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SPEAKERS
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Fr. Kenneth Baker has served for the past thirty years
as editor of the Homiletic & Pastoral Review. He entered
the Society of Jesus in 1947. After he graduated from Gonzaga
University in 1953, he taught Latin, Greek and English at Gonzaga
Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, for three years. He studied
Theology for four years at the University of Innsbruck, Austria.
After teaching for two years at Gonzaga University, he did graduate
work at Marquette University, and received his Ph.D. in 1967.
He returned to Gonzaga to teach and became the head of the Theology
Department there in 1968. In 1970 he served as president of Seattle
University and in 1971 became editor of the Homiletic & Pastoral
Review. In 1973 he published his translation of the Philosophical
Dictionary and adapted it to American usage. In 1975 he became
president of Catholic Views Broadcasts, Inc., which produces a weekly
15-minute radio program that airs on 50 stations across the United
States. He has built and run three community television stations. In
1983 he published a three-volume explation of the faith called
Fundamentals of Catholicism..
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Fr. Constantine-Paul Belisarius graduated in 1965 from Saint Mary’s College in Saint Mary, KY, with an A.B. in philosophy, history and literature. He entered the New York Province of the Society of Jesus in 1965 to be a member of the Byzantine Assistency and later changed from the Latin Rite to the Melkite Rite in 1982. At Fordham University, he studied Russian language, literature and area studies (1968-1972) and taught at Regis High School, New York, NY (1972-1974). He took the S.T.B. Summa Cum Laude from the Collegium Maximum Faculty of Regis College, Toronto, Ontario, with the concommitant M.Div. degree from Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1978. He served in Melkite, Ruthenian and Ukrainian Catholic parishes in Toronto, and after leaving the Society of Jesus, was called to the Middle East by his Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch, Maximos V of Antioch, for whom he served as secretary in Lebanon. Assigned to the Patriarchal College in Heliopolis, Egypt, in January of 1982, he served as principal teacher of the English language there until June, 1995, when he returned to the United States. From 1983 to 1993 he served as Station Padre to the United Nations Treaty Supervision Organization headquartered in Heliopolis. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 by Patriarch Maximus, who also raised him to Archimandrite of Alexandria in 1998. Father has been a counselor, editor, and artist at Seton Home Study School since 1995.
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Fr. Paul Check is a native and priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT. In 1981, he received a B.A. in History from Rice University and was then commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served on active duty for nine years, during which time he commanded two different tank companies and was assigned as the second-in-command of the Marine Barracks in London, England. Fr. Check entered the seminary in 1992 and was ordained in 1997. He holds an STB from the Gregorian University in Rome and an STL in moral theology from the Atheneum of the Holy Cross, also in Rome. He is currently assigned as Parochial Vicar at St. John the Evangelist in Stamford, CT. Fr. Check also teaches moral theology at the St. John Fisher Seminary Residence in the Diocese of Bridgeport, as well as teaching in the Education for Parish Service program and to Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.
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Fr. Shannon Michael Collins, C.P.M, was born in 1964 and is a native of Cohasset, MA. After undergraduate and graduate work in history and education, he taught in Catholic schools for a number of years. Fr. Collins became a member of the Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy in August of 1994. Having completed his seminary training at St. Philip Neri Seminary in Toronto, Ontario, he was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 2000. Presently, Fr. Collins serves on the mission band of the Fathers of Mercy and has been speaking at several home schooling conferences. (Note: Father will be celebrating his priestly anniversary on June 10th.)
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Fr. Robert J. Levis, Ph.D., priest of the Diocese of Erie, PA, since 1948, received his Ph. D. in Religious Education from the Catholic University of America and served at Gannon University in Erie as Professor and Chair of the Department of Theology, Chair of the Liberal Studies Curriculum, Founder and Chair of the Pontifical Center for Catechetical Studies, where for 19 years, he supervised and instructed candidates for the Master's Degree in Catechetics. This Center enjoyed approval and affiliation with the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy, the highest possible Roman Curial certification in Catholic catechetics. He has also taught catechetical courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. He is a Co-Founder of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, a national association of priests, seminarians, and deacons, and presently serves as its Vice President. He edited its newsletter, Sapientia, for many years, and sponsored it annual convention at Gannon University for almost 20 years. When the Catechism of the Catholic Church appeared in 1994, he pioneered the preparation of two widely accepted catechetical programs for use on the computer, one for grade school students, the other for high school students, in fidelity to this official catechism. In 1997, he wrote a popular catechism, Jesus, the Catechism, and Me, a condensed and faithful text in support of the official catechism. This catechism is also published in the Philipino tongue. He co-edited John Paul II, Catechist, now translated into French and Spanish, edited the History of Gannon University, has written regularly for the Canadian Challenge, National Catholic Register, Lake Shore Visitor, Catholic Encyclopedia, and many other publications. He has spoken often on theological topics across the States and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Presently, he co-hosts the show Web of Faith on the international cable network, EWTN.
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Fr. Frank E. Papa, S.O.L.T., J.C.D., Cand. S.R.R. Adv., spent more than 25 years working with youth before his ordination to the priesthood in 1989. He was Founder and Executive Director of Teens, Incorporated, a recreational character-building organization that expanded into "Teen Homes" for homeless youth. He earned his Doctorate in Canon Law from the Angelicum in Rome, graduated Magna Cum Laude, is a Candidate for Advocate for the Sacred Roman Rota, and taught at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, CT. He was a guest on radio and television shows from 1963 to 1978, and is a guest lecturer at State Agencies and Institutions, as well as Catholic home schooling conferences. As a priest with extensive backgrounds in both Canon Law and working with teenagers, Fr. Papa is uniquely qualified to give parents important tips from a Catholic perspective.
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Fr. John A. Perricone was ordained a priest in 1976 in Newark, NJ. He is a Professor of Philosophy at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY, and has taught and lectured on subjects ranging across the entire spectrum of the Catholic life, from politics to prayer. He is also the Founder and Director of ChristiFideles, an organization established in 1989 that furnishes ascetical, spiritual, doctrinal, theological and philosophical formation for Catholics. He regularly conducts the Campion Series, the Aquinas Distinguished Lecture Series, and Chesterton/Belloc debates. He has published numerous articles, worked on the bi-monthly newsletter Exclesis, and hosted the 13-part EWTN series, "The Most Glorious Act: Understanding the Mass." Fr. Perricone holds Masters Degrees in both Biblical studies and Dogmatic Theology, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate for Medieval Philosophy at Fordham University.
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Fr. Joseph Salazar, a member of the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles, has done pastoral and teaching work in prisons, retreats, and Hispanic ministries. A first generation American whose parents emigrated from Mexico, Fr. Salazar studied at St. Lawrence Seminary, St. Fidelis Friary and Novitiate in Indiana, and the Capuchin-Franciscan Seminary of St. Mary in Indiana, where he studied Philosophy and Education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut and studied for a Master’s Degree in Theology at Oblate College in Washington. Ordained in 1977, he received his Master of Divinity from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, where he served as the Resident Dean of Students and Director of Seminarians. Fr. Salazar served as Novice Master at the Novitiate of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles and as Chaplain for the Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons. At Holy Apostles Seminary, Father was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies from 1980-1988. He currently serves as the Associate Vocations Director for his order, and ministers to the Hispanic populations at St. John Bosco Parish, Precious Blood Parish, and Our Lady of the Valley Parish in northwestern Virginia.
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Fr. W. Ray Williams grew up in a nominally Protestant family in the southeastern United States. He traveled extensively before his conversion, and first began to seriously consider his lifelong attraction to the Catholic Church while doing work for the U.S. government and a mission society in Nepal. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1989, and was ordained a priest in Charlotte, NC, in 1997. Aside from his parish work, he regularly gives retreats and assists in the leadership of a small society of priests that he helped found in order to aid priests in their priesthood.
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Sr. Agnes Cousins, S. S. C. J., grew up in Buffalo, NY, in a family of thirteen children. She received her M.A. in Theology from the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College. Sr. Agnes is a perpetually professed religious of a pontifical congregation, the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose motherhouse is located in Cracow, Poland. She resides at their American Provincialate in Cresson, PA, teaching religion at Bishop Carroll High School, Ebensburg, PA. She is also Moderator of the Sodality of Mary Immaculate.
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Congressman Robert Dornan, life-long Catholic, congressman for 20 years and now retired, was born to an Irish Catholic family in New York City. He served in the Air Force for 22 years as a fighter pilot and intelligence officer, and became active in the Civil Rights movement. Bob was the Host and Producer of the Emmy Award winning television talk programs "Tempo" (1967-1970), and "The Robert K. Dornan Show" (1970-1973). In 1970, Bob originated the POW/MIA bracelet, which was worn by over 10 million people. From 1973 to 1976 he was the National Spokesman for CDL, Citizens for Decency through Law, and in the fall of 1976 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served three terms before he was forced out by redistricting. Robert Dornan served in Congress continually from 1984 to 1997, was Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and was Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. During his years in Congress, he had the distinction of being one of the top three pro-life legislators. Currently Bob is the Host and Producer of “The Robert K. Dornan Show: Defending Faith, Family, and Freedom” on the Talk Radio Network (TRN), which is heard in 42 states. Mr. Dornan and his wife Sallie have five married children and thirteen grandchildren.
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Dr. Mary Kay Clark has taken an active role in educational and political issues for over 30 years. Since 1982, she has been Director of Seton Home Study School. Under her direction, Seton Home Study School has grown from 340 students in 1985 to more than 10,000 students currently enrolled in the United States and internationally. Besides being a frequent speaker at home education and family conferences, Dr. Clark is also a frequent guest on radio and television programs. She has written many articles on home schooling, and has authored the book, Catholic Home Schooling: A Handbook for Parents. Dr. Clark is the mother of seven children, all of whom she has educated at home.
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Dr. Thomas A. Drolesky, Ph.D., is the publisher and editor of Christ or Chaos, a monthly journal of Catholic commentary. He holds a B.A. in Political Science at St. John's University, NY, an M.A. from the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. from the State University of NY. He has taught in numerous colleges and universities since January of 1974. He has spoken before hundreds of groups around the nation in the past fifteen years, principally on the life issue. He has fought for the life issue by campaigning actively for pro-life candidates and by running for local and state offices as a member of the Right To Life Party. His book, Christ in the Voting Booth, promotes the social reign of Christ. He has hosted a 16 hour video series of talks entitled Catholicizing America, as well as a 36 hour lecture program entitled Living in the Shadow of the Cross. His most current book is There Is No Cure for This Condition. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, having served six years as its Second Vice President.
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Dr. Alice von Hildebrand is an internationally renowned lecturer, philosopher, and author, who currently works as a host on Mother Angelica's EWTN television network, and has lectured widely in Western Europe, Canada, the U.S., Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico. She is a Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Hunter College of the City University of New York, where she taught for over thirty years, and currently serves as a trustee for the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. She has also taught at catechetical institutes in Arlington, VA, and Dunwoodie, NY, as well as Thomas More College in Rome and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH, where she received the Doctoris Honoris Causa. Dr. von Hildebrand has written many widely acclaimed books from a traditional Catholic perspective, including: The Soul of a Lion: Life of Dietrich von Hildebrand, a loving biography of her deceased husband; By Love Refined: Letters to a Young Bride; By Grief Refined: Letters to a Widow; and recently The Privilege to Be a Woman.
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Dr. Patrick Keats received his B.A. in English from Columbia University, his M.A. in Literature from American University, and his Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the Catholic University of America. His Doctoral Dissertation dealt with G. K. Chesterton and his literary criticism of the Victorian Period in England. He has taught English at Christendom College in Front Royal, VA, since 1992. In 1999, he was appointed to the position of Associate Professor, and he has recently been appointed Academic Dean of Christendom College. He has authored numerous articles and papers on various writers, including G. K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, and Bernard Malamud. He serves as faculty moderator and producer for the Christendom Players, and in that capacity has produced twelve major productions at the College. He has worked with novelist Bruce T. Clark as his editor for The Custer Legacy and his forthcoming work,The Castro Conspiracy.
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Dr. Marguerite Anne ''Peg'' Luksik has been a national leader of the Pro-Life movement for twenty years and has founded and chaired Mom’s House, a God-centered comprehensive support program for single parents and their children, which was recognized by President George H.W. Bush as a National Point of Light. She received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Stonehill College in Massachusetts in 1997, and has earned many credits towards a Masters degree in Special Education from Clarion University, PA. Dr. Luksik, acclaimed as an expert in education areas such as Outcome-Based Education, School-to-Work, and Phonics, has been an outspoken critic of the “God-free School Zone,” and is a co-author of Outcome-Based Education: the State’s Assault on our Children’s Values. An effective advocate for the rights of parents in public policy and a staunch supporter of the traditional family, she has served as an Educational Consultant for the Free Congress Foundation. She was a participant in the White House Briefings on Alternatives to Abortion, and in 1990, as a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania on a pro-family platform, she received 46% of the vote in the Republican primary. Formerly the Host of ''The Learning Curve'' on National Empowerment Television, Dr. Luksik now co-hosts the weekly program ''Welcome Home.'' She is currently President and CEO of the National Parents Commission.
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Mr. Joseph Kung serves as President of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, is a frequent guest speaker on various TV and radio programs, and often speaks before international organizations on Human Rights and religious persecution in China. Joseph Kung fled China after the communist takeover in 1949 and immigrated to the U.S. where he completed graduate level work in Business Administration, and then went on to work for several multinational US corporations. When his uncle, Rev. Kung Pin-Mei, the Bishop of Shanghai, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Chinese Government for refusing to denounce papal authority, Joseph Kung became his unfailing advocate in the U.S., lobbying the U.S. Government, Amnesty International, and the Red Cross on his behalf. Bishop Kung was released from prison after 30 years, and in 1991 was elevated to the College of Cardinals. Joseph Kung later established the Cardinal Kung Foundation to directly assist the loyal persecuted Roman Catholic Church in China. The Foundation’s mission is to promote the Church in China through prayer, financial support, and other appropriate projects, and to keep the news media informed on the status of the persecuted Catholics in China. Joseph Kung has testified before the congressional subcommittee on Human Rights, the British Parliament, the New York City Council, and the California Senate, and in 1996 he gave a keynote speech to commemorate the anniversary of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. In 1995 he received the “Freedom Award” from the Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, and he received the 2001 Religious Freedom Award from the Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom because of his work with the Cardinal Kung Foundation.
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Mrs. Catherine Moran has fourteen years of experience home schooling her five children, and is currently serving as the President of the Catholic Home School Network of America (CHSNA). She received a bachelor’s degree with majors in biology, chemistry, and speech/hearing therapy as well as a Masters of Science in Education in learning disabilities from Kent State University, and has successfully home schooled her second son who is a dyslexic and had ADHD. Mrs. Moran is a member of the “Round Table,” a national organization of Catholic home schooling leaders. She is a founder and past leader of the Ohio Educators’ Catholic Home Schooling Network, and was a member of the CHSNA delegation to Pope John Paul II in 1995 and 1997. Mrs. Moran is a secular Franciscan and served as prefect of her fraternity for three years. She is currently the Secretary-Treasurer of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima in Warren, OH.
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Mrs. Virginia Seuffert, a native of New York, currently resides in Illinois with her husband and the nine youngest of her twelve children. While in New York, she lectured and wrote articles for the pro-life movement, and after moving to Illinois she became a founding member of the Network of Illinois Catholic Home School Educators, helped establish the "Round Table" Catholic home school leadership discussion group, and became a founder and officer of the Catholic Home School Network of America. Mrs. Seuffert has appeared on EWTN and has spoken at Catholic family conferences all over the U.S. and Canada. She is also the author of numerous articles on home education, teaching purity and other virtues, and home management.
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Mr. Joseph Sobran received his B.A. in English from Eastern Michigan University and did graduate studies in English, specializing in Shakespeare. In 1972, he went to work for National Review Magazine, beginning what would be a 21-year stint, including 18 years as senior editor. From 1979 to 1991, Mr. Sobran was a regular commentator on CBS Radio’s "Spectrum" series. He has been a nationally syndicated columnist since 1979, first with the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, then with the Universal Press Syndicate, and now with Griffin Internet Syndicate, for which he writes two columns per week. He also writes the weekly column "Washington Watch" for The Wanderer, a weekly Catholic newspaper. Mr. Sobran is the author of three books: Single Issues: Essays on the Crucial Social Questions; Alias Shakespeare: Solving the Greatest Literary Mystery of All Time; and Hustler: The Clinton Legacy. He is currently writing a book on the abandonment of the Constitution. Mr. Sobran is also a lecturer and speaker who appears frequently on major talk shows and at conferences throughout the world. In 1994, he founded SOBRAN’S, a monthly newsletter of his essays and columns.
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Speaker biographies and photos used with permission.
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Ave Maria College
Kolbe Academy and Home School
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Sponsored by the National Home School Conference Coalition.
If you have any questions, please contact the Coalition Conference Coordinator at: info@ihmconference.org.