NCCL
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Jose AmayaJose works as a Director of Faith Formation at Archdiocese for the Military Services since 2012. He has served as the Coordinator of Catechist Formation and Hispanic Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Washington; and as a parish director of religious education. Jose was project director for the Archdiocese’s Family Faith Assessment tool which brings catechetical conversations into the home in the form of question-and-answer games that parents can play with their children on laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. Jose has an M.Div from Washington Theological Union.
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Dr. Kathie AmideiKathie serves as Pastoral Associate at St. Anthony on the Lake Parish in Wisconsin. She was formerly the Associate Director for Catechesis and Child Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. She has served in a number of parishes as a teacher and a director of religious education. She holds a Doctorate in Education and Leadership. Kathie is a national speaker and author of Forming Families: A Faith Resource on Catholic Identity (OSV, 2019). Her website is www.kathieamidei.com.
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Sister Ruth Bolarte, I.H.M.Sister Ruth is a member of the Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata, Pa. A native of Peru, she holds degrees in theology from Immaculata University and St. Charles Seminary in Pennsylvania. She graduated with a doctorate in ministry from the School of Theology and Religious Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She has been involved in parish and diocesan ministry working in areas of adult faith and leadership formation, both national and internationally, within an intercultural context. She is, also, adjunct professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University and Pastoral Consultant for Renew International.
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Therese BrownTherese is the executive director of the Association of Catholic Publishers. Previously, she served as associate director of marketing at USCCB Publishing and associate director at the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry where she directed the National Catholic Youth Conference. During her time at the USCCB, she was project manager for the implementation of the Roman Missal in the United States with the Secretariat for Divine Worship and marketing specialist for three key USCCB titles, National Directory for Catechesis and related products, United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, and the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. She is an author of Graced Moments: Prayer Services for the Lives of Teens (World Library Publications) and catechetical and teaching resources from Saint Mary’s Press. She holds a master’s of business administration from Loyola University Maryland and a master’s degree in youth and liturgy from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She resides in the Baltimore area with her husband, Tony Tamberino.
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Milissa ElseMilissa currently works for the Chancellor in the Archdiocese of Newark and serves as coordinator for parish strategies and small group ministry. Milissa also spent nearly five years as the Director of Pastoral Services for RENEW International. While with RENEW, Milissa provided training to small group facilitators in 20 dioceses across the country. Prior to joining RENEW International, Milissa was Vice President for a consulting firm. Through the consulting firm Milissa served the Catholic Church for nearly 20 years. Milissa worked with a wide variety of Catholic organizations, parishes, dioceses, and religious communities directing strategic planning efforts, conducting planning studies, and consulting on capital campaigns. Prior to joining the consulting firm, Milissa worked for a number of nonprofits in administrative leadership positions. She has a BA from Mount Holyoke College. Milissa graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Master’s in Pastoral Ministry.
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Michael HowardMichael received his M.A. in Church Ministry/Spirituality at St. Mary’s University Seminary, Ecumenical School of Theology, and holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies at Washington Bible College. Presently, he facilitates and teaches Online courses for the University of Dayton, McGrath Institute STEP Online program for Notre Dame, and Loyola Marymount University, The Presences Of Black Catholics Today and Tomorrow online courses. He loves the spiritual readings of Henri J. M. Nouwen and the mystic Howard Thurman. He is also the founder of Eat the Scroll Ministry, where he began his search and hunger to read and study God’s Word for faith formation with adults. "Eat the Scroll….It is sweet as honey."
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Justin HuyckJustin is Director of the Department of Communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, where he is currently overseeing the integration of the diocese’s publishing, broadcast, digital, social media, media relations, and internal communications operations, including the launch of The Catholic Echo magazine and multimedia website. He is also the diocese’s spokesperson and chief point of contact with journalists. Previously, he served in parish catechetical ministry for fifteen years, most recently as Pastoral Associate and Director of Adult Faith Formation at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Canton, Ohio. Justin is the author of From Home to Home: Finding Meaning in Mobility and Baptism: Alive in Christ (both published by Little Rock Scripture Study and the Liturgical Press), and holds a B.A. in Government from Cornell University and an M.A. in Theology and Liturgy from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Justin previously served on NCCL’s Board of Directors, and before that as Chair of the Product Development Committee and on Representative Council. He and his wife are the parents of two children.
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Charleen KatraCharleen is the Executive Director of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD). Prior to beginning her current position in 2019, she served as an Associate Director in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. For over twenty years her primary responsibility was directing the Ministry with Persons with Disabilities. Charleen is the co-author of The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-Based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities (Loyola Press, 2019) and the author of How to Talk to Children about People with Disabilities (Twenty-Third Publications, 2019). She has extensive experience in systematic and sacramental catechesis and has served as a national consultant, author, and speaker on the topic of inclusion for various Catholic publishers. Charleen is currently a member of the Loyola Press Speaker Corp. She holds a Bachelor's in Special/Elementary Education and a Master’s in Pastoral Studies.
