IHM Conference

Fr. Joseph Mary Brown was born in Bardstown, KY, the third of seven children. He graduated from Christendom College in 1985 with a B.A. in Philosophy. In 1991, he joined the Congregation of St. John (an active-contemplative Community founded in France in 1975) in Laredo, TX, where he did his Novitiate. From there, he was sent to France to continue his formation, and in 1996, he was sent to their house in Peoria, IL.

            Ordained in 1997, Father currently serves as the Superior of the Community’s English-speaking Novitiate House in Princeville, IL.

Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer is president of Human Life International, the world’s largest pro-life organization with affiliate offices and associates in seventy-five countries around the world.  In his over 9 years of service to this unique mission, Father has traveled over one million miles as a pro-life missionary, and visited more than fifty countries.     

            Father holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and a Licentiate degree in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. He speaks Spanish fluently.

            While in college, Fr. Euteneuer participated in the Marine Corps Officer Candidate Program and attended boot camp at Quantico, VA, graduating at the top of his Company.  After discerning that the Lord was calling him to the priesthood rather than the military, he entered the seminary.  After his ordination in 1988, Father served as a parish priest in five parishes of the Diocese of Palm Beach, FL—as the Bishop’s secretary, vocations director, and spiritual moderator to the Respect Life Office.

            Father Euteneuer’s pro-life activity began in the early years of his priesthood with prayer vigils, pilgrimages, pickets at abortion mills, sidewalk counseling and the establishment of a crisis pregnancy center across the street from an abortion mill in 1999.

            Since taking office at HLI, Father Euteneuer has spoken to thousands of people all over the world, spreading the Gospel of Life, as well as making many appearances on EWTN and other local, national and international media.  He has been featured in Human Events and National Catholic Register, and has been awarded the John Cardinal O’Connor Award for Life from Legatus.

Fr. Daniel Gee is the Head Chaplain assigned to Christendom College by Arlington Diocese’s Bishop Paul Loverde.  Father Gee earned his B.A. and M. Div. M.A. in Theology degrees at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. 

            Fr. Gee, ordained in 1995, spent many years in parish work before his 2003 assignment to Banica in the Dominican Republic.  After 5 years in missionary territory, Father is happy to be back in the US, where he can spend time helping to guide Christendom students in their pursuit of holiness.

Fr. Thomas Maximilian Longua was born in 1969 in New London, Connecticut.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Christendom College in 1992, and was St. Gregory’s Academy’s first dorm father during the 1993-94 school year in Elmhurst, PA.  He also taught at Seton High School in Manassas, VA.

            In 2000, Fr. Longua completed studies at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Wallenpaupack, PA, and then earned his Master of Arts degree in church history from the Catholic University of America in 2002.  Father was ordained to the priesthood in the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in 2003.

            Fr. Longua returned to St. Gregory’s Academy as Chaplain and Administrator from 2003 to 2009, where he also taught religion to the senior classes.  Currently, he is Chaplain of the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community in Dallas, Texas.

Fr. Frank E. Papa, S.O.L.T., J.C.D. 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 youth from broken homes.

          He earned his Doctorate in Canon Law from the Angelicum in Rome, graduated Magna Cum Laude, studied for an Advocacy Degree at the Sacred Roman Rota, and taught various courses at the Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, CT. He has been a guest on radio and television shows, and a speaker at state agencies and institutions, as well as at regional and national home schooling conferences.

          As a priest with extensive backgrounds in Canon Law, marriage preparation, and youth work, Fr. Papa is uniquely qualified to give parents important tips from a Catholic perspective. Recently, he authored the book, Love, Dating, and Marriage: A Marriage Preparation Guide. 

Fr. Matthew Zuberbueler, originally from Southwest Texas, is a graduate of Christendom College (1992), and attended Mount St. Mary’s Seminary (’92-’96).  On May 18, 1996, he was ordained in the class of 13 for the Diocese of Arlington.  Father has been assigned as Parochial Vicar to St. Timothy’s in Chantilly, VA; Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria, VA; the Cathedral of St. Thomas More, Arlington, VA; Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish/St. Bridget Mission in Winchester, VA, and is currently assigned to Holy Family Catholic Church in Dale City, Virginia.

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 for 28 years, Seton Home Study School has grown from 340 students in 1985 to about than 11,000 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 educated at home. She and her husband, Bruce, are proud grandparents of 33 grandchildren.

Dr. Ray Guarendi is a homeschooling father, clinical psychologist, author, public speaker and a radio host. His experience includes school districts, Head Start programs, mental health centers, substance abuse programs, inpatient psychiatric centers, juvenile courts, and a private practice.

            Dr. Guarendi has been a regular guest on national radio and television, including Oprah, Joan Rivers, Scott Ross Prime Time, 700 Club, Gordon Elliot, and CBS This Morning. He’s appeared on regional radio and television shows in over 40 states and Canada. He has been the program psychologist for Cleveland’s Morning Exchange, Pittsburgh 2-Day, and AM Indiana. He has written several books, including You’re a Better Parent Than You Think!, now in its twenty-first printing, Back to the Family and Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime.

Dr. Catherine Moran specializes in education and learning disabilities; she has over eighteen years of experience homeschooling her 5 children, including one son who is a dyslexic and had ADHD. She and her husband, David, also adopted two of their children (a brother and sister) from Ukraine.

            She was president of the Catholic Home School Network of America (CHSNA), founder and past leader of the Ohio Educators’ Catholic Home Schooling Network, and a member of the CHSNA delegation to Rome on behalf of Catholic Home Education, which visited with Pope John Paul II in 1995 and 1997.

            Dr. Moran is a secular Franciscan, and served as prefect of her fraternity for three years. She is presently secretary-treasurer of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, and speaker of its Byzantine Chapter of Warren, Ohio. She has been a keynote speaker at many conferences and retreats, and is a steadfast promoter of Mary-like modesty.

Mr. Dale Ahlquist is the president of the American Chesterton Society, and has given talks on Chesterton that have delighted audiences around the country and around the world.  Mr. Ahlquist has spoken at Yale, Columbia, NYU, Penn State, Villanova, the University of Georgia, the University of Tulsa, the University of Iowa, and many other colleges.  He has given talks in England, Australia, Switzerland, and Canada. 

            Mr. Ahlquist is the author of G.K. Chesterton – The Apostle of Common Sense and Common Sense 101: Lessons from G.K. Chesterton.  He is also creator and host of the popular “Apostle of Common Sense” television series on EWTN.

Mrs. Terry Arnold is a homeschool leader from Houston, Texas. She attended the University of Houston and has been married for about 30 years. Since 1991 she has been homeschooling her five children (the youngest two are still in high school). Her three older children have done very well in college and were awarded impressive scholarships.

            Mrs. Arnold has been very active in homeschooling helping to start the Texas Home Education Partnership and a homeschooling bookstore. Since 2003, she has served as the chairwoman of the Association of Roman Catholic Homeschoolers (ARCH) and has organized an annual Catholic homeschooling conference in Houston held at the University of St. Thomas.

            A founding sponsor for the first homeschooled chapter of the American Red Cross Youth Chapter, Mrs. Arnold was award the American Red Cross Youth Sponsor of the Year Award 2008-2009. She was a founding member of the Laura Recovery Center for Missing Children.

Mrs. Laura Berquist, a graduate from Thomas Aquinas College in California, is a homeschooling mother of six, and founder and director of Mother of Divine Grace School, a home study program currently serving around 3,000 students. Mrs. Berquist is the author of Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum and editor of The Harp and Laurel Wreath: Poetry and Dictation for the Classical Curriculum. Based on the philosophy of the classical Trivium – grammar, logic, and rhetoric – she has developed a modern classical home school curriculum for grades K-12 that strengthens character and intellect, and reinforces virtue.

Mrs. Colleen Billing is a homeschooling mother of five children, ranging in age from 4-15, and has been married to her husband Andrew for 17 years. Colleen graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a bachelor of arts in public speaking and a minor in teaching English.

            Colleen runs a professional organizing business called Peaceful Interiors, and works part-time at a personal training studio near her home in Westmont, Illinois. She has a passion for helping women (and men!) embrace a simpler, clutter-free life, and believes that a peaceful, beautiful home and a strong, healthy body are part of God’s plan for each of us.

            She has been a retreat master and a guest speaker at various homeschooling “home management” meetings, and both she and her husband are permanently professed members of The Brothers and Sisters of Charity.

Mr. Christopher Check is executive vice president of The Rockford Institute, where he has worked since 1994. As the Institute’s vice president, he supervises development, conferences and educational programs, and internal administration. He holds a B.A. in English literature from Rice University.

            Before joining the Institute he served as Captain in the United States Marine Corps, where his specialty was field artillery. His decorations include, among others, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Southwest Asia Service Medal. He previously served as the editor of The Family in America and as an award-winning commentator for Illinois Public Radio. He has been published in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, The Wanderer, National Review, New Oxford Review, Culture Wars, Touchstone, and Defense Media Review.

            He and his wife, Jacqueline, have four sons.

Prof. Sal Ciresi is the founder and director of the St. Jerome Biblical Guild, an educational apostolate that promotes the study of Scripture within a theological and practical framework. He was a diocesan consultant for the revision of the National Catechetical Directory, and is a frequent contributor to the Arlington Catholic Herald, writing on apologetics, theology, and the Fathers of the Church.  Prof. Ciresi is a former host of the Catholic radio show, Cross Talk, and has a special interest in Biblical apologetics.

            Prof. Ciresi received his A.A.B.A. and B.S.B.A. from Strayer University and his M.A. in Theological Studies from Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College. His teaching interests include Sacred Scripture, Theology, Apologetics and Catechetics, and his personal theological interests include the Church's teaching on Biblical inerrancy (Scripture's freedom from all error) and the doctrine of the Atonement.

            When not lecturing, Prof. Ciresi devotes his time to expanding his personal religious book collection and following the National Hockey League (Rangers) and Major League Baseball (Yankees).  He served two tours of active duty with the United States Marine Corps (1983-1991).

Mr. Raymond de Souza is the Founder and Director of Saint Gabriel Communications. From its office at the Cathedral Parish Centre in Perth, Western Australia, St. Gabriel Communications expands its work in Apologetics throughout Australia. He is also Executive Officer of the U.S.-based Saint Gabriel Communications International, Inc., Program Director for Portuguese-speaking countries for Human Life International (HLI), and program host for EWTN Global Catholic Network. 

            In the last quarter century, he has distinguished himself as international lay Catholic Apologist, broadcaster, Pro-Life activist, and Catholic Action militant, addressing audiences in five continents to “re-evangelize the baptized” following John Paul II’s exhortation in Crossing the Threshold of Hope.   Mr. de Souza edited the New Millennium edition of King Henry VIII’s masterpiece, Defence of the Seven Sacraments to help Anglicans and Lutherans worldwide come home to Rome. Fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, Raymond is a speaker of international renown, having given more than 3,000 talks on Catholic apologetics and related topics, in person, on radio and television.

            He is married to Theresa, and their marriage has been blessed with eight children. As a result of their homeschooling education, the de Souza children form a family choir and have already recorded two CD’s, one in Australia and the other in the United States. They were homeschooled in New Zealand (where seven of them were born), then in Australia, France and the United States.  He and his family currently reside in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. From here he coordinates the apostolate of Saint Gabriel Communications International and the HLI programs for Portuguese-speaking countries.

Mr. John Jalsevac is the current assistant editor of LifeSiteNews.com, which has become the leader in Pro-Life news.  He has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a minor in theology from Christendom College. While there, John served as the editor-in-chief of both of the college's student journals, co-founded the Chester-Belloc Debate Society, and was extremely active in the dramatic society. He intends to begin studies towards his PhD in clinical psychology in the near future.

Mr. Michael Kalscheur is a Certified Financial Planner with over 15 years of experience in personal planning and institutional consulting. His firm, Joseph and Williams, is an independent financial planning firm in Indianapolis, Indiana.

          Mr. Kalscheur’s planning covers all aspects of a family’s finances, including goal setting, budgeting, retirement planning, estate and tax planning and risk management. However, as a homeschooling father of seven, he has also become an expert on college planning. Mr. Kalscheur has spoken at several state and local conferences on topics of saving and paying for college, as well as family finances for homeschoolers.

          Mr. Kalscheur and his wife, Amy, are active in their parish’s marriage preparation program; he is also involved in the local Knights of Columbus (children’s program director), Boy Scouts, Little Flowers, and help host the annual Indianapolis Catholic Homeschool Conference.

Prof. Brendan McGuire is a visiting lecturer in History at Christendom College in Front Royal Virginia. He has a B.A. from Christendom College, an M.A. from Saint Louis University, and is a Ph.D. Candidate at Saint Louis University. 

            While Prof. McGuire’s areas of expertise are Medieval Europe in general, he has a particular interest in the Crusades and Byzantine-Latin relations. He is currently teaching the Ancient Biblical World, Early Modern Europe, Late Antique and Medieval Europe, and Reconquista and Crusade. He has presented papers at various professional conferences including the Midwest Medieval History Conference, The international Congress on Medieval Studies and the Crusades Studies Forum. Also Prof. McGuire is active in the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East Medieval Academy of America.

            When not enjoying the fellowship with the other members of the Christendom College Faculty or his enthusiastic students, Prof. McGuire enjoys following baseball, football, hockey and basketball, and playing racquetball, chess and the bagpipes.

Mrs. Belinda Mooney has been homeschooling since 1995.  In these 15 years, two sons have graduated from high school, one of whom just graduated from Christendom on an academic scholarship. Her third son is currently in high school and the four younger children are in grades K-8th.

            Having taught children from kindergarten through high school has been challenging but very rewarding. Early on, Belinda felt compelled to assist other homeschoolers to better use Anne Carroll’s history texts. She wrote the workbook and study guide to Christ the King, Lord of History and Christ and the Americas. She enjoys speaking at conferences, giving encouragement and practical tips for home schooling. Belinda is currently writing T.I.P.S. (Timely Ingenious Practical Solutions) for Home Schooling Families.

            She is a zealous promoter of devotion to the Holy Face and use of the Liturgy of the Hours by Catholic families.  The Mooney family resides in Richmond, Texas.

Mr. Joseph Pearce is a world-recognized biographer of modern Christian literary figures. He is the internationally acclaimed author of 14 books, which include bestsellers such as G.K. Chesterton: Wisdom and Innocence (Ignatius, 1997), Literary Converts (Ignatius, 2000), Tolkien: Man and Myth (Ignatius, 2001), Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile (Baker Books, 2001), and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc (Ignatius, 2002). Pearce’s books have been published and translated into over eight languages.

          Mr. Pearce converted to the Catholic faith in 1989 as a result of “becoming friends” with several 20th-century literary figures he researched who had been Christians and, ultimately, converts to Catholicism—particularly G.K. Chesterton. As a younger man, Pearce was “extremely anti-Catholic” and even had opposed Pope John Paul II’s visits to England. His earlier viewpoint gradually shifted as he learned more about the writings and beliefs of the literary converts he would eventually profile.

          As Writer in Residence and professor of literature at Ave Maria University in Naples, Florida, since September 2001, Mr. Pearce also serves as Editor of the Saint Austin Review, a trans-Atlantic monthly cultural review. A native of Great Britain, he relocated to the United States in 2001 to serve at Ave Maria University. He is also contributing writer to a number of newspapers and magazines in the United Kingdom, U.S. and Canada.

          An accomplished tutor, teacher and speaker, Mr. Pearce has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Britain, Europe and Canada. He is also a regular guest on national and international television and radio programs, and has served as consultant for film documentaries on J.R.R. Tolkien and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.