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Bishop Robert J. Carlson
Bishop Carlson will be celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for parents at the conference on Saturday at 11:30 p.m.
Bishop Robert Carlson was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1970 and later earned a Licentiate in Canon Law. He served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and later became bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Since his installation as bishop of Saginaw in 2005, Bishop Carlson has emphasized vocations and has taken on the role of diocesan vocations director himself. In 2005 the number of seminarians increased from four to twelve, and in 2006 the number increased to nineteen. Bishop Carlson has been an outspoken advocate of the Culture of Life, calling public figures to accountability on the issue of abortion. Bishop Carlson has also been a strong advocate for Catholic education and has initiated an apologetics course for all high school seniors in Catholic schools throughout his diocese.
In his recent pastoral letter on evangelization, Bishop Carlson urged Catholics to "stop conforming to the world, and start transforming it". He called upon Catholics to "stop following our culture, which tells us to keep God out of the public square, and start following the Lord, who tells us that we will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth." He urged Catholics to simply take the step of asking others about their faith or inviting them to church. "To talk openly about our faith in the Lord may be a little beyond our comfort zone, but it places the Lord openly at the center of our lives, and invites others to do the same," he added.
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Marcus Grodi
A “cradle Protestant“, Marcus Grodi worked as an engineer for six years before receiving his Master of Divinity Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. After serving for nearly nine years as a Presbyterian pastor, he and his wife Marilyn and three sons converted to the Catholic faith in 1992.
Marcus now directs The Coming Home Network International, a lay ministry aimed at helping Protestant clergy and laity, come home to the Catholic Church. He also hosts The Journey Home, a weekly live television program, and Deep In Scripture, a weekly live radio program, both on EWTN. He is the author of the novel How Firm a Foundation and the editor/author of Journeys Home. Drawing from his own personal experience, Marcus discusses some of the common difficulties which often keep both Catholics and non-Catholics from a true understanding and appreciation of the Catholic faith.
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Laura Bequist
Laura Berquist, the mother of six children who has been home schooling for the past nineteen years, graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in California with a degree in Liberal Arts. She is the author of Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum and the editor of the Harp and Laurel Wreath, which contains a wide selection of great poetry and literature. Laura says she developed her curriculum program by the "trial and error" method over the last eighteen years as she home schooled her own family of six. Her curriculum is in accord with the classical tradition, but is based upon what works well with children.
In 1995 Laura founded Mother of Divine Grace, a consultation service which helps home schooling parents develop an individualized classical Catholic curriculum for each child. Located in Ojai, California, Mother of Divine Grace School serves over 3,000 students worldwide. Laura has also developed an educational program for special needs children. Laura speaks at conferences and also writes articles regarding education.
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Michael Voris
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a former seminarian and CBS anchor, Michael Voris currently is the host of his own television broadcast, The One True Faith. As a CBS anchor in various markets, Michael won multiple Emmys for his work in broadcast news production. His experiences there provided him not only with the technical knowledge to produce excellent television programming, but also gradually gave him a profound grasp of the need to produce programs that provide spiritual inspiration rather than just entertainment.
In the Spring of 2006, Michael founded Saint Michael's Media, an independent television network in Detroit, which in addition to producing The One True Faith, undertakes the new evangelization on all fronts of the mass media: radio, television, printed word, and the internet. He is also a frequent host on the Michigan Catholic Radio network. His zeal and ability to speak truth with kindness but without equivocation have also made him a popular speaker at parishes in the metro Detroit area.
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Fr. Ben Luedtke
Ordained by Pope John Paul II in Rome, Fr. Ben Luedtke has worked on three continents and presently serves Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity and is spiritual director to several Carmelite monasteries. He personally knew Mother Teresa of Calcutta and for a while was often her driver in Rome. Each Missionary of Charity prays for a special priest. Fr. Ben was Mother Teresa's special priest. He gives retreats and missions and is a popular speaker, who is on fire for Christ, especially in the Holy Eucharist. He loves to reconcile souls with God in Confession, "a means of true healing and interior peace." His enthusiasm for the faith and devotion to our Lord and our Lady touches the minds and hearts of all who hear him.
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Anne Harman
Anne Harman, who is finishing her ninth year home schooling her two children, has studied Latin under numerous local and on-line Latin teachers and has recently taken the leap to teaching a small in-home group. Having taught her children from various curricula since 1999 when her oldest child was six years old, Anne is knowledgeable about many of the Latin programs available.
Anne believes that Latin is the key to unlocking the English language and provides a natural and beautiful link to history and the roots of our Western
civilization. Anne says that “when one becomes interested in Latin, one automatically wonders, and thus studies, the Romans. Of course, we wonder about who influenced the Romans and then we're on to studying the Greeks.” Anne loves to share her knowledge of why and how to study Latin with families and her enthusiasm is contagious. Anne is also a board member of Michigan Catholic Home-Educators and is currently serving as its treasurer.
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Theresa Tizedes
Theresa is currently finishing her senior year at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and will graduate with a degree in Communication Arts in May of 2008. Theresa was home schooled entirely through grade school and high school. She looks forward to incorporating her faith in a career in the media and would like to host a broadcast on EWTN television and Catholic Radio for teens about the importance of their faith.
While in high school, Theresa won Right to Life of Michigan’s Pro Life Student of the Year Award and its pro life oratory contest at the local level for four straight years. Theresa is excited to share with teens and parents her knowledge of what students need to know and do to prepare for college. The oldest of five siblings, Theresa did her own research on college admission and scholarship opportunities.
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