2019 International Speakers

Transcription

1 Gloria Polo Photo: Giovanni Portelli FEBRUARY On May 5th, 1995 something extraordinary happened to Dr. Gloria Polo Ortiz, a dentist from Bogota Columbia. She was taking shelter from a storm with her nephew, when both of them were struck by lightning. What happened to her afterwards was a miracle which led to her conversion and a life of abandonment to the will of God. She now tells her story in many different countries around the world, and has the approval of her diocese in Bogota, Columbia, and her spiritual director. Her testimony is an inspiration for all of us, and will increase our faith in Christ Jesus and His Holy Catholic Church. Chris Stefanick First week of MARCH Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has called Chris Stefanick one of the most engaging young defenders of the Christian faith on the scene today. Chris speaks to over 50,000 teens, young adults, and parents every year. Chris has spoken at hundreds of high school chastity assemblies and parish events, colleges and both national and international events including the Steubenville Youth Conferences, National Catholic Youth Convention, FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) National Conference, the Knock, Ireland Youth Festival, and to 15,000 people at Manila s Real Love Revolution. Chris was also invited to keynote at World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain. Chris has become a regular in Catholic media, appearing frequently on Relevant Radio, and with videos featured on EWTN and Salt & Light Catholic TV). Chris has authored or co-authored, Do I Have to Go? (about the Mass), Raising Pure Teens, and Absolute Relativism. His written word also reaches tens of thousands monthly through his popular, nationally syndicated column. He is currently founder and President of Real Life Catholic a nonprofit organization dedicated to reengaging a generation. Above all, Chris is proud to be a husband and father to six beautiful children

2 Jeff Cavins AUSTRALIA: 26 APRIL - 7 MAY PHILIPPINES: 8-10 MAY Jeff Cavins is a nationally known public speaker whose engaging style of teaching has helped hundreds of thousands of Catholics grasp a better understanding of the Catholic faith and the scriptures. Jeff has hosted the live TV program, My Life on the Rock on EWTN and daily radio program, Morning Air on Relevant Radio. He has written several books published through Ascension Press and Franciscan Media. Jeff has led pilgrimages to Bible lands for over thirty years. Jeff presents the popular beginners Bible Study "Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible" as well as many other studies by Ascension Press. Matt Fradd First Week of MAY Matt Fradd is a Catholic apologist and speaker, as well as the executive director of The Porn Effect, a website dedicated to helping men and women break free from pornography. He is the author/editor of several books including, 20 Answers Atheism and Delivered: True Stories of Men and Women who Turned From Porn to Purity. Matt speaks to tens of thousands of people every year. He lives in Georgia with his wife Cameron and their children.

3 Dr Edward Sri 4-9 JULY Dr. Edward Sri is a theologian, author and well-known Catholic speaker who appears regularly on EWTN. Each year he speaks to clergy, parish leaders, catechists and laity from around the world. He has written several best-selling books, including A Biblical Walk through the Mass, Walking with Mary and his newest release, Who Am I to Judge? Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love. Edward Sri is also the host of the acclaimed film series Symbolon: The Catholic Faith Explained (Augustine Institute) and the presenter of several faith formation film series, including A Biblical Walk through the Mass (Ascension Press), Mary: A Biblical Walk with the Blessed Mother (Ascension Press); Follow Me: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John (Ascension Press). He is a founding leader with Curtis Martin of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and serves as a professor of theology and Vice-President of Mission and Outreach at the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado. Dr. Sri leads pilgrimages to Rome and the Holy Land for lay people each year. He holds a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He resides with his wife Elizabeth and their eight children in Littleton, Colorado. Steve Ray TBC (JULY) Prior to 1994 neither Steve or his wife Janet had ever set foot in a Catholic Church. After studying many books to convince their best friend and recent convert, Al Kresta, that the early church was evangelical, Steve and Janet backed their way right into the Catholic Church. On Pentecost Sunday, 1994 they entered the church at Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor Michigan. Steve began writing a letter to his father explaining why they became Catholic...this letter soon became the book Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historic Church, published by Ignatius Press. Since then Steve s passion for the depth of truth found within the Catholic tradition has led him to walk away from his business and pursue what he really loves writing, speaking, producing Catholic films and leading pilgrimages to Biblical Lands. Steve and Janet have been to the Holy Land over 100 times exploring, filming, and leading thousands of pilgrims. Steve is a regular guest on Catholic radio & TV including Catholic Answers, Ave Maria Radio, Relevant Radio & EWTN. He writes Bible Studies for Catholic Scripture Study International

