Each person is created with an inherent dignity because each person is created in the image of God. Knowing how the human person is made, and for what the human person is made is essential to our flourishing. To that end, we'll take a look at what we are and how we pursue relationships with others and, most importantly, God. Father Jacob-Bertrand Janczyk, O.P., is the Director of Vocations of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph. He entered the Order of Preachers in 2010 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2017. Following his ordination, Father Jacob-Bertrand served as the assistant chaplain at Aquinas House, the Catholic campus ministry at Dartmouth College. He is also a host of the podcast Godsplaining and co-author of the book, St. Dominic's Way of Life: A Path to Knowing and Loving God

Franciscan Roots and Shoots of Laudato Si: Ecotheology, Catholic Social Teaching, & Caring for our Common Home Do Catholic Christians care about non-human creation? What about environmental justice concerns? Who was Francis of Assisi, and what does he have to do with Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'? Was he an environmentalist? How does Franciscan ecotheology inform Church Social Teaching on the environment? In this talk, our speaker will offer us an overview of a Catholic cosmological vision for the 21st century. Brother Cristofer Fernández, OFM Conv., as a GMU alum, brings his professional and religious background to this discussion about the promise of nature and how the Catholic understanding of creation invites us to consider the Earth as our common home. Retrieving from Franciscan sources the riches of the theological tradition, this talk will elaborate on why we are in one sense both in the world and of the world, and tie the tenants of faith in revelation, creation, and eschatology together in the Pope's 2015 contribution to Catholic Social Doctrine. The speaker for this episode is a Conventual Franciscan Friar of the East Coast/Our Lady of the Angels Province. Hailing from Lorton, VA, Friar Cristofer Fernández is a fellow Patriot and alumnus of GMU! In 2017, he obtained his Bachelors of Science in Environmental & Conservation Biology from Mason...As an undergrad he was greatly involved in CCM (student ministry team), FOCUS bible studies, and other extracurriculars on campus; he was a student of the Honors College and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, and a research scholar and teaching assistant in the College of Science. Prior to entering religious life, Friar had worked for the Department of the Interior, conducted tropical ecology research in Costa Rica, and served on the Alumni Council of the Student Conservation Association (SCA). He is a religious brother completing his graduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Theology, Religion, and Culture. What A Wonderful World With David Attenborough The Shrine of St. Anthony in Ellicott City - HD Drone Video

Terry Riggins will speak on the nature of the battle with evil in our lives, how to recognize the tactics of the enemy and what are our spiritual weapons, without which we cannot overcome. For over 10 yrs, Terry Riggins has been Coordinator of the Diocesan Spiritual Assistance Ministry, appointed by the bishop to assist those who feel they are suffering from demonic affliction.  She has attended national and international conferences on Deliverance Ministry and  works to train and  develop lay deliverance  prayer teams that  offer the Unbound model of deliverance  prayer for our Diocese. She is a graduate of the Masters Catechist program and an RCIA catechist at Nativity Catholic Church. She has been on mission trips to Ukraine, China and Mexico, and even at the local strip mall, sharing the truth that God’s ways work and His promises are true!

The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist Sister Mary Kolbe and Sister Paula Jean Miller The Mission of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist flows from our consecration to the Church within the Mystery of the Eucharist as the “Source and Summit” of the Christian Life. “In a world that knows the rupture between the Sacred and the secular, the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist endeavor in all their apostolic works to lead the people they serve to a restored sense of the Sacred. As a means to this end the Sisters’ apostolic efforts in education, counseling, health care, care of the aging and manual work are directed to increasing a sense of the full meaning of the sacramental life of the Church.” Sister Paula Jean Miller, F.S.E., is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, whose motherhouse is in Meriden, Connecticut.  Sister Paula Jean received her license and doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Lateran in Rome, through the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C., in 1993.  Her teaching of marriage and family studies, the theology of the body, moral theology, sexuality, bioethics, and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, has spanned over 30 years in five seminaries, as well as the University of St. Thomas in Houston TX, where she founded, directed, and taught in a Catholic Studies Program. She now works in the Office of Canonical Affairs in the Diocese of Arlington, as Administrative Assistant