Marriott Gateway – Salons C-E

Born December 7, 1947, in Chicago, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory attended St. Carthage Grammar School, where he converted to Catholicism. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Niles College (now St. Joseph’s College Seminary) of Loyola University and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 9, 1973. Three years after his ordination he began graduate studies at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute (Sant’ Anselmo) in Rome. There he earned his doctorate in sacred liturgy in 1980.

After having served as an associate pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Glenview, IL as a member of the faculty of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein and as a master of ceremonies to Cardinals John Cody and Joseph Bernardin, he was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Chicago on Dec. 13, 1983. On February 10, 1994, he was installed as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois, where he served for the next 11 years. On Dec. 9, 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Gregory as the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He was installed on Jan. 17, 2005.

Archbishop Gregory has led and participated in numerous local, national and international ecumenical and interreligious efforts to encourage collective work to improve the world with a shared positive vision and cooperative goals.

Archbishop Gregory has served in many leading roles in the U.S. church and has written extensively on church issues, including pastoral statements on the death penalty and euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. In November 2001, he was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) following three years as vice president. During his tenure in office, the crisis of sex abuse by Catholic clergy escalated; and under his leadership, the bishops implemented the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

He currently is chairman of two USCCB committees: the Committee on Divine Worship and the Special Task Force on Peace and Unity in Our Communities. The purpose of the task force is to promote peace and healing during this time of great strain on civil society.

Marriott Gateway – Salons C-E

Greg Ferrara and Geneva Tigue are worship leaders, speakers, and songwriters in the Church. They both have been raised in faithful Catholic homes and find solace in the charismatic renewal. Blending an organic acoustic vibe with rich vocal harmony, their sound gives space and nuance for congregations to sing God’s praise and enter into a place of prayer and inner transformation. Their debut record “Grace Fall Down” released this Spring and is a bilingual (English and Spanish) collection of songs the Church loves to pray with. The duo is essential in leading congregations to sung prayer within the liturgy and beyond. Following in the footsteps of All Sons and Daughters, Hillsong, and Caedmon’s Call, Geneva and Greg welcome and encourage the faithful to freely sing out and pray with melody and verse.

Marriott Gateway – Salons C-E

Dom Quaglia is a Catholic speaker and author serving at parish missions, retreats and youth conferences throughout the U.S. He also serves as the Director of XLT Atlanta, a monthly worship event. His speaking and writing has helped people of all ages lean further into the Gospel and apply it to their lives. And his book Man Enough: Lessons from St. Joseph on Becoming a Godly Man can be found on his website, domquaglia.com. When he is not on the road, he’s either working at a local parish or laying by the pool in Atlanta with his wife Sarah and their two iPhones.

Exhibit Halls C, D

Celebrated by The Most Reverend Luis R. Zarama
Concelebrated by The Reverend Neil Dhabliwala

Bishop Zarama, a native of Colombia, was ordained a priest for the Atlanta Archdiocese in 1993. The bishop, who is bilingual, holds degrees in philosophy, theology and canon law. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him auxiliary bishop of the Atlanta Archdiocese. His episcopal motto is “God is love.”

Father Neil worked several years as a consultant in the information technology industry before hearing God’s call. He attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Maryland, graduating with a master of divinity and master of arts in moral theology. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 2008.

Exhibit Halls C, D

Archbishop Wilton Gregory has served as Archbishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta since 2005.

Archbishop Gregory holds a doctorate degree in Sacred Liturgy and has published numerous articles on the subject.     He also has been awarded nine honorary doctoral degrees.   He has led and participated in numerous local, national and international ecumenical and interreligious efforts to encourage collective work to improve our world with a shared positive vision and cooperative goals.

Archbishop Gregory has served in many leading roles in the U.S. church and has written extensively on church issues, including pastoral statements on the death penalty and euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide.    In November 2001, he was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) following three years as vice president.    During his tenure in office, the crisis of sex abuse by Catholic clergy escalated; and under his leadership, the bishops implemented the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

He currently is Chair of the USCCB’s Special Task Force on Peace and Unity in Our Communities.   The purpose of the Task Force is to promote peace and healing during this time of great strain on civil society.

Kenyan Suites

Fr. Paul Zirimenya, a native of Uganda, who is deaf, received his M.Div (Master of Divinity) from St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, California. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University, Uganda and a postgraduate diploma in Community Based Rehabilitation from Kyambogo University, Uganda. Following his priestly ordination on June 9, 2007, Fr. Paul was assigned as Chaplain to the Deaf Community at St. Benedict Parish for the Deaf/St. Francis Xavier Church in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, California where he also enjoys the faculties of Administrator. Fr. Paul also served on the Board of Directors for the National Catholic Office for the Deaf, NCOD from June 01, 2010 until April 30, 2016, and was an active committee member for the development of the Confirmation Project on DVD which prepares Deaf youngsters for the Sacrament of Confirmation through lessons taught in ASL and captioned in English and/or Spanish. In addition, he has led retreats for Deaf communities across the U.S. and up and down the state of California and presented at the Fresno Diocesan Congress and the International Catholic Deaf Association’s conference at Gallaudet University in 2013. He enjoys the fellowship and bond with the Deaf community that enables each person’s gifts and talents to be appreciated and put to service for the greater glory of God.

Marriott Gateway – Salons C-E

11:00 pm Doors Close

Greg Ferrara and Geneva Tigue are worship leaders, speakers, and songwriters in the Church. They both have been raised in faithful Catholic homes and find solace in the charismatic renewal. Blending an organic acoustic vibe with rich vocal harmony, their sound gives space and nuance for congregations to sing God’s praise and enter into a place of prayer and inner transformation. Their debut record “Grace Fall Down” released this Spring and is a bilingual (English and Spanish) collection of songs the Church loves to pray with. The duo is essential in leading congregations to sung prayer within the liturgy and beyond. Following in the footsteps of All Sons and Daughters, Hillsong, and Caedmon’s Call, Geneva and Greg welcome and encourage the faithful to freely sing out and pray with melody and verse.