Location: Finnegan Fieldhouse

“Persevering in the Spirit: Virtues, Gifts, and Fruits” –Fr. David Meconi, SJ

“Playing with Fire: Five Saintly Strategies to Open Minds and Win Souls”
–Mark Hart

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Father David Meconi, SJ, first encountered the Society of Jesus at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He joined the novitiate in 1992 and then taught Greek and Latin at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago (1994-96). From there, Fr. Meconi taught Classics and Philosophy at Xavier University (1996-2000), before being sent to the University of Innsbruck for his pontifical license in Patrology (2000-03), where he was also ordained a deacon. After priestly ordination in 2003, he was sent to Oxford University where he wrote a dissertation on St. Augustine’s theology of divinization under Fr. Thomas Weinandy, O.F.M.-Cap. and the Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology and Canon of Christ Church at that time, the Reverend Oliver O’Donovan. In 2007, Fr. Meconi came to Saint Louis University where he has been teaching and writing on issues of the early Church and Catholicism in general ever since. He is also the Director of SLU’s Catholic Studies Centre as well as the editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review.

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Mark Hart serves full time as executive vice president of Life Teen, a Catholic youth ministry movement currently being implemented in 1,800 parishes in 30 countries worldwide. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Mark is a best-selling author of over a dozen books, popular speaker and SiriusXM radio host. His wildly popular DVD study series, Altaration, Encounter, and T3 are currently utilized in homes, youth groups, and classrooms across the globe. Mark and his wife, Melanie, have three daughters, Hope, Trinity and Faith, and one son, Josiah. They live in Phoenix, Arizona.

Location: Finnegan Fieldhouse

Open to ABS and DFC participants—doors open at 1:45 pm.

“Imaginative Apologetics: What It Is and Why We Need It” –Holly Ordway

“Dialogue on the Doorstep: How to Share Your Faith” –Al Kresta

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Dr. Holly Ordway is a professor of English and serves on the faculty in the MA in apologetics at Houston Baptist University. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is the author of Apologetics and the Christian Imagination: An Integrated Approach to Defending the Faith (Emmaus Road, 2017) and Not God’s Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms (Ignatius, 2014). Dr. Ordway is also a published poet and a subject editor for the Journal of Inklings Studies. Her academic work focuses on imaginative and literary apologetics and on the writings of the Inklings, especially C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Her current book project is Tolkien’s Modern Sources: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages (Kent State University Press, 2019).

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Al Kresta is a broadcaster, journalist, president and CEO of Ave Maria Communication, and host of the nationally syndicated Catholic talk show Kresta in the Afternoon, heard on over 400 stations and Sirius Satellite Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m. Eastern Time. Al’s life and spiritual journey took on a new dimension in February 2003 when he lost his left leg to a virulent infection often referred to as the “flesh-eating bacteria.” His extended recovery and eventual return to broadcasting have given him new insights into the realities of suffering and hope. Al is the author of the best-selling book Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism’s 21st Century Opponents as well as Why Do Catholics Genuflect?, Why Are Catholics So Concerned about Sin?, and co-author with Nick Thomm of Moments of Grace: Inspiring Stories From Well-Known Catholics.

Location: Finnegan Fieldhouse

“Jesus as Prophet: The Significance of Peter as ‘Bar Jonah’ in Relation to Jesus’ Prophetic Mission” –Tim Gray

“Peace in the Midst of Conflict in Our Homes and in Our World” –Kimberly Hahn

Celebration of Holy Mass  –Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

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Dr. Timothy C. Gray holds advanced degrees in theology from Duke Divinity School and Franciscan University of Steubenville and a doctorate in biblical studies from The Catholic University of America. The president of the Augustine Institute, which he helped found in 2005, Dr. Gray teaches in its master’s in theology program and has helped develop many groundbreaking educational programs, including Symbolon, Reborn, Beloved, Forgiven, Presence, the Lectio Bible study series, and Augustine Institute Radio Theatre. He also helped launch the FORMED.org digital platform. His books include The Temple in the Gospel of Mark: A Study in its Narrative Role, Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina, and most recently, Peter: Keys to Following Jesus. Tim and his wife, Kris, live in Denver, Colorado.

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Kimberly Hahn married Scott in 1979 and became a Catholic during the Easter Vigil of 1990. She wrote a book with Scott on their journey to the Catholic Church titled Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism. Kimberly’s other books include Life-Giving Love: Embracing God’s Beautiful Design for Marriage, and the four-book and DVD series on Proverbs 31 that includes Chosen and Cherished, Graced and Gifted, Beloved and Blessed, and Legacy of Love. She holds an MA in theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Kimberly and Scott have 6 children and 15 grandchildren. Learn more about Kimberly at scotthahn.com.

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Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

Jason Evert has spoken about the virtue of chastity to more than one million students on six continents. He is the author of more than 10 books, including How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul and the curriculum YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body. Jason has a master’s degree in theology and an undergraduate degree in theology and counseling, with a minor in philosophy, from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He lives with his wife, Crystalina, and their children in Arizona.

Chris Stefanick, a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, is an internationally acclaimed author and speaker who has devoted his life to inspiring people to live a bold, contagious faith. Chris’ live talks reach over 85,000 people per year. His videos and radio spots reach over one million people every month. His initiatives are turning the tide in the Church. Chris founded Real Life Catholic, a Denver-based nonprofit that operates as the headquarters for various initiatives. Chris is most proud to be the husband to wife, Natalie, and father to their six children.

JCWC: Gentile Gallery

Mary Bielski, founder of ALL4HIM Ministries, has spoken to over 200,000 teens around the nation at high school and young adult retreats and conferences, including Steubenville Youth Conferences, Life Teen-Inspiration, LA Congress, and parish and diocesan rallies. Mary talks on a variety of topics including conversion, prayer, the Holy Spirit, sacraments, chastity, and the theology of the body. Using funny stories and engaging analogies, Mary draws her audience to the beauty of our Catholic faith, a deeper love for Christ, the Eucharist, and the call to holiness.

Fieldhouse: Performance Room

Dr. Lawrence Feingold is associate professor of theology and philosophy at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis. He converted to Catholicism in 1989 together with his wife, Marsha, while engaged in realist marble sculpture in Pietrasanta, Italy. In 1999 he earned a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. He is the author of Faith Comes from What Is Heard: An Introduction to Fundamental Theology (2016), The Natural Desire to See God According to St. Thomas Aquinas and His Interpreters (2010), and a three-volume series titled The Mystery of Israel and the Church. His forthcoming book with Emmaus Academic is The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion.

Fieldhouse: Aerobics Room, 2nd floor

Dr. John Bergsma is a professor of theology at Franciscan University and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before entering the Catholic Church in 2001. Dr. Bergsma holds a PhD in theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He speaks regularly on Catholic radio and at conferences and parishes nationwide. He and his wife, Dawn, reside with their eight children in Steubenville. The author of several books, his latest is Stunned by Scripture: How the Bible Made Me Catholic from Our Sunday Visitor.

Finnegan Fieldhouse

Curtis Mitch is a research writer for Ignatius Press and is currently generating annotations for the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible. He is also a trustee for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and has co-authored a commentary on The Gospel of Matthew (Baker Academic) as well as several book chapters in the Catholic for a Reason apologetics series (Emmaus Road). He earned a BA in religious studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MA in theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Curtis resides with his wife, Stacy, and their nine children in Toronto, Ohio.

Tent

Dr. Steven Smith is an associate professor of sacred Scripture at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary (Emmitsburg, Maryland). Dr. Smith earned his PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity from Loyola University (Chicago). He has authored numerous essays as well as The Word of the Lord: 7 Essential Principles for Catholic Scripture Study and The House of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of the Temple in the Old and New Testament. A sought-after national speaker, Dr. Smith’s CD titled The Resurrection of Jesus: Fact or Fiction? has reached over 12,000 homes nationwide. His talks on other biblical topics are available on CD through his website, TheGodWhoSpeaks.com, and through CatholicProductions.com. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two daughters, Isabelle Marie and Olivia Marie, and reside in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania.