Bishop Jerry Vincke
Bishop Vincke was born on July 9, 1964, in Saginaw, MI, the ninth of 10 children of Henry and Fidelis Vincke. He attended New Lothrop High School and Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI, where he obtained a degree in public relations and marketing. He completed his Philosophy studies at St. Thomas More College in Crestview, KY, and his Theology studies at Athenaeum Seminary in Cincinnati, OH and Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, MI. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 12, 1999, at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing, MI by Bishop Carl F. Mengeling. He was parochial vicar of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Ann Arbor, MI from 1999 to 2001. He became the director at Bethany House, a retreat house for youth, from 2001 to 2004. He attended the Creighton University for Spirituality courses in the summer of 2001. He also participated in the Institute for Priestly Formation Program at Creighton University for several summers. Additionally, he became the Director of Seminarians and Vocation Director in 2003, becoming full-time in those positions and relinquishing duties at Bethany House in 2004. In June of 2018, he was named as the Bishop-elect of the Catholic Diocese of Salina. He was ordained a bishop on August 22, 2018. Archbishop Naumann of Kansas City, KS was the principal consecrator at the episcopal ordination.
Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt
Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt was born and raised in Hays, Kansas, and graduated from Thomas More Prep/Marian High School. He then attended Kansas State University, where he received a degree in secondary education. Fr. Gale spent nine years in Manhattan, KS, at Msgr. Luckey Jr. High School as a history teacher and football, basketball, and track coach.
From 2005-2012, Fr. Gale studied at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, CO. In 2012, Fr. Gale was ordained a priest and is currently the pastor of St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center at Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS. Prior to this assignment, he served as a priest in Junction City, KS, and at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina, KS. Fr. Gale has served as a high school chaplain and vocation director for the Diocese of Salina. He is also the founder of the Prayer and Action summer mission program that has now spread to numerous dioceses throughout the country.
Katie Sciba
Katie Sciba is a national speaker known for her humor, candor, and deeply practical approach to the spiritual life. With a theology degree from Benedictine College, Katie has spent more than a decade encouraging audiences to pursue holy simplicity, cultivate intimacy with Jesus, and strengthen the domestic church. She is an eleven-time Catholic Press Award–winning columnist and the host of the Holy Simplicity podcast, where she explores the freedom and clarity that come from living with Christ as the center and ultimate pursuit. Katie lives in Omaha, Nebraska with her husband and children.
Dr. Dillon Caswell
Raised in a small town in Upstate New York, Dr. Dillon Caswell grew up surrounded by “Nopes”: dyslexia, speech disorders, and underfunded schools. But through grit, faith, and relentless purpose, he transformed those Nopes into Hopes. Now he’s a top-selling author, sought-after speaker, and elite performance expert trusted by NFL players, Special Ops, and world-class athletes. A true Hope Evangelist, Doc Dillon is passionate about working where sports science meets the soul—on a mission to crush lies, rejection, and misinformation, and replace them with truth, strength, and unshakable hope.
Bear Woznick
Bear Woznick is an internationally recognized speaker, author, broadcaster, and adventurer who inspires audiences to live with faith, courage, and heroic virtue. He is the host of the EWTN television series Long Ride Home with Bear Woznick and The Bear Woznick Adventure radio show, which reaches millions of listeners each week across the United States, SiriusXM, and podcast platforms.
A world champion surfer and bestselling author of A Surfing Guide to the Soul and Deep Adventure: The Way of Heroic Virtue, Bear speaks around the globe, especially at men’s conferences and leadership events. A Benedictine Oblate, CPA, and theology student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, he brings a unique blend of adventure, wisdom, and authentic Catholic faith to every audience. Bear and his wife, Cindy, live in Hawaii and are the parents of five adult children.
Fr. Mathias Thelen
Fr. Mathias has been the pastor of St. Patrick Catholic Parish since 2017. He is both a graduate of St. John Vianney College Seminary and of the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN where he earned bachelor degrees in both Philosophy and Catholic Studies. He attended Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit for his graduate seminary formation and after graduation was ordained a priest on June 11, 2010 for the Diocese of Lansing.
He served in several parishes for four years before joining the faculty of Sacred Heart as a spiritual director and assistant professor of theology. In 2016, Fr. Thelen earned his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. He is the author of the book, Biblical Foundations for the Role of Healing in Evangelization (Wipf and Stock, 2018) and has appeared in the documentaries Fearless (2017) and Revive (2020).
In addition to serving as Pastor of St. Patrick, Fr. Mathias is the co-founder and President of Encounter Ministries which exists to form and equip people to demonstrate the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of their spiritual gifts. He loves being a Pastor and helping people to know the saving love of Jesus.
Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards, the current Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, has been involved in Youth Ministries for the past 10 years as a Confirmation teacher and more recently as the Co-Chairman of the Saint Carlo Acutis Apostolate for the Dioceses of Salt Lake City. Michael has recently been named the Chairman of the Board for the Utah Coalition against Pornography (UCAP).
The Saint Carlo Acutis Apostolate has, over the past 2 years traveled throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City giving “Mini-Rallies” to youth ages 13-18. The purpose of these “Mini-Rallies” is to bring youth closer to Christ through the Eucharist using Saint Carlo Acutis as an example and inspiration, Saint Maria Goretti as an example of forgiveness, and Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio as an example of Faith. The “Mini-Rallies” include Mass, Adoration, Veneration of the Saints Carlo Acutis, Maria Goretti, and Jose Sanchez del Rio 1st Class Relics, lecture and Kahoot games with the youth about the Saints, and a Contemporary Choir leading praise and worship. Michael has also had the privilege of guest speaking on these amazing Saints at conferences, parishes, and dioceses, in Pennsylvania, Hawaii, California, and Texas. He travels with the Relics to give an opportunity to venerate them by those in attendance. Michael is married to his beautiful wife Rachel and they have two adult children, he is also currently in Diaconate formation for the Diocese of Salt Lake City, a retired High School History Teacher, and retired Command Chief Master Sergeant for the Utah Air National Guard.