August 2020 | Topic: Swimming Upstream: Living a Catholic Life in a Non-Christian World

February 19, 2020 | Speaker Archbishop Hebda discusses the Synod Process.

Debra Herbeck speaks at conferences and retreats about spiritual growth, discipleship, and her own journey from Judaism to the Catholic Church. For the past thirty years, she has worked extensively in youth and women’s ministry. Debbie is the co-founder and leader of Be Love Revolution, a movement dedicated to helping young women encounter and be God’s love in the world. Debbie is the director of Pine Hills Girls Camp. She also helps lead i.d. 9:16, an outreach of Renewal Ministries that equips young adult Catholics to live as intentional disciples.

She has written Safely Through the Storm: 120 Reflections on Hope, Firmly on the Rock: 120 Reflections on Faith, and Love Never Fails: 120 Reflections on Love. She and her husband Peter co-authored When the Spirit Speaks: Touched by God’s Word.

Fr. Philip Merdinger is the founder of the Brotherhood of Hope, a religious community of lay brothers. Since retiring as a spiritual director in the Boston Archdiocese in 2013, he has moved to Minneapolis where he serves as the National Chaplain for Saint Paul’s Outreach as well as assisting with spiritual direction at The Saint Paul Seminary.

Following 25 years as an award-winning corporate advertising executive, Tom Peterson’s life would radically change forever, after receiving a transforming Spiritual conversion while on a Catholic men’s retreat. Soon afterward, he founded two media apostolates: VirtueMedia (pro-life) and Catholics Come Home.

The story of how something really great went horribly wrong and the price one man had to pay. Beam hopes that sharing his perspective, as a key player in one of the biggest corporate frauds in recent history, can help future business leaders avoid making the same mistake that he and the four CFOs who succeeded him made.

The founding team teaching leader for Catholic Way Bible Study, currently distributed in 40 states & internationally. She received her BA in Anthropology & Spanish from the university of Michigan her JD from the University of Kentucky College of Law and Master Degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute in Denver.

On March 24, 2016, Pope Francis named Bernard Hebda the Archbishop-Designate of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Hebda’s Installation Mass took place on Friday, May 13, 2016 at the Cathedral of St Paul.

Sister John Mary Fleming, a member of the Dominicans’ St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, has seen all angles of Catholic education, as high school principal, director of education for her religious congregation and a college interim vice president of operations before starting her position six years ago as executive director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Currently, Sr. John Mary is the Director of Education for the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. Sr. John Mary holds a licentiate in canon law from The Catholic University of America, a masters degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a master of education degree in educational leadership and supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi and a bachelor degree in education from Belmont University, Nashville.

Ismael Hernandez is the Founder and President of the Freedom & Virtue Institute. With a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and professional experience as executive director of the African Caribbean American Catholic Center, Ismael leads FVI based on the principles of effective compassion and personal responsibility. Ismael frequently lectures with the Acton Institute’s Acton University in Grand Rapids, Michigan and has lectured for American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, the Foundation for Government Accountability and the Foundation for Economic Education. He is also a columnist for World Magazine. Ismael is the author of the book Not Tragically Colored, as well as many articles for various publications.