Location: Celebration Rooms 7-8

Embracing new technology for Churches can be intimidating, but it is necessary. We live in a world where more than 190 million people own a smartphone and spend more than 50% of their time on the internet via this device. Our Churches need to embrace this digital technology to form 21st Century disciples. Today’s presentation will leave you with encouragement from leaders in the church to begin embracing new media and also give you 7 new initiatives to do at your parish in 2017 to form digital disciples.

Katie Herzing, Digital Product Specialist at Our Sunday Visitor. As a member of the Digital Team at Our Sunday Visitor, Katie Herzing helps parishes embrace new technology using it as tools for stewardship and evangelization. She works with parishes throughout the Southeast United States, creating websites, mobiles apps and establishing Online Giving.

Before joining the team at Our Sunday Visitor, she worked in parish life as an Office Manager, Webmaster, Youth Minister and Confirmation Coordinator, all in the Diocese of Charlotte, NC. Katie is currently active in her parish as the leader of their young adult ministry and the parish Confirmation program.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Catholic Theology at St. Vincent in Latrobe, PA, and has spent her working years serving the Church and continues to create opportunities for people to deepen their faith.

Terry Poplava is Executive Director of Marketing and Sales at Our Sunday Visitor. He joined Our Sunday Visitor in 2007 after 25 years of business experience including engineering, sales, management, consulting, marketing and product management. He is responsible for leading all marketing and sales of Our Sunday Visitor Curriculum, Publishing and Offertory Solutions.

Terry has worked with dioceses and parishes across the United States to devise plans for parishioner engagement, evangelization and catechesis. The experience has been an inspiration and has fueled his passion for working to serve the Catholic church.

He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame, and an M.B.A. from Clemson University.

Terry is music minister, part-time organist, chairman of the finance committee and lector at St. Mary’s Church in Hartsville, SC. He is a member of a singing group called the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble. He is also past President of the Board of the Hartsville-Coker Concert Association and past President of the Board for the Community School for the Arts in Charlotte, NC. He and his wife Sharman reside in Hartsville, SC.

Location: Celebration Rooms 5-6

God has written a loving call to service on every human heart.  Along with this call come special gifts and talents that when they are identified, affirmed and honed, can transform the parish, the community and the world. How do we as parish leaders connect individuals to their role of passionately and enthusiastically offering their talents in service?  The pillar of service is an opportunity for the parish to put into concrete practice the other three pillars of hospitality, prayer and formation.  In this session, we will discuss some of the “building blocks” a parish might consider in their construction of service as one of the pillars of stewardship.

 
Jim Kelley, CFRE, has been a professional stewardship and development director for over 30 years. He is the Director of Development for the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina and he is also Executive Director of the Diocese’s Foundation. Jim has been certified by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1993 and serves as presenter for two national training programs. In 1997 he was recognized as the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Charlotte Chapter of AFP. Jim has served on the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) board from 1994 to 2000 and was elected president of the board from 2000 to 2011; and has served on numerous ICSC committees. He has authored, co-authored and edited several Catholic stewardship manual publications. In 2000, Jim received the Bishop Connare Award for Excellence from ICSC. Mr. Kelley has significant board experience having chaired 71 nonprofit boards over the last 30 years. Jim holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Location: Celebration Rooms 1-2

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In this workshop we will look closely at various cultural, social, and religious dynamics that shape the lives of Hispanic Catholics in our day. Participants will then engage in conversation about how these realities need to be taken into consideration as we envision formation efforts that are effective and inspiring to foster a spirituality of Stewardship among Hispanic Catholics. Practical recommendations will be shared.

Dr. Hosffman Ospino is a professor of pastoral theology and religious education at Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry, where he is also the Director of Graduate Programs in Hispanic Ministry. He has written several books on evangelization, catechesis, and Hispanic ministry. His most recent work is Hispanic Ministry in the 21st Century: Urgent Matters (Convivium, 2016). He served as the principal investigator for the National Study of Catholic Parishes with Hispanic Ministry (2014) and the National Survey of Catholic Schools Serving Hispanic Families (2016).

Location: Celebration Rooms 5-6

Through his use of stories and humor, Tom helps encourage and inspire Catholics to feel much more comfortable in sharing their gift of faith with others, as well as offering their gifts of time, talents and treasures with the Church!

Tom Peterson, President and Founder: Catholics Come Home.org and VirtueMedia.org. 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 VirtueMedia (pro-life) and CatholicsComeHome.org.

In the first six years, Catholics Come Home® has aired Catholic evangelization commercials in 39 archdioceses, dioceses, and nationally, helping lead more than a half million souls home to Jesus and the Catholic Church according to diocesan reports.

In 2011, Catholics Come Home evangomercials TM were the first to air nationally on top TV networks like CBS and NBC, reaching 125 million viewers in every city across the U S.

