Priests for an Apostolic Age Conference

We are honored to welcome Monsignor James Shea, author of From Christendom to Apostolic Mission, as a keynote speaker for the event!

Msgr. Shea was inaugurated in 2009 as the sixth president of the University of Mary and, at the age of 34, became the youngest college or university president in the United States.

Msgr. Shea grew up on a dairy farm near Hazelton, North Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a licentiate in philosophy as a Basselin Fellow in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, later studying theology at the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome. Upon completion of his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Msgr. Shea was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck in 2002.

We are honored for Curtis to be joining the conference as a lauded speaker on evangelization at the Priests for an Apostolic Age conference.

Curtis A. Martin founded the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) in 1998. He holds a master’s degree in Theology and is the author of the best-selling books, Made for More and Making Missionary Disciples.

In 2004, Curtis and his wife, Michaelann, were awarded the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Saint John Paul II for their outstanding service to the Church. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Curtis as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council of the New Evangelization. Curtis and Michaelann live in Colorado. They have been blessed with nine children and eight grandchildren (so far).

Jason Simon is the President of the Evangelical Catholic. His experience of being sought after and apprenticed by a zealous disciple maker drives him to help others have the confidence and skills to reach people in the world with the abundant life of Jesus. After a short career in engineering, Jason began working in the Church as a parish Director of Religious Education and Youth Ministry. In 2007, he graduated with a Master’s in Divinity from the University of Notre Dame and began leading the Evangelical Catholic. Under his leadership, the Evangelical Catholic has experienced consistent expansion in equipping Catholic laity for apostolic impact in the world. He has seen first-hand the power of lay evangelization fueled by the institution of the Church. Jason lives in Madison, WI with his wife and six children.

Dave Durand is an entrepreneur, author and on air radio contributor. Dave has built and sold several companies including founding and leading Best Version Media LLC. Under Dave‘s leadership, Best Version Media became the largest company of its kind, servicing 17 million monthly readers in over 1,200 North American Markets. Along with other leadership awards, Dave won Glass Doors most admired CEO three times and was honored as the Earnst & Young entrepreneur of the year.  He has authored four books and has been a Relevant Radio Morning Air contributor for 20 years. Having a heart for the Church he co-founded Lighthouse Catholic Media and other NFP’s. Most Recently Dave is involved in the production of films and episodic programing.

Fr. Berry joins us as the conference’s chaplain. He was installed as Provincial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province in July 2020. A native of the metropolitan New York area, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and a Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He made his first profession of vows at Holy Hill in July 2000 and was ordained priest at St. Florian Church in Milwaukee in June 2006.

Fr. John Riccardo was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1996, where he served as a pastor for 15 years. In 2019, he founded ACTS XXIX – Mobilizing for Mission, and serves as its Executive Director. ACTS XXIX, a non-profit apostolate that exists because God wants His world back, unleashes the power of the gospel and equips ordained and lay leaders in order to mobilize the Church for mission. Over the last three years, ACTS XXIX has been engaged in upwards of twenty dioceses and has ministered to more than 3,000 priests.  Fr. John hosts a weekly podcast, “You Were Born for This,” and publishes a weekly article, “Thoughts From the Trailer.” He is the host of the radio program “Christ is the Answer” and has authored several books.

Kurt Klement has been the Executive Director of Divine Renovation USA since early 2021. Previously, he served for 25 years in various roles in parish ministry at St. Ann Catholic Church in Coppell, TX, including youth, young adults, Alpha and overall parish evangelization and discipleship. Kurt also has experience as one of the senior coaches with Divine Renovation, accompanying dozens of pastors on a journey of renewal. He has five children with his wife, Jenny, and has called Dallas home for most of his life.

Michael School serves as Executive Vice President for the Catholic Leadership Institute. Prior to this role, Mike served the Catholic Diocese of Richmond for 12 years as the Executive Director of the Center for Marriage, Family, and Life, Director of the Office for Evangelization, and Director of the Office of Social Ministries. Mike’s career includes corporate experience as an IT Project Manager and a Corporate Learning Consultant for Capital One. Mike also leads a consulting company to support several Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and non-profits. Mike holds a BBA in Information Technology and BA in Government from the College of William and Mary as well as a MA in Religion and Religious Education from Fordham University. Mike and his wife live in Richmond, VA with their six children.

Joshua Danis is the National Director for Alpha in a Catholic Context in the United States.  He is also the author of Living the Fruit of the Spirit: How God’s Grace can Transform your World, published through “Word Among Us.”  Formerly, he worked for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Family and Respect, and he holds degrees in Theology and Philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville.  He now resides in Minnesota with his wife and two children.  There, they love Minnesota lakes, the Minnesota United Soccer Team, and waiting out the end of Minnesota winters.

A missionary at heart, Dcn. John has been active sharing the good news for over thirty years. In 1986, he worked on the streets of New York City with Covenant House. In 1989, he founded Emmaus Ministries, an outreach to men involved in prostitution on the streets of Chicago, and served until 2011. Dcn. John lives in Stow, OH with his wife and four children. He serves as a permanent deacon at Holy Family Parish.

Peter has worked in adult formation in the Church since 2003. He holds a Masters Degree in Pastoral Theology from Ave Maria University. His experience includes preaching retreats, priest convocations, teaching theology at the graduate level, instructing adult catechesis courses, being a guest lecturer at seminaries, and giving presentations and trainings for numerous parishes, dioceses, movements, and institutions in the Church. He also has articles published in Notre Dame’s Church Life Journal. Peter currently advises a team that serves over 150 ministries around the world, including dioceses, parishes, and military bases. He lives in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin with his wife and eight children.

Andrea Jackson has over a decade of experience activating the laity for fruitful mission in the world. A graduate of Harvard University and Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Andrea has a degree in English and a Master of Divinity. She began her career equipping students at Harvard for evangelical outreach on campus and subsequently spent four years in a Boston parish training parishioners to live the lay apostolate. Andrea is a co-author of the Evangelical Catholic’s Reach More Mission Training curriculum for laity as well as accompanying training material for staff and clergy. She has led workshops and trainings for numerous parish and campus groups including Notre Dame’s Echo program for Catechetical Leaders, Notre Dame’s Master in Divinity program, Northwestern and Yale Catholic centers, and parishes across the country. As a consultant with the Evangelical Catholic, Andrea coaches pastors and staff in the best practices to equip parishioners for apostolic prayer and action in the world.

As a Senior Ministry Consultant and Content Writer, Andre advises parishes in implementing the Reach More™ mission process, delivers parish missions and training events, and continually works to expand the EC’s formation and training materials. He has worked in Catholic ministry and education since 2003 and holds a master’s degree in theology from Marquette University. Andre lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and their four children.