Fr. Brian Gannon
Fr. Gannon is Executive Director of Courage International. He is a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport, ordained on May 24, 1997. Father was born in Connecticut and is one of seven children. He received an S.T.L and an S.T.D in Moral Theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome, Italy and spent time teaching in various Catholic schools in Connecticut and New York. He is a professor of Moral Theology at the Major Seminary in New York and pastor at St. Theresa in Trumbull, Connecticut. Fr. Gannon previously assisted Fr. Check with the local Courage chapter in Bridgeport and he also gave the nihil obstat for the 40th Anniversary Edition of the Courage Handbook, released in 2020.
Amy Hamilton
Amy Hamilton has been a social worker, a Fulbright scholar to Indonesia, a Sexuality Research Fellow, and an Assistant Professor. She received her Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. Her dissertation focused on the life narratives of Christians who had experienced conflicts between their spiritual and sexual identity. She is currently a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin and writes on topics related to marriage, faith, gender, and sexuality.
Amy has also given hope to many through sharing her story of personal transformation in Christ. Formerly lesbian-identified, Amy's own journey with same-sex attraction and identity confusion, combined with her academic knowledge, gives her a voice of unique authority amidst the contentious cultural conversations of the day.
Mark Houck
A former College Football All-American, high school teacher, coach and counselor turned activist, radio host, evangelist and motivational pro-life speaker, Mark Houck has done it all.
In September 2022, Mark, his wife, Ryan-Marie, and 7 young children made international news with an FBI invasion of their home. Mark was falsely charged with felony violations and faced 11 years in federal prison and $350,000 in fines for his sidewalk counseling and for defending his 12 year-old son from an aggressive abortion escort. Mark was acquitted on all charges on January 30, 2023.
In addition to his pro-life work, Mark is the founder and president of The King's Men, a non-profit men's ministry which promotes authentic masculinity, fatherhood and beloved sonship. This mission has enabled Mark to travel all around the globe as a sought after retreat leader and conference speaker.
Read more
Fr. Philip G. Bochanski
Father Philip Bochanski, a native of suburban Philadelphia, received the degrees of Master of Divinity, and Master of Arts in Theology, from Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1999. In addition to several parish assignments, he served as a high school religion teacher, chaplain to cloistered nuns, and a spiritual director for seminarians.
In 2009, Father Bochanski began serving as chaplain for the Philadelphia chapter of Courage International, an apostolate founded in 1980 to provide pastoral care for men and women who experience same sex attractions and who have made a commitment to living chastely. He was appointed associate director of the worldwide apostolate in 2015, and served as executive director of Courage International from January 2017 to June 2023.
Dr. William Junker
Dr. William Junker is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. He teaches classes ranging from The Search for Happiness to Dante’s Comedy, and particularly enjoys working through scripture and lyric poetry with his students.
Neal Lozano
Neal serves as the Executive Director of Heart of the Father Ministries bringing the message of Unbound, Freedom in Christ to the church throughout the world. Neal, a committed Roman Catholic, has more than 50 years of experience helping people find freedom in Jesus Christ. He is the author of nine books including the life-changing book Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance, now in 22 languages, and his latest, Unbound Unpacked: The Exorcising Task of the Believer. His passion is that every child of God would find someone equipped to accompany them in their pursuit of freedom from the damage of past wounds and all the works of the devil. Neal holds a Master’s Degree in Religious Education from Villanova University. He taught high school religion, and then founded a Christian community. Neal went on to lead short-term missions trips, an outreach to university students, and city-wide gatherings of Christians in the Philadelphia region. When he isn't traveling, teaching, or ministering, Neal, along with his wife, Janet, loves to spend time with his four sons, their wives, and their children.
Fr. Paul Check
Liturgy and Belief
Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi is a traditional Catholic principle maintaining that the law of prayer is the law of belief. In other words, the way we pray—especially at Mass—expresses and shapes our faith in Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him as His disciples. What is the divine architecture of the Mass, in which we are invited to participate? What grace does Our Lord offer to us when we pray and prepare to receive Him in Holy Communion? With what blessing, understanding and mission do we go forth, when the Mass is ended?
*****
Fr. Paul Check was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Bridgeport, CT in 1997. In January 2008, he succeeded Fr. John Harvey as the Executive Director of Courage, a role in which he happily served until December 2016. From 2016-2020, Fr. Check was Rector of St. John Fisher Seminary in Stamford, CT. In August 2020, Cardinal Raymond Burke appointed him the Executive Director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, WI.
Heather Voccola
The Universal Call to Holiness: Jesus Meets the Woman at the Well
Real encounter with Jesus does not begin with our personal sanctity or perfection. It happens in the messiness of life. But once we've encountered Him, the Lord calls us to a life of transformation, conversion and evangelization. How can we, as women, best live out this call?
*****
Heather Voccola serves as Executive Director of Mary and Elizabeth, an apostolate dedicated to the interior renewal of women. She has a Masters in Theology and a certification in direction through Heart of Christ Spiritual Direction. Heather currently teaches priests, religious, seminarians, and laity through Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Avila Institute, and Stella Maris Network. She serves as a supervisor in the spiritual direction program at St. Meinrad Seminary. Currently living a vow of chastity in the world within an intentional community of female missionaries, Heather has two adult daughters from a prior marriage and one son-in-law, and she will forever be grateful for the vocation of marriage and motherhood.
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk
Disordered Inclinations Within the Context of Spiritual Transformation
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as Senior Ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. Father writes and speaks widely on bioethics and medical ethics. Since 2001, he has given several hundred presentations and invited lectures, and participated in debates and roundtables on contemporary bioethics throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Sister Mary Faustina, SsEW
The Spiritual Fruitfulness of Living as Daughters of God
Women have a specific call and mission within the Church to be spiritual mothers. This call and ability flows from the reality that they daughters of God. Far from limiting their fruitfulness, their sufferings can be sources of grace and encouragement for others. This talk with focus on this truth and highlight how living out one’s vocation to holiness brings about joy in this life and eternal happiness in the next.
*****
Sister Mary Faustina, SsEW is a member of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. Sister grew up in Kentucky and joined the community in 2011. She made her final vows in 2019 and currently serves the community as vocation director.