All posts by Michael DiCosola

RAMONA TREVIÑO

Spanish Track

11:00 AM – 3:15 PM: Español: GICC EXHIBIT HALLS A & B

A los ocho años de edad, Ramona Treviño se subió a un techo y le rogó a Dios que le dejara saber que Él era real. Después de recibir una señal, ella hizo un pacto con sí misma de seguirlo para siempre, pero los inconvenientes y sufrimientos familiares le dificultaron ese camino.

Debido a que quedó embarazada a los 16 años, tuvo que abandonar la escuela secundaria y fue víctima de un matrimonio abusivo que terminó en divorcio. Queriendo hacer una diferencia para ayudar a niñas en situaciones difíciles similares, aceptó un trabajo como gerente de un centro de Planned Parenthood en Sherman, Texas. Sin embargo, con el tiempo Ramona comenzó a preguntarse si estaba haciéndole más daño que bien a las mujeres que asistían al centro, lo cual la encaminó hacia la búsqueda de la verdad sin importar a dónde este camino pudiera conducirle.

Reconociendo que ya no podría referir a mujeres para obtener abortos u ofrecerles falsas garantías de sexo sin riesgo, Ramona dio un salto de fe y abandonó la seguridad financiera de su trabajo. Su conversión culminó con el retorno completo a la fe Católica de su infancia y un nuevo papel como oradora y defensora pro-vida.

JENNIFER FULWILER

English Track

11:00 AM – 3:15 PM: English Track: GICC EXHIBIT HALLS C & D

Jennifer Fulwiler is a writer, a speaker, and the host of The Jennifer Fulwiler Show on SiriusXM channel 129. Her bestselling memoir, Something Other than God, was a finalist in the “Best Memoir and Biography” category in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and her ebook collection of humor essays, Like Living Among Scorpions was a #1 bestseller in its genre on Amazon. She’s been a guest on variety of national television shows, and was the subject of the reality showMinor Revisions. She lives with her husband and six young children in Austin, Texas. You can connect with her at JenniferFulwiler.com.

Sister Helena Burns, FSP – Friday Luncheon Keynote

Uncategorized

Friday 12:00 – 1:30 PM

Sr. Helena Burns, fsp, is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation founded to communicate God’s Word through the media. She is finishing her M.A. in Media Literacy Education; has a B.A. in theology and philosophy from St. John’s University, NYC; studied screenwriting at UCLA and Act One, Hollywood; and holds a Certificate in Pastoral Youth Ministry.

Sr. Helena also studied at the Theology of the Body Institute, PA. She is a movie reviewer for Life Teen & The Catholic Channel–Sirius XM. She wrote and directed a documentary on the life of Blessed James Alberione and is a co-producer on The 40 Film. She is presently writing Theology of the Body curriculum, and her daily book for young women is “He Speaks to You”. She is also a regional vocation directress for the Daughters.

Sr. Helena gives Media Literacy and Theology of the Body workshops to youth and adults all over the U.S. and Canada, and believes that media can be a primary tool for sharing God’s love and salvation. (She is a dual–not duel–citizen: AmeriCanadian.)

BISHOP DAVID P. TALLEY – Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta

ATLEC Speakers 2016

6:30 PM – 7:45 PM: OPENING MASS

David Prescott Talley was born in Columbus, Georgia, where he graduated from Hardaway High School. He attended Auburn University earning a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, went on to Sacred Heart School of Theology and the University of Georgia, where he earned a Master’s degree in Social Work. He also attended St. Meinrad School of Theology earning a Master of Divinity degree. He then earned a degree in Canonical Graduate Studies at the Pontificia Universita Gregorian in Rome, Italy earning J.C.L. and J.C.D. degrees. He continued his studies in Spiritual Direction and Spirituality at Spring Hill College.

Fr. David P. Talley was ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood for the Archdiocese of Atlanta on June 3,1989 at the Cathedral of Christ the King. His first assignment was as Parochial Vicar and Administrator of St. Jude the Apostle Parish. He served as the Assistant Director of Vocations, as Director of Vocations, Tribunal Judge, Judicial Vicar, and Chancellor.

He was named Prelate of Honor of His Holiness with the title of Monsignor on May 10, 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Msgr. David P. Talley served as Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Parochial Vicar at St. Anne Parish (Columbus, GA. Diocese of Savannah), pastor of St. John Neumann Parish and St. Brigid Parish respectively.

Msgr. David P. Talley also served on the Advisory Board for the Archdiocese representing priests, Archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry Board, Hispanic Apostolate, Permanent Diaconate Program; in the Ministry to the Disabled, Director of the Nazareth House, and the Ad Hoc Priest Personnel Board.

FATHER TIM HEPBURN

ATLEC Speakers 2016

Fr. Tim Hepburn is a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, serving as vocation director for the Archdiocese. After completing his Bachelor of Architecture at Auburn he entered St. Meinrad Seminary where he received his Masters of Divinity and MA. Ordained a priest in 1993, he has served his Archdiocese as parochial vicar, pastor, assistant vocation director and chaplain at the high school and university levels. Nationally and internationally, Fr. Tim has been active in teen and young adult ministries, priestly formation, conference speaking, preaching and teaching. In 2006 he returned to academia to study the New Evangelization and received his license in sacred theology (S.T.L.) from the Angelicum through Sacred Heart seminary in Detroit.