In January 2014, Catholics Come Home aired an evangomercial in all the major College Football bowl games, featuring legendary coach Lou Holtz, promoting the goal of heaven, and inviting viewers to come home to the Catholic faith.  CCH has aired these ads in college football playoffs for the past three years.

Recently, Tom began to host a new television series, premiering worldwide in prime time on EWTN on Sunday nights.  The show is called Catholics Come Home, and inspires Catholics to share their faith. This TV series is entering its third season.

In the past decade, Tom has presented worldwide at Catholic Conferences including the Vatican, and multiple appearances on Fox News, EWTN and other media venues.  Upon the election of Pope Francis, Tom was selected to offer live commentary on Fox News worldwide

Peterson’s second apostolate, VirtueMedia.org, creates and airs sanctity of life commercials helping as many as 22,000 abortion vulnerable women in a given month, and were the first to air their ads nationally on MTV and BET.

Tom served as Vice Chairman of the Legatus International Board of Governors and is active is his local Atlanta Chapter.  He encourages others to seek God’s plan for their lives, to help change our world for the better.  His new book entitled “Catholics, Come Home” was recently published by Random House, and has currently sold over 20,000 copies, and is available in three languages.

Location: Celebration Rooms 1-2

God has written a loving call to service on every human heart.  Along with this call come special gifts and talents that when they are identified, affirmed and honed, can transform the parish, the community and the world. How do we as parish leaders connect individuals to their role of passionately and enthusiastically offering their talents in service?  The pillar of service is an opportunity for the parish to put into concrete practice the other three pillars of hospitality, prayer and formation.  In this session, we will discuss some of the “building blocks” a parish might consider in their construction of service as one of the pillars of stewardship.

Leisa Anslinger brings extensive experience in parishes and schools to her ministry as an author, speaker and consultant. She is the Co-Director of Catholic Life and Faith, a center for leadership development to help pastoral leaders engage their people in living faith. Leisa’s newest project, is Grateful Disciples, a guide to stewardship in the parish. She is the author of books and numerous e-Resources for catechesis and stewardship, and is a regular contributor to the International Catholic Stewardship Council’s e-newsletter and Catechetical Leader, the journal of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. Leisa is a frequent presenter at national and diocesan gatherings as well as parish leadership days and parish missions. She is a founding team member of the Catholic Strengths and Engagement Community. Leisa and her husband, Steve, reside in Loveland, Ohio. They are the parents of two young adult children, Mike and Carrie and grandparents of Patrick.

Location: Celebration Rooms 1-2

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Engage your parishioners and spread evangelization at the same time through the stewardship pillars of hospitality and service. The first part of this session provides creative ways to engage your parishioners to welcome the lost and unchurched to Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Easter to Church through the pillar of hospitality. In addition, learn how one parish engaged its parishioners to perform over 5,000 acts of mercy through the pillar of service.  If you are especially interested in assisting God in finding the lost sheep, come learn about these creative and engaging ideas!

Lois Locey has extensive first-hand experience cultivating stewardship and evangelization around the world from both a parish and diocesan perspective. She is best known for her creative ideas on stewardship, balancing the “theoretical” with the “practical.” She currently serves as the pastoral associate for administration and stewardship at St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Altamonte Springs, Florida, where she is responsible for developing a holistic vision of year-round stewardship. The three parishes where Lois ministered over a period of 23 years, each received the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) award for having the most outstanding total stewardship effort and materials. She served on the teaching faculty at the ICSC’s inaugural stewardship institute in Australia, where she worked with over 17 dioceses and their parishes to establish stewardship as a way of life in the land down under. Lois co-authored the ICSC’s Children’s Stewardship Manual and served as general editor/researcher for the ICSC’s book on best practices in Catholic stewardship throughout the world, Keeping Stewardship Alive:  Proven Stewardship Ideas. Lois participated on the curriculum committee for the Catholic Leadership Institute’s (CLI) “Tending the Talents” program and on a special task force to design CLI’s “Disciple-Maker Index.” Specializing in pastoral leadership, Church growth and engagement, Lois holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Catholic University of America.

Location: Celebration Rooms 7-8

The Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Award Recipient Priests

Fr.  Charles Mitchell’s

Fr Charlie Mitchell a native of West Virginia and current pastor of St Mary Magdalen Parish in Altamonte Springs FL. Fr Charlie has been the pastor at St Mary Magdalen for the last 21 years. He is a graduate of West Virginia University and St Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore MD. His parish has an 8.6 million dollar budget and hosts over 200 programs and ministries. In 2014, the International Catholic Stewardship Council awarded St. Mary Magdalen the Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Parish Stewardship Award.

