking, leading mission trips, and mentoring high school and college age women. She has spoken at Franciscan University Conferences, Legatus chapters, and women’s events throughout the world. She is the founder and executive director of Pine Hills Girls Camp. Debbie is also the founder and director of the Be Love Revolution, a ministry that exists to help young women encounter Christ and be His love to all they meet. Debbie is a frequent author and speaker for Blessed is She and contributing writer for Undone: Freeing your Feminine Heart from the Knots of Fear and Shame.
Peter Herbeck is the Executive Vice President and Director of Missions for Renewal Ministries. For more than thirty years, he has been actively involved in evangelization and Catholic renewal throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Peter is the co-host of the weekly television show, The Choices We Face. He hosts the daily radio show Fire on the Earth. He has also authored When the Spirit Comes in Power, When the Spirit Speaks, and numerous booklets, and is a frequent contributor to Renewal Ministries’ popular YouTube channel.
Debbie and Peter have four children and eleven grandchildren, and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sr. Joseph Andrew, OP
Speaker
Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP, is one of the four founders of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As vocations director, she lectures on topics related to religious life and theology, speaking at youth conferences, parishes, to university students, religious women, priests, and seminarians.
Fr. Josh Johnson
Speaker
After powerfully encountering Jesus in the Eucharist as a teenager, Fr. Josh Johnson dedicated his life to becoming a wholehearted disciple of Jesus Christ. Ordained for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in 2014, Fr. Josh has dedicated his priesthood to inviting all people to become saints in their walk toward eternity.
Fr. Josh travels widely as a speaker at conferences, retreats, and youth events. He is well-known for his popular Ascension podcast Ask Father Josh as well as his Q&A video show on the Ascension Presents YouTube channel, the largest Catholic channel in English. Additionally, he has written several books with Ascension, including the best-selling Pocket Guide to Reconciliation (co-written with Fr. Mike Schmitz) and On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Restoring God’s Vision of Race and Discipleship. Fr. Josh has contributed to several Ascension faith formation programs, including the Rejoice! Advent series and Connected: Catholic Social Teaching for This Generation.
Fr. Josh is the vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, as well as pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. He can often be found praying the Rosary and walking in the neighborhoods of his parish, inviting those under his pastoral care to become intentional disciples of Jesus Christ.
DR. RAY GUARENDI
AVE MARIA RADIO HOST
Dr. Ray Guarendi is a Catholic father of ten, clinical psychologist, author, professional speaker, and national radio & television host. His radio show, “The Dr. Is In” can be heard on over 440 stations and SiriusXM® channel 130. His EWTN television series, “Living Right With Dr. Ray” is aired in 142 countries. Dr. Ray has given over 3,000 talks on various topics including parenting, marriage, family and the Catholic faith. He captivates audiences with his compelling humor-laced presentations providing practical advice and proven techniques.
Teresa Tomeo & Deacon Dom Pastore
AVE MARIA RADIO HOSTS
Teresa Tomeo is a bestselling author, syndicated Catholic talk show host, and speaker with more than 30 years of experience in print and broadcast media. Her weekday radio program, Catholic Connection, a co-production of Ave Maria Radio and EWTN, the global Catholic radio network, is heard daily on over 500 stations worldwide, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Her TV show, The Catholic View for Women, is seen twice weekly on EWTN. Tomeo is a columnist and special correspondent for OSV Newsweekly. She has been featured on The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, Fox and Friends, MSNBC, and the Dr. Laura Show. Tomeo also hosts a monthly webinar, Catholic Leaders Webinar Series: Media Matters, produced by Our Sunday Visitor. As an international speaker, Tomeo addresses media awareness and activism, as well as sharing her reversion to the Catholic Church.
Ordained a deacon in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2012, Dominick Pastore ministers to couples at
retreats, pilgrimages, conferences. He serves as a deacon at St. Joan of Arc parish in suburban Detroit. Pastore has a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
He is vice president and senior electrical engineer for SmithGroupJJR in Detroit, where he’s been
employed since 1980. Pastore is a knight in the Order of Malta, and member of the board of Mary’s
Mantle, a Catholic home for pregnant and unwed mothers. He and his wife lead pilgrimages to Rome
and other parts of Italy for married couples.
Sally & Al Kresta
AVE MARIA RADIO HOSTS
Al Kresta is a broadcaster, journalist, and writer. Though raised Catholic, he left the church and became an Evangelical pastor known for his radio program “Talk from the Heart.” Mr. Kresta later returned to his Catholic faith and now serves as the president and CEO of Ave Maria Radio. His popular radio show Kresta in the Afternoon draws on his unique faith background to approach matters of faith, consequence, and the issues of the day. Kresta in the Afternoon is syndicated on EWTN Global Catholic Radio and heard on more than 350 stations across the United States. Mr. Kresta is the author of many books, including Dangers to the Faith, Moments of Grace, and Why Do Catholics Genuflect? His conversion story is also featured in the best-selling anthology, Surprised by Truth. He and his wife, Sally, have been married over 45 years and have five children on earth and two in heaven.
Fr. Joseph Krupp
Cruise emcee
A self-professed “redneck,” Fr. Joseph J. Krupp (Fr. Joe) was born and raised in Montrose, Michigan. He is the youngest of six children born to Gordon and Martha (Ebenhoeh) Krupp. Fr. Joe’s mom and dad both say he “entered the world running.”
Fr. Joe’s childhood was filled with family, friends, faith, and work. His parents’ home was one with wide open doors, where all were welcome. This, Fr. Joe says, is where his formation as a priest and pastor began.
Upon completing his undergrad in history, Fr. Joe entered Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He was ordained a priest on 13 June 1998. Since then, he has been privileged to serve in Lansing, Ottisville, Jackson, Adrian, East Lansing, Hudson, Manitou Beach, and now Flint.
Although Fr. Joe’s primary focus is the faith communities of Holy Family in Grand Blanc and St. Mark’s in Goodrich, he occasionally accepts invitations to serve as a presenter at conferences and retreats. He enjoys writing as well, and has been proud to be associated with Faith Magazine, serving as a monthly columnist since its launch in 2000. Fr. Joe’s first book, Smart Answers and Bad Jokes from a Priest Who Proves that God Has a Sense of Humor is available at Amazon.
Sarah Kroger
Musician
Sarah Kroger is a GMA dove award-nominated artist, songwriter, and worship leader. With her previously released albums Your Time, Hallelujah is Our Song, Bloom, Light, and London Sessions, her latest project, A New Reality, is out May 17, 2024. Realizing music was a gift she desired to give back to the Lord, Sarah began leading worship around the world, drawing people from a variety of cultures and church backgrounds under the banner of Jesus. With a passion for creating a safe and prayerful space through her music, her focus has always been an authentic portrayal of her relationship with God.