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Dr. Tracey LamontTracey is Director of the Loyola Institute for Ministry and Assistant Professor of religious education and young adult ministry. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University and specializes in curriculum development, youth and young adult ministry, and religious education. Before coming to Loyola, Tracey was a teacher and also served as a parish youth and young adult minister and Confirmation coordinator. She is a member of the Religious Education Association and has presented papers on young adult moral development and pedagogical practices in Catholic high schools. Tracey served as a committee member for the National Dialogue on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment from 2017-2019, and has been a member of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops National Young Adult Advisory Team since 2017. She also serves as member of the board of directors for the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults.
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Catherine LaVecchia
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Catherine is the Director of Lifelong Learning at Church of the Presentation, Upper Saddle River, NJ. She has served in various ministry capacities for the past 31 years, including youth ministry, family faith formation, and lifelong faith formation. She has also taught theology and spirituality to college students and adult learners for many years. She has Masters Degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Religious Education, a Certificate in Church Management from Villanova’s Center for Church Management, and a Certificate in Youth Ministry from the Center for Ministry Development.
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Erin McGeeverErin has served as the Diocesan Director of Christian Formation in the Diocese of St. Augustine for the last 15 years. Prior to this position, she served 25 years in the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky in a variety of catechetical roles including: Catholic School Teacher, parish catechist, parish Director of Religious Education, in the Diocesan Office of Catechesis, and on the faculty at Thomas More University in the theology department. She holds undergraduate degrees in education and theology, both from Thomas More University, as well as an M.A. in theological studies from the University of Dayton and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. She enjoys hiking, reading, gardening, beagles, word puzzles/games, and ethnic foods.
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Gary PokornyGary is Director of Evangelization & Catechesis for Children for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He has served the archdiocese in related catechetical and youth ministry roles since 2007. Prior to this, Gary served as Director of Lay Formation at Saint Francis Seminary (1994-2007), and he has experience as a parish director of religious education and youth minister. Gary earned his Master of Divinity from Saint Francis School of Pastoral Ministry, and a Post-Master Certificate in Pastoral Theology from University of St. Mary of the Lake. Gary has been a member of NCCL since 2007, and served as chair of the Standards and Certification Committee and as NCCL representative to the Alliance for the Certification of Lay Ecclesial Ministers (2012-2021). Gary is married to Jeanne; they have three adult children.
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John Michael ReyesJohn Michael is Director of Adult Spirituality at Saint Ignatius College Preparation in San Francisco. He holds a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University (Berkeley, CA) and a Certificate in Liturgical Art & Architecture from Saint John's School of Theology*Seminary (Collegeville, MN). He has experiences as a P-12 teacher, hospital chaplain, retreat director, and as a campus minister for Jesuit Universities particularly in the areas of Liturgy and Sacramental Formation. He is a frequently sought-after liturgy coordinator and cantor for national conferences, including the annual Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. He assists with TeamRCIA, and his writings can be found through Liturgical Press, Liturgy Training Publications, Paulist Press and Twenty-Third Publications. John Michael lives in San Francisco, CA.
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Sister Janet Schaeffler, O.P.Sister Janet has worked in parish and archdiocesan ministry in faith formation. She is currently ministering as a retreat and adult faith formation consultant and presenter. The author of hundreds of articles and several publications including Deepening Faith: Adult Faith Formation in the Parish (Liturgical Press, 2016) and Let This Be the Time: Spiritual Essentials for Life's Second Act (Twenty-Third Publications, 2020), Janet teaches online courses through Boston College and the University of Dayton. Janet created and publishes GEMS: a twice-monthly newsletter from an ongoing international best practices study on adult faith formation.
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Patrice SpirouPatrice is Ministry Lead for Family Catechesis and Curriculum in the Office of Evangelization & Discipleship at the Archdiocese of Atlanta. In her role, she accompanies ministry leaders encouraging, empowering, and equipping them to answer God’s call to bear fruit that will last! Patrice is a passionate advocate of family centered approaches to faith formation. Prior to serving at the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Patrice taught High School theology, was a parish DRE/PCL, and has taught in Colleges of Education both in Illinois and Georgia. She holds a B.A. in Theology and a M.A. in Teaching. Patrice is a wife and mother of four with more than twenty-five years of ministry experience.
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Rita ThironRita is the Executive Director of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions. Prior to arriving at the FDLC, she served for twenty years as the Director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Lansing (Michigan). She served for eleven years as the Director of Adult Education and the Catechumenate at Holy Family Parish and as an adjunct professor at Siena Heights University. She holds a masters degree in Theology with a Concentration in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN) and a bachelors degree in History from Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH). Rita serves as a consultant to the Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship of the USCCB. She is the author of eight books and countless articles and is a frequent presenter in dioceses across the United States.
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