Fr. Jan Kevin Schmidt’s

Father Jan Kevin Schmidt is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and currently serves, as of July 1, 2016 in the Chancery role of Executive Director of the Department for Pastoral Life and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

Prior to entering the seminary Fr. Schmidt worked as an executive in the theme park industry in Cincinnati, Ohio, Richmond, Virginia, Toronto, Canada and Sydney, Australia and consulted on projects in France, South Korea, China and the Middle East.

Ordained by Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk in 1990, Fr. Schmidt is a graduate of Archbishop McNicholas High School in Cincinnati and holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West.

Fr. Schmidt has served as Chaplain and faculty member at Archbishop McNicholas High School from 1990 until his appointment as Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati in 1995.  While assigned to McNicholas Fr. Schmidt was in residence and served as a resident associate at St. Andrew’s Parish in Milford (1990-91) and Our Lord Christ the King Parish (1991-1995). Fr. Schmidt has served several terms on the School Board of McNicholas High School and has just completed his 24^th year as a coach in the school’s soccer program. In addition, he was appointed the first President of Archbishop McNicholas High School in December of 2007 and continues to serve as a Chaplain to the school.

In 2008 as Fr. Schmidt completed his pastorate at Immaculate Heart of Mary the parish received the Archbishop Thomas Murphy Award for the exemplary practice of stewardship in the United States from the International Catholic Stewardship Conference (ICSC) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

In July of 2008 Fr. Schmidt became the Pastor of St. Margaret of York Parish in Loveland, Ohio, completing that assignment in June of 2016. He has also been responsible for shepherding the Archdiocesan One Faith, One Hope, One Love Capital Campaign [Goal of $130M – present total $165M] to a successful completion through the solicitation period in his role as Chair of the Pastor’s Advisory Committee to the Archbishop on all matters concerning the campaign.

Fr. Schmidt is currently a member of the faculty at the Athenaeum of Ohio – Mt. St. Mary’s Seminary of the West and sits on several boards and advisory committees of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.  He has presented workshops at the national conventions of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) and the National Association of Church Personnel Administrators (NACPA), the International Catholic Stewardship Conference (ICSC), LA Congress, Fashion Me a People and has been the Chair for the Convocation of Priests on issues of Parish Administration for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 2003.  He frequently presents in-services to pastoral leaders on stewardship, pastoral planning and catechesis.

The Department of Pastoral Life and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati includes the Offices for: African-American Pastoral Ministries, College and University Campus Ministry, Divine Worship and the Sacraments, Evangelization and Discipleship, Health and Hospital Ministries, Hispanic Pastoral Ministry, Marriage and Family Life, Mission and Pontifical Mission Societies, New Evangelization, Pastoral Ministry to the Incarcerated, Pastoral Vitality and Mission, Respect Life Ministries, Young Adult Evangelization and Discipleship and Youth Evangelization and Discipleship.

Fr.  Patrick Sheedy’s

Fr. Pat Sheedy was ordained a priest in 1965 in County Clare, Ireland.  He has served in the Diocese of Orlando for 46 years, and as Pastor of Blessed Trinity parish in Ocala, Florida, since 1988.  Blessed Trinity has been a total stewardship parish since 1992.  Under Fr. Pat’s leadership and direction the parish has grown spiritually, has experienced an increase in parishioner involvement, maintained perpetual adoration, and has become involved in numerous outreach projects locally, nationally, and internationally.

Blessed Trinity parish has been the recipient of the Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy award for outstanding Christian stewardship and has also been recognized for excellence for its parish stewardship video.  Fr. Pat and members of the parish stewardship committee have presented sessions at the ICSC annual conferences in San Francisco and Boston, and have been invited to speak at Diocesan stewardship days in Florida, New York, Texas, California, and Illinois.

In addition, Fr. Pat and members of the Blessed Trinity stewardship committee have developed materials and short presentations for numerous parishes throughout the United States to assist them “Parish to Parish” in the introduction of stewardship as a way of life and also with the follow-up “How To” keep stewardship alive and well in the parish.

Rev. Jeffery A. McGowan’s Biography

I was born and raised in Laurel Springs, New Jersey.  It is a small town and I couldn’t get away with much growing up, because all our parents were friends and the community was strong. (I remember when Sister scolded me in the 5th grade she asked ask what my grandfather would think).  I attended Catholic schools from first grade through college. I was ordained in 1989 and I have pastored at Queen of Peace in Gainesville, Florida for 27 years. In those years we built our permanent church, opened and built our Catholic elementary school, established 85 active ministries and all the while tithed 10% of our income to outside charities (over and above the Cathedrum). And by far what I’ve learned is that the faithful practice we call “Stewardship” is God’s best plan for living positive lives.  Stewardship places gratitude to God first and I’ve never met an unhappy grateful person. It invites fuller participation in the Mission of the Church as God’s gift of life in action. It gives all Catholic parishioners a faith-filled way of impacting our world with the Good News.