4 Ruben Quezada First Half of AUGUST Ruben Quezada is a best-selling Catholic author, international speaker. A 4th Degree Knight of Columbus, Ruben Quezada is a much sought-after bilingual speaker on various topics of the faith. He has traveled internationally addressing youth, teens and adults. He is a polished presenter and a certified Facilitator through the Archdiocese of Los Angeles giving lectures on Protecting God s Children. Mr. Quezada is endorsed by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well as clergy and Catholic groups for his witty and direct approach to evangelization. He s spoken in front of thousands of Catholics on various topics of the faith while encouraging them to learn, love and defend their Catholic heritage. He s been a host of local bible studies, Catholic Family Conferences, Biblical Conferences, live radio shows and parish missions. Ruben Quezada is the author of the popular book For Greater Glory: the True Story of Cristiada, the official companion to the 2012 film of the same name. Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers Last Week of AUGUST / First Week of SEPTEMBER Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Church today. He is a powerful and passionate evangelist and preacher whose no-nonsense approach to living and proclaiming the Catholic faith is sure to challenge and inspire those who hear him. Deacon Harold travels across the United States and around the world speaking at conferences, workshops, retreats, parish missions, high schools, and young adult events in short, to people of all ages and from all walks of life who desire to know Jesus intimately and enjoy a deeper personal relationship with Him. His areas of expertise include marriage and family life, discerning the will of God, the sacraments, the Church s vocational choices and how they are lived out, male spirituality, pro-life issues, evangelisation, prayer, and many others.

5 CATHOLIC ANSWERS "ON TOUR" OCTOBER Catholic Answers has been the most trusted name in seminars and parish talks for over 25 years. Our team of skilled Catholic apologists and evangelists travels the country and the world to teach fellow Catholics how to share and defend the Faith, to live out the full Christian message of chastity, marriage, and the family, and to grow in love for God and his Church. Bringing Catholic Answers speakers to your parish, school, or ministry, will set your people on fire for the Faith! The following apologists from Catholic Answers will be on tour in Australia: Karlo Broussard - Catholic Answers Tim Staples - Catholic Answers 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, biblical studies, theology, and philosophy. Karlo has published articles on a variety of subjects in Catholic Answers Magazine, is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live, and is an active blogger at catholic.com. Karlo holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology from Catholic Distance University and the Augustine Institute, and is currently working on his masters in philosophy with Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He also worked for several years with nationally known author and theologian 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. Tim Staples was a fallen-away Southern Baptist who as a teen came back to faith in Christ through the witness of televangelists. During his four-year tour with the U.S. Marine Corps, he became friends with a Marine well-versed in his Catholic Faith who challenged Tim to study Catholicism from Catholic and historical sources. That sparked a twoyear search for the truth. Immediately after his tour of duty, Tim attended Jimmy Swaggart Bible College and became a youth minister in an Assembly of God community. He was determined to prove Catholicism wrong, but he studied his way to the last place he thought he would ever end up: the Catholic Church. He converted in 1988 and spent six years in formation for the priesthood, earning a degree in philosophy and studying theology at the graduate level. Realizing that his calling was not to be a priest, Tim left the seminary in 1994 and has been working in Catholic apologetics and evangelisation ever since.

6 CATHOLIC ANSWERS "ON TOUR" OCTOBER Trent Horn - Catholic Answers After his conversion to the Catholic Faith, Trent Horn earned a master s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a master s degree in philosophy from Holy Apostles College, and is pursuing a master s degree in bioethics from the University of Mary. As a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, he specializes in teaching Catholics to graciously and persuasively engage those who disagree with them. Trent models that approach each week on the radio program Catholic Answers Live, where he dialogues with atheists, pro-choice advocates, and other non-catholic callers. Trent is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Holy Apostles College and the author of five books, including Answering Atheism, The Case for Catholicism, and Why We re Catholic: Our Reasons for Faith, Hope, and Love. Christopher Check - Catholic Answers Christopher Check is president of Catholic Answers, the largest lay-run apologetics and evangelization organization in the English-speaking world. He holds a degree in English Literature from Rice University. Christopher served for two decades as vice president of The Rockford Institute and before that for seven years as a field artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps in deployments and expeditions in the Far East and the Persian Gulf. His writings have appeared in Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, Catholic Answers Magazine, Touchstone, The Wanderer, Angelus, New Oxford Review, Culture Wars, and the Chicago Tribune

7 CATHOLIC ANSWERS "ON TOUR" OCTOBER Cy Kellett - Catholic Answers Cy Kellett is the host of Catholic Answers Live. He formerly hosted The Bright Side with Cy Kellett on the Immaculate Heart Radio network. For more than a decade Kellett was editor of San Diego s diocesan newspaper, The Southern Cross. Before that, he taught high school in and then spent several years working with the homeless mentally ill in Massachusetts while living in a Catholic Worker house. Kellett and his wife, Missy, have three children. Jimmy Akin - Catholic Answers Jimmy Akin was born in Texas and grew up nominally Protestant. But at age 20 he experienced a profound conversion to Christ. He planned on becoming a Protestant pastor or seminary professor, and started an intensive study of the Bible. The thing was, the more he immersed himself in Scripture, the more he found it to support the Catholic faith. Eventually, Jimmy had to become Catholic, which he did in His conversion story, A Triumph and a Tragedy, is published in the book Surprised By Truth. These days, Jimmy is a Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a member on the Catholic Answers Speakers Bureau, a weekly guest on the global radio program Catholic Answers Live, a contributor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and the author of more publications than you can shake a stick at. My books include The Fathers Know Best, Mass Revision, and The Salvation Controversy.

8 Fr Michel Remery TBC (NOVEMBER) The author of the book Tweeting with GOD, Rev Dr Michel Remery M.Sc. (1973), is a priest of the diocese of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He studied architecture at Delft University of Technology, and worked for the Royal Netherlands Air Force and later as an expat in the Baltic States for the consulting and engineering firm Tebodin. Father Michel studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained a priest in For several years, he was a member of an advisory committee on new media and young people at the Vatican office for Internet affairs. In 2008, he completed a doctoral dissertation on the relationship between liturgy and architecture. He published various books and articles on this theme and is a research fellow of the School for Catholic Theology of Tilburg University. From 2006 to 2012, Father Michel served as an assistant priest at several parishes in Leiden, the Netherlands, where he worked mainly with young people and university students. This is where Tweeting with GOD came into existence. Together with the young people he made pilgrimages to e.g. Rome, the Holy Land, Krakow, Istanbul, Surinam, and to many World Youth Days. Subsequently, Father Michel served as the Vice Secretary General of the Council of European Bishops Conferences (CCEE) in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Among other tasks, he was the secretary of the Commission for Social Communications and the Commission for Catechesis, Schools and Universities. In 2018, Father Michel continued his priestly mission in Luxembourg, where he is the national youth chaplain, and committed to youth ministry on an international level. His tasks involve supporting youth leaders, promoting an exchange of experiences and new ideas, and engaging in a dialogue with young people all over the world, especially through social media. Together with an enthusiastic team of young people he continues to develop and expand international initiatives related to youth. Australian Catholic Youth Festival: Perth DECEMBER