Welcome to the Apostolic Age
Priests for an Apostolic Age is a conference for Catholic priests who desire a prayerful, inspiring, and hopeful environment. This conference inspires priests to approach their ministry in new ways and provide a vision, tools, and support to activate the laity in their communities to live a life on mission.
The Evangelical Catholic
The Evangelical Catholic is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming lay people into intentional disciple makers who are excited and equipped to go out and evangelize their communities in the context of trusting friendships. They are excited to announce the second year of this conference experience designed specifically for priests to give them the skills and tools they need to activate their parishioners as effective Catholic missionaries in their own communities. “Priests for an Apostolic Age” provides priests with the opportunity to gather with others who share similar convictions on evangelization, learn how an outdated understanding of the parish could be holding them back, and how to leverage their influence to activate a movement of missionary disciples. The event takes place January 21-24, 2025 in San Antonio, TX.
Avery Cardinal Dulles Apostolic Activity Award
At its second Priests for an Apostolic Age Conference, an innovative gathering of clergy focused on working together to advance the Gospel in a modern context, the Evangelical Catholic hosted the Avery Cardinal Dulles Apostolic Activity Award Banquet. The ceremony honored two individuals for responding to the Great Commission of “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.”
The Awards Banquet was the capstone of the Priests for an Apostolic Age Conference, an event co-sponsored by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI), specifically created to equip bishops, priests, and deacons for apostolic leadership. This year’s conference was attended by 150 members of the clergy, including four bishops, who received inspiration and practical tools to recharge their ministries and instill a culture of missionary discipleship in their communities.
The awards come from a question first posed at the Second Vatican Council: “How does the Church of the 20th century respond to the Master’s Ultimate Commandment?” In answer to the question, the Council sought to clarify the Church’s mission both within (ad intra) and reaching outward (ad extra) to more fruitfully make disciples.
Priests for an Apostolic Age 2025
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Priests for an Apostolic Age Spokespeople
Meet the Spokespersons
Jason Simon
President
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.
Daniel Cellucci
CEO, Catholic Leadership Institute
Dan Cellucci is CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute, an apostolate providing leadership training and consulting to more than 290 bishops, 2,700 priests, and over 35,000 deacons, religious and lay leaders in more than 120 dioceses. Prior to his election as CEO, Dan served as Senior Vice President for Catholic Leadership Institute, working as the primary liaison with bishops and overseeing the apostolate’s marketing and services. Dan is a sought-after advisor, consultant, and presenter for the Church, playing a lead role in projects in the Archdioceses of Miami and Boston as well as the Diocese of Pittsburgh and at the North American College. Dan has served for the past two years as a member of the National Advisory Council for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Lisa Brenninkmeyer
Founder, Walking With Purpose
After hearing story after story of women looking for a safe place to ask questions about faith and needing ways to refuel, Lisa decided to do something to bring change. The result of her holy discontent is Walking with Purpose. Lisa is crazy about women, loves Christ passionately, and thinks the most exciting thing in the world is to connect the former with the latter. Lisa holds a bachelor’s in psychology from St. Olaf College and is pursuing her master’s in theology from Franciscan University. She and her husband Leo have seven children and five grandchildren and reside in St. Augustine, Florida.
Sample Interview Questions
- The Evangelical Catholic has been around since 1998. For those unfamiliar, can you briefly describe how the ministry began and what an “evangelical Catholic” is?
- The Evangelical Catholic is perhaps best known for forming lay people for missionary outreach. Why did you see it necessary to host an event specifically for priests and deacons?
- What can clergy expect by attending this conference? What are your greatest hopes in terms of short-term and long-term outcomes?
- Can you share about the pre-event gathering sponsored by OSV and any other standout speakers/partners that you are particularly excited about?
- Where can people go to learn more about the event, and how can they register?
Media Requests
Contact Joan Runyon at ecevents@evangelicalcatholic.org for interview requests.