DOUG TOOKE

Uncategorized

8:00 PM – 10:30 PM: Revive! Track: MARRIOTT GATEWAY BALLROOM

Doug Tooke is the Director of Youth Ministry events at the Diocese of Helena, the Executive Director of Reach Youth Ministry and the owner of Monarch Catholic Ministries. With Bachelor of Arts degrees in both Philosophy and Theology and a Masters in Pastoral Ministry he has over twenty years of professional ministry experience. He has traveled to over 75 Diocese in the past 15 years teaching, keynoting conventions, and training youth ministers. He has spoken at World Youth Day, NCYC, NCCYM and continues to serve as a leader in the field. He is blessed by his wife Becky and five daughters Mederise, Lilian, Joelle, Ainsley and Gwendolyn.

Bishop Christopher Coyne – Thursday Luncheon Keynote

Uncategorized

Thursday 12:30 – 1:30 PM

Most Rev. Christopher J. Coyne is the bishop of Burlington, Vermont. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston on June 7, 1986. He then attended the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, where he received a licentiate degree in Sacred Liturgy in 1992 and a doctorate in Sacred Liturgy in 1994.

In January 2011, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, where he also served as apostolic administrator from September 21, 2011 to December 3, 2012 and as vicar general from March 2011 to January 2015. On December 22, 2014, Bishop Coyne was appointed the 10th bishop of Burlington by Pope Francis. He is chairman of the USCCB Committee on Communications, a member of the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis and the Subcommittee for the Catholic Communications Campaign. Bishop Coyne is an avid user of digital media.

In 2002, he was nominated for a regional Emmy award for the 13-part television series, “Sacred Space,” which aired on CatholicTV and in 2014 he won both a judged Telly and People’s Telly Award for the internet series “Everything You Wanted to Know About Catholic Liturgy.*”

Michael O’Neill – Wednesday Kick-Off Luncheon Keynote

Uncategorized

1:30 – 3:00 PM: Exploring the Miraculous: How the Catholic Church Investigates and Reports on Miracles

Location: Grand Ballroom E

Come join “Miracle Hunter” Michael O’Neill as he explores the inner workings of the official investigative process of the Catholic Church into the supernatural. The workshop will include case studies and methodologies used by the Vatican for discerning claims of the miraculous and elucidate and unravel the complexities of the statements and other signals that are issued by the Church when recognizing a miracle as worthy of belief. O’Neill will also provide helpful tips on how to report all this back to the Catholic and secular public.

Target Audience: Communication Directors, reporters, broadcasters and aspiring miracle hunters!

Michael O’Neill is an author, speaker, and creator of the website MiracleHunter.com, the web’s top resource on Marian apparitions cited in news articles and blogs around the world and throughout renowned Mariologist Fr. René Laurentin’s comprehensive work “The Dictionary of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary” (2010 Edizioni ART).

O’Neill, a graduate of Stanford University and member of the Mariological Society of America, has been interviewed about his research numerous times for features on Catholic television programs like EWTN’s News Nightly and Bookmark and radio like the Catholic Channel on SiriusXM and secular media outlets like “Fox & Friends” and Live Science magazine. He was a consultant for the National Geographic December 2015 cover story and map about the Virgin Mary “The Most Powerful Woman in the World” and was interviewed as the Marian expert on the corresponding television piece for NatGeo Explorer.

O’Neill is the host of the weekly Relevant Radio program “The Miracle Hunter™” and on December 8th, 2010, O’Neill served as the Marian expert for Relevant Radio on the live broadcast of the Mass in Champion, WI where David L. Ricken, Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, gave his official declaration on the authenticity of the 1859 Marian apparitions to Adele Brise, the first such approval in the history of the United States. He co-hosted the television special Miracle Hunters (UpTV 2014) and is author of the books “365 Days with Mary” (Salt Media 2014) and “Exploring the Miraculous” (Our Sunday Visitor 2015).

Sr. Maureen Sullivan, OP, Ph.D.

NCCL Speakers

Thursday 12:00 – 12:30 pm | Grand Ballroom 5-8

Capstone Address

Sr. Maureen Sullivan, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Hope from New York. She received her M.A. in Theology from Manhattan College in the Bronx and her Ph.D. from Fordham University, also in the Bronx. She is Professor Emerita of Theology at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. Prior to her ministry at St. Anselm College, she served two years as Academic Dean for Freshmen at Fordham College, followed by two years as the Associate Dean of the College.

Sr. Maureen is a religion consultant for the William H. Sadlier Publishing Company , a position that enables her to speak to Catholic school teachers, catechists, and diocesan leaders on contemporary theological issues.

She has written two books on the Second Vatican Council, both published by Paulist Press: “101 Questions and Answers on Vatican II”, 2002 and “The Road to Vatican II: Key Changes in Theology”, 2007.