2019

HOUSTON

CHAPTER EVENTS

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Michael O’Neill

Author and MiracleHunter.com creator, Michael

O’Neill, delves into the fascinating world of miracles

and takes his audience on a hunt that reveals what

constitutes a miracle, how miracles are investigated

and approved and the role they play in the lives of

the faithful. Michael was a consultant for the National Geographic December 2015 cover story

and the map about the Virgin Mary "The Most

Powerful Woman in the World."

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Guy Gruters Locked up with God

Guy Gruters graduated from the Air Force Academy

and after Pilot Training and fighter gunnery school,

volunteered for Vietnam. He served six years—five as

a POW. He completed more than 400 combat missions

and was awarded more than 30 combat awards

including two Silver Stars, two DFCs, two purple

hearts, two bronze stars for valor, a Presidential Unit

citation, 20 air medals and numerous other medals.

He was shot down twice and captured the second time.

Guy speaks of his captivity at the Hanoi Hilton.

Guy later became a successful international account

representative at IBM, and later was president of PC

Software Systems for more than ten years. Upon

retiring from Eastern, Guy took the position of Director

of Data Processing for Pearl Vision in Dallas and then

VP-MIS for McCrory Corporation in Pennsylvania,

both billion dollar corporations.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Abby Johnson

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Patrick Novecosky Finding the Truth in an Age of Fake News

Patrick Novecosky is a dynamic and effective speaker

with nearly two decades’ experience informing and

entertaining audiences across North America. He began

his career behind the microphone with several stints as

a stand-up comedian in college. However, when God

called him to a life of lay ministry in the Catholic

Church, his writing and speaking career took a radical

turn. His riveting testimony has drawn praise from a

wide range of audiences, including clergy and bishops

Tuesday

May 21, 2019

Dr. Marcellino

D’Ambrosio

Our chapter will welcome back Dr. D’Ambrosio,

world renowned author, speaker, and commentator on

religious issues. With a Ph.D. in theology, nine years

of university teaching, and hundreds of published

articles, he has a wealth of knowledge and knows how

to make it accessible to a wide audience. Known on

social media as “Dr. Italy” he appears weekly on a

variety of TV and radio programs. His books include

the #8 New York Times bestseller, “The Guide to the

Passion: 100 Questions on the Passion of the Christ.”

How the Church investigates

the Supernatural

During h er eight years with Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson quickly rose in the organization’s ranks and became a clinic director. All of that changed on September 26, 2009 when Abby was asked to assist with an ultrasound-guided abortion. A dramatic transformation took place and she swore she would begin to advocate for life in the womb and expose abortion for what it truly is. She is a frequently requested guest on Fox News and a variety of other shows and the author of the nationally best-selling book, Unplanned, which chronicles both her experiences within Planned Parenthood and her dramatic exit. She is the founder of And Then There Were None, a ministry designed to assist abortion clinic workers out of the industry. To-date, this ministry has helped over 300 workers leave the abortion industry.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Bert Ghezzie

The Angry Christian

\

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Chris Stepien

Dying to be Happy

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Debra Herbeck

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Ralph Martin

What is the New

Evangelization- why

bother?

Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries, an

organization devoted to Catholic renewal and

evangelization in 30 countries. Ralph is also the

director of graduate theology programs in

evangelization and is a professor of theology at Sacred

Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

He holds a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum

University in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI appointed

Ralph as a Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the

New Evangelization. He was also appointed as a

peritus (theological expert) for the Synod on the New Evangelization, which was held in Rome in 2012.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Brian Burch

“The Catholic Vote”

Brian Burch is the co-founder of Fidelis, the

sponsoring non-profit organization behind

CatholicVoteAction.org, which Brian also founded in

2008. Brian has been involved in politics and non-

profit advocacy work for over 10 years. He has

appeared on CNN, NBC-NY, and has been published

in the National Catholic Register, Crisis Magazine,

Legatus Magazine and other publications. Brian is a

graduate of the University of Dallas, and is married

with six children living in the suburbs of Chicago.

2019

HOUSTON

CHAPTER EVENTS

After receiving his Ph.D. from Notre Dame, Bert Ghezzi taught history for seven years at a state university. He has had a long career in Christian publishing, writing twenty bo oks including Voices of the Saints, and Mystics and Mira cles and most recently The Angry Christian. At this time when anger runs at a high pitch in our society, Bert Ghezzi offers biblically-based advice that shows how to use it wisely. He corrects the mistaken view that anger is alwa ys bad and sinful. Bert explains that under the power o f the Holy Spirit, we can transform our anger into occasions of grace. He shows how anger can fuel our evangelization and drive our concern for caring for the poor and marginalized.

Detroit native Chris Stepien began his professional

journalistic caree r as a television producer-director

and writer for A BC. After working eight years at

WXYZ-TV, Detro it, and winning six EMMY awards

for documentaries, sports and celebrity specials, and

children’s progra mming, Stepien left broadcasting

and co-founded Adventure, Inc., a Detroit-based

video/film produ ction company. Currently, Stepien

is the writer, creativ e director, and owner of Stepien

Creative Services, Inc. Stepien is also the author of Three Days: The Search for the Boy Messiah,

a Biblical novel about pre-teen Jesus.

Debra Herbeck is an author, speaker and mentor. She shares with many her journey of faith from Judaism to Christianity and subsequent entrance into the Catholic Church. For the past thirty years, Debbie has worked extensively in youth and women’s ministry, evangelizing on university campuses. Debbie is the founder and leader of the Be Love Revolution, a ministry that helps young women know the love of Jesus, to live freely and confidently, and be empowered to spread love to all they meet. Debbie helps lead i.d.916, a ministry focused on helping young adult Catholics live as intentional disciples and respond to 2019 call for a New Evangelization.