COURAGE & ENCOURAGE ANNUAL CONFERENCE
BENEDICTINE COLLEGE – ATCHISON, KS
July 15 – 18, 2021
IN-PERSON & ONLINE THIS YEAR!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CONFERENCE FLYER
CONFERENCE PRESENTERS
Fr. Philip G. Bochanski
Fr. Philip Bochanski has served as Executive Director of Courage International, Inc. since January 1, 2017. Father was Chaplain for the Courage apostolate in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for five years, before being appointed to the position of Associate Director in January 2015. An award-winning author, he has written and edited several books, audio series, and articles on various aspects of Church history, catechesis and spirituality. In 2019, Pope Francis awarded Father Bochanski the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, given in recognition of “sustained and exceptional service” to the Church.
Fr. Colin Blatchford
Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Knoxville in 2014, Father Blatchford received his B.A. in philosophy from Ave Maria University in 2006, and completed his seminary training at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Father Blatchford began serving as Associate Director of the Courage apostolate on September 8, 2020. Prior to receiving the appointment, Father Blatchford had been the Chaplain for Courage and EnCourage in his home Diocese of Knoxville, a position which he held for two and a half years. He has been aware of the work of Courage for 15 years, since first meeting Fr. Harvey at Ave Maria University in Florida.
Mary Rice Hasson, J.D.
Mary Rice Hasson, is the Kate O’Beirne Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., where she directs the Catholic Women’s Forum, a network of Catholic professional women and scholars. Mary is also co-founder of the Person and Identity Project, an initiative that equips parents and faith-based institutions with the resources they need to counter gender ideology and promote the truth about the human person. An attorney and policy expert, Mary has been a keynote speaker for the Holy See during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, addressing education, women and work, caregiving, and gender ideology. Mary and her husband Seamus Hasson have seven grown children, and one granddaughter.
Fr. Ricardo Pineda, CPM
Fr. Ricardo was born into a Catholic family of both Salvadoran and Mexican descent and is a native of San Diego, California. He joined the Fathers of Mercy as a postulant in July of 2008 and, following his one-year novitiate, he professed his first year of temporary vows of Obedience, Poverty, and Chastity on August 14, 2009. He graduated from Holy Apostles College and Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Fathers of Mercy in May of 2013. For three years, he served as an associate pastor of four small parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville. In June of 2016, he was reassigned to the Fathers of Mercy Mission Band. He also currently serves as the community’s Treasurer General.
Fr. Malachy Joseph Napier, CFR
Fr. Malachy is originally from Georgia, the second oldest of eight children in the family – six boys and two girls. In 2008 he joined the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, making his final vows in 2014, and being ordained to the priesthood just last year in May of 2020. During seminary he focused his studies on the anthropology of John Paul II and Edith Stein, which culminated in writing a thesis on the topic of sexual identity and gender ideology from the Catholic perspective. In his final year of seminary, he was blessed to work with Courage and receive formation and experiences that have shaped his priesthood already. Currently he serves in the CFR's mission in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, where his principle work is with youth and prisoners.
Deacon Patrick Lappert, MD
Patrick W. Lappert, MD, is chaplain for Courage in the Diocese of Birmingham and divides his time between his private practice of plastic surgery and serving as deacon at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church in Decatur, Alabama. Deacon Lappert was raised in a Jewish home, but lived most of his adult life as an atheist. He converted and was received into the Catholic Church in 1995. As a certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Lappert established the Craniofacial Reconstructive Surgery Unit, as well as the Wound Care Center for the largest medical-treatment facility in the world. A veteran of the Naval Service, he retired with the rank of Captain, USN, after serving for twenty-four years. He also served for three years with the United States Marine Corps, flying in the F4 Phantom with VMFA-451. Deacon Lappert has been married to Patrice Ann Oberst for thirty-four years. They have six grown children.
Dr. Greg Bottaro
Dr. Greg Bottaro is a Catholic Psychologist who directs the CatholicPsych Institute and developed Catholic Mindfulness. Before getting his doctorate, he spent four years living as a Franciscan Friar. Under the mentorship of Fr. Benedict Groeschel, he formed a spirituality based on Abandonment to Divine Providence which he now applies to psychological principles in his practice. Dr. Bottaro ultimately discerned a call to family life; he and his wife Barbra have been married for eight years, and they now have six children.
Dr. Christopher Gross
A native of Virginia, Dr. Christopher Gross earned his B.A. in political science and religion from Hampden-Sydney College. After completing his M.T.S. at Harvard Divinity School, he earned his Ph.D. from Catholic University of America. Dr. Gross is currently an assistant professor at Divine Mercy University, where he teaches courses in theological anthropology and virtue ethics. His research has appeared in academic journals such as The Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, The Journal of Moral Theology, and The Journal of Psychology and Theology. His current research interests are in the area of Thomistic virtue ethics, bioethics, and marriage formation. He resides in Manassas, VA, with his wife Jennifer and their seven young children.
SAINT JOSEPH: MODEL OF COURAGEOUS LOVE
This year our conference will be presented through the lens of St. Joseph, model of courageous love. His complete surrender to the will of God shows us the sole path to holiness. As the spouse of the Mother of God and Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, he models self-sacrificial love. As Head of the Holy Family and Foster Father of Jesus, he shows us not only how to love as a parent, but also how to be loved as a child of God.
Prayer to Saint Joseph
O Glorious Saint Joseph
O glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin,
obtain for me a pure, humble, and charitable mind,
and perfect resignation to the Divine Will.
Be my guide, father, and model through life
that I may merit to die as you did
in the arms of Jesus and Mary.
Amen.
SPIRITUAL SUPPORT
We kindly invite you to support our apostolate with your prayers by joining us in this spiritual bouquet that will be offered during the closing Mass at the end of the conference.
Please add your prayers to the bouquet at this link.
Para información en español, haga clic aquí
This year, our conference is being offered both IN-PERSON and ONLINE. The registration button above is for either type of registration. See below for pricing.
Information on travelling to Kansas can be found here.
PRICING
IN-PERSON ATTENDEES
FULL CONFERENCE:$375.00 per person
Includes overnight accommodations (3 nights) and all meals from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch.
COMMUTER PRICES (including meals):
Thursday: $65.00
Friday: $100.00
Saturday: $110.00
Sunday: $40.00
CLERGY TRACK (for clergy only):NO CHARGE
Special program on Wednesday, July 14 – click here to see schedule. Includes lunch. Free-will offerings gratefully accepted. Lodging may be arranged at the participant’s expense. See registration form for clergy track accommodation options plus full conference rates.
ONLINE ATTENDEES
FULL CONFERENCE:$35.00
Fixed rate includes virtual attendance at full conference for registrant and his/her household.
Registrants must be 18 or older.
PLEASE NOTE: The Clergy Day on Wednesday, July 14th will NOT be offered on Zoom; it is only available for in-person clergy registrants.
IMPORTANT: All Zoom registrants will receive an email at the end of the day on Friday, July 2nd with a link to complete the Zoom conference registration process in the Zoom platform. If you do not complete this step of the process, you will not receive your confirmation emails and links to participate in the webinar or breakout meetings. Please keep track of your Zoom invites as we will be unable to issue new ones during the conference itself.
We encourage attendees to familiarize themselves with the Zoom webinar platform by reading Zoom Basics for Webinar Attendees.
Questions about registration? Please contact us here.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Click here for a PDF of the general conference schedule, July 15-18.
Click here for a PDF of the Clergy Track schedule on July 14 (not shown below).
*Times are listed as Central Daylight Time.
The main conference talks on the schedule below will be simultaneously interpreted into Spanish for Zoom Spanish attendees.
Click here for Zoom Spanish registration and to see the full Spanish schedule, including offerings exclusively for Spanish speakers.
Thursday – July 15, 2021
TIME* | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER/CELEBRANT |
| 2:00 – 5:30 pm | Registration | |
| 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Welcome for First-Time Attendees | Courage Staff |
| 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Celebration of Mass | Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, D.D., Archbishop of Kansas City in Kansas |
| 7:00 – 8:00 pm | Dinner | |
| 8:00 – 9:30 pm | Consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph | Dr. Greg Bottaro |
| 9:30 – 11:00 pm | Healing Prayer Service Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) available | Various Priests |
Friday – July 16, 2021
TIME* | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER/CELEBRANT |
| 7:00 – 7:30 am | Misa en Español | Bishop David Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 7:30 – 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 am | Welcome: Comments on the State of the Apostolate | Fr. Philip G. Bochanski |
| 9:30 – 10:45 am | Celebration of Mass | Bishop Carl Kemme, Bishop of Wichita, Kansas |
| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | St. Joseph: Most Chaste Spouse | Fr. Colin Blatchford |
| 12:00 – 1:00 pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30 – 2:45 pm | St. Joseph: Pillar of Families text St. Joseph: Most Courageous (EnCourage Parents of Children with Gender Identity Discordance) | Dr. Greg Bottaro text Mary Rice Hasson, JD |
| 3:15 – 4:45 pm | Courage and EnCourage Meetings: text Courage Men Courage Women EnCourage Mothers of SSA Children EnCourage Fathers of SSA Children EnCourage Spouses EnCourage Parents of Children with Gender Identity Discordance | Moderators: text Various Yvonne M. (Courage member) & Fr. Salzillo, O.P. Fr. Nathan Reesman Fr. Philip G. Bochanski Fr. Colin Blatchford Fr. Kyle Schnippel |
| 5:00 – 6:00 pm | Free Time text Meeting for Chaplains and Group Leaders | text text Fr. Philip G. Bochanski, Fr. Kyle Schnippel, and Courage Office team |
| 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Dinner | |
| 7:30 – 8:45 pm | St. Joseph: Husband of Mary & Virginal Father of Jesus | Fr. Ricardo Piñeda, CPM |
| 9:30 pm – 6:45 am | Eucharistic Adoration (throughout the night, opening with Rosary) |
Saturday – July 17, 2021
TIME* | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER/CELEBRANT |
| 6:45 am | Benediction | |
| 7:00 – 7:30 am | Misa en Español | TBD |
| 7:30 – 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 9:30 – 10:30 am | Celebration of Mass | Bishop John LeVoir, Bishop Emeritus of New Ulm, Minnesota |
| 11:00 am – 12:00 pm | St. Joseph the Worker: Model of Masculine Virtue text St. Joseph: Solace of the Grieved (EnCourage Parents of Children with Gender Identity Discordance) | Fr. Ricardo Piñeda, CPM text Dr. Christopher Gross |
| 12:30 – 1:30 pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Master of the Interior Life: The Seven Sorrows & Joys of St. Joseph text St. Joseph: Mirror of Patience (EnCourage Parents of Children with Gender Identity Discordance) | Fr. Ricardo Piñeda, CPM text Deacon Patrick Lappert, M.D |
| 3:15 – 4:45 pm | Workshops: text True Devotion to St. Joseph St. Joseph: Head of the Holy Family (EnCourage Parents of Children with Gender Identity Discordance) EnCourage Parents/Courage Men EnCourage Parents/Courage Women Chastity Introduction to Sports Camp | Moderators: text Fr. Ricardo Piñeda, CPM Fr. Malachy Joseph Napier, CFR text Fr. Colin Blatchford Yvonne M. (Courage member) Neill M. (Courage member) Patrick S. (Courage member) |
| 4:45 – 6:00 pm | Free Time ~ optional Rosary at Mary’s Grotto | |
| 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Dinner | |
| 7:30 – 8:45 pm | Courage and EnCourage Member Testimonies | Gary H., Courage Woman, George & Sharon |
| 9:15 – 11:00 pm | Social |
Sunday – July 18, 2021
TIME* | ACTIVITY | SPEAKER/CELEBRANT |
| 7:00 – 7:30 am | Misa en Español | TBD |
| 7:30 – 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 – 10:15 am | St Joseph: Most Faithful and Most Obedient | Fr. Philip G. Bochanski |
| 11:15 – 11:30 am | Memorial for Deceased Courage Members and Chaplains | |
| 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Celebration of Mass | Archbishop Michael Byrnes, Archbishop of Agaña, Guam |
| 12:30 pm | Lunch to go/Departures |