2020 Speakers
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone
Bishop of Charleston
Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of Charleston on March 25, 2009, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, His motto is “Walk Humbly with Your God”
Father Donald Calloway, MIC
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, a prominent Marian priest, exhibits an unmistakable zeal for the priesthood and devotion to Our Lady. He is a well-known conference speaker on Divine Mercy and the Blessed Virgin Mary. He speaks passionately about these topics in his moving conversion story. He is the editor of two books: The Virgin Mary and Theology of the Body and The Immaculate Conception in the Life of the Church. He has also authored eight books: Purest of All Lilies: The Virgin Mary in the Spirituality of St. Faustina, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy, Under the Mantle: Marian Thoughts from a 21st Century Priest, Marian Gems: Daily Wisdom on Our Lady, Mary of Nazareth: The Life of Our Lady in Pictures, Rosary Gems: Daily Wisdom on the Holy Rosary, and Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon, Consecration to St. Joseph.
Father Peter John Cameron
Retreat master/Preacher
About
Father Peter John Cameron, O.P., was ordained a Dominican priest in 1986. He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology with a concentration in New Testament theology from the Dominican House of Studies, and a Master of Fine Arts Degree in playwriting from the Catholic University of America. He is an award-winning playwright, and the founder and artistic director of Blackfriars Repertory Theatre in New York City. For twenty-four years, Fr. Cameron taught homiletics at four seminaries: St. Joseph’s Seminary—Dunwoodie, New York; Immaculate Conception Seminary, Huntington, New York; the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, DC; and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. From 2001 to 2003, Fr. Cameron was the spiritual director of the Neumann Hall pre-theology seminary program at Dunwoodie.
Fr. Cameron is the author of ten books, including The Classics of Catholic Spirituality, Blessing Prayers, Mysteries of the Virgin Mary, Made for Love–Loved by God, Novenas for the Church Year, and Jesus Present Before Me. He served two terms as the director of preaching for his Dominican province. Fr. Cameron is the founding editor-in-chief of Magnificat, where he worked from 1998-2018. Fr. Cameron is presently engaged in a full-time preaching apostolate giving parish missions and retreats.
Dan Burke
Founder and President
Dan Burke is the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation, which offers graduate and personal enrichment studies in spiritual theology to priests, deacons, religious, and laity in 72 countries and prepares men for seminary in 15 dioceses. Dan is the author and editor of more than 15 books on authentic Catholic spirituality and hosts the Divine Intimacy Radio show with his wife, Stephanie, which is broadcast weekly on EWTN Radio. Past episodes can be found, along with thousands of articles on the interior life, at SpiritualDirection.com. In his deep commitment to the advancement of faithful Catholic spirituality, he is also the founder of Apostoli Viae, a world-wide, private association of the faithful dedicated to living and advancing the authentic spiritual patrimony of the Church. Most importantly, Dan is a blessed husband, father of four, grandfather of one—and grateful to be Catholic.
Fr. Chris Alar, MIC
Marians of the Immaculate Conception
“Father Joseph” – Director of the Association of Marian Helpers Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Father Chris entered the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, the religious community entrusted with spreading the message and devotion of Divine Mercy, as a postulant in July 2006. Prior to that, he received a BS in industrial engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan. After working several years at a Fortune 500 company, he began his own consulting company in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2000. After answering the Lord’s call, he attended Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, for his philosophy studies and earned his Masters of Divinity from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. Over the past several years he has been mentored by the world’s leading experts in Divine Mercy, and he has spoken at over 100 parishes to date. Currently, he lives and works on Eden Hill in Stockbridge, Mass., home of the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, where he serves as “Fr. Joseph, MIC,” the director of the Association of Marian Helpers.
Dr. Ray Guarendi
Clinical psychologist
A clinical psychologist for over 40 years, Dr. Ray has a wide variety of experience working with parents, families, educators, substance abuse programs, in-patient psychiatric centers, juvenile courts, and private practice. He has witnessed the common time-tested factors that consistently contribute to success in marriages and families. As a practicing Catholic, Dr. Ray’s in-depth experience has led to his discovery that the so-called “experts” are undermining parental authority and preventing parents from following their God-given instincts to raise their kids for Heaven. This guiding principle led him to write his first best-selling book, You’re A Better Parent Than You Think. By putting the power, knowledge, and authority back into the hands of parents, Dr. Ray has helped thousands eliminate parenting frustrations by replacing them with proven parenting techniques that result in happy, well-adjusted children. Throughout his vocation and career, he has expanded on this theme to empower families to confidently take charge of the many challenges that arise with respect to marriages, families, raising teenagers, and more. Other book titles of Dr. Ray’s include: Good Discipline, Great Teens; Back to the Family; Discipline that Lasts a Lifetime; Winning the Discipline Debates; Adoption and Fighting Mad.
In addition to the Parenting and Family genre, Dr. Ray speaks on many topics concerning the Catholic faith. As an adult “revert,” he has written and spoken extensively on Catholic Apologetics. His ecclesiastically approved books, What Catholics Really Believe and Why Be Catholic are a basis for many of his presentations designed to help Catholics understand and defend the wisdom and beauty of the one, true faith. His book, When Faith Causes Family Friction, addresses many issues of faith that are surprisingly common causes of division among family members and relatives.
Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P.
Retreat Master
Biography
Rev. Cedric Pisegna, C.P. is a Passionist priest who professed vows in September of 1985. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Mass. at Amherst with B.S. in Social Work and a minor in Business. In addition, he has studied Philosophy at Southern Illinois University and has studied Speech and Drama at Northwestern University in Chicago. Fr. Cedric graduated from the Catholic Theological Union at Chicago in May 1990 receiving his Master of Divinity degree with Bible Specialization. He has ordained a priest on June 29, 1991.
Presently, Fr. Cedric preaches retreats and missions throughout the United States and Canada ministering out of the Passionist retreat complex in Houston, Texas. He has preached 500 parish missions (retreats for the whole church) for some 30 years. In 1987, he studied Scripture in Israel and Greece and has led pilgrimages there in 1995, 1999, and 2002. In the fall of 2003, he studied theology at the North American College in Rome, Italy. He presently has a TV program “Live with Passion!” airing in nationally and internationally on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Daystar TV, and EWTN. His radio program Live with Passion! airs on the radio in many markets.
Fr. Cedric has produced a number of CD series and DVD’s on Christian living. He has also authored twenty-four books: Live Passionately!, Glorious Holy Spirit, Thy Kingdom Come!, You Can Change, Death: The Final Surrender, Come, Encounter Jesus, Golf and God, Eucharist: A Living Sacrifice, God’s Not Boring!, A Retreat with Fr. Cedric, He Touched Me, You Can Be Happy, Kept in Christ, Seasons of Life, The Sacred Walk; Choose Life and Live!; Rise! You Are Loved!; Challenges Make Champions, More Than Conquerors, Windows of Wisdom; The Sacred Quest ; Your Best Lent Ever! and There is a Solution.
Tim Staples
Catholic Answers
About
Tim Staples is the Director of Apologetics and Evangelization at Catholic Answers, but he was not always Catholic. Tim was raised a Southern Baptist. Although he fell away from the faith of his childhood, Tim came back to faith in Christ during his late teen years through the witness of Christian televangelists. Soon after, Tim joined the Marine Corps.
During his four-year tour, he became involved in ministry with various Assemblies of God communities. Immediately after his tour of duty, Tim enrolled in Jimmy Swaggart Bible College and became a youth minister in an Assembly of God community. During his final year in the Marines, however, Tim met a Marine who really knew his faith and challenged Tim to study Catholicism from Catholic and historical sources. That encounter sparked a two-year search for the truth. Tim was determined to prove Catholicism wrong, but he ended up studying his way to the last place he thought he would ever end up: the Catholic Church!
He converted to Catholicism in 1988 and spent the following six years in formation for the priesthood, earning a degree in philosophy from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. He then studied theology on a graduate level at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for two years. Realizing that his calling was not to the priesthood, Tim left the seminary in 1994 and has been working in Catholic apologetics and evangelization ever since.
For more info, go to: http://www.catholic.com
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers
Catholic Evangelist
Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers – known around the world as the “Dynamic Deacon” – is one of the most sought-after speakers in the Church today. He is a powerful and passionate evangelist and preacher, whose no-nonsense approach to living and proclaiming the Catholic faith will challenge and inspire those who hear him.
He travels across the United States and around the world speaking at conferences, workshops, retreats, parish missions, high schools, and young adult events – in short, to everyone who desires to know Jesus intimately and enjoy a deeper personal relationship with Him. His areas of expertise include marriage and family life, discerning the will of God, the sacraments, male spirituality, evangelization, prayer, and many others. Deacon Harold holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Theological Studies Degree from the University of Dallas. He co-hosts the Eternal Word Television’s Network’s popular radio program “Morning Glory”, the weekly broadcast “Living Stones” on Mater Dei Radio, and the “Sons of Thunder” podcast for World Ablaze.
Deacon Harold has appeared in the major feature film Power in My Hands, and is the creator of A Daily Dose of Deacon Harold, a 30-minute weekday time of prayer and reflection, and Walk by Faith Wednesday Webinars, a bi-weekly hour of Catholic catechesis and teaching.
In addition, he is the host or co-host of several popular series on EWTN television and is featured on the award-winning Chosen faith formation program by Ascension Press. Deacon Harold is the author of the best-selling book, Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality, co-author of Ignite: Read the Bible Like Never Before, and has written the acclaimed new book, Father Augustus Tolton: The Slave Who Became the First African-American Priest.
Deacon Harold is featured on The Greatest Commandments: A 40-Week Spiritual Journey for Married Couples, a vibrant marriage-enrichment program rooted in biblical values and designed to help husbands and wives know God better, trust Him fully and love Him completely throughout the course of their married lives. Retaining a deep love of Benedictine spirituality which he gained during his time discerning a call to that religious community, Deacon Harold is a Benedictine Oblate of Mt. Angel Abbey. He is also a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy.
Most importantly, he is married to his lovely wife, Colleen, and they have four beautiful children. They live in Portland, Oregon, where Deacon Harold is assigned to Immaculate Heart Catholic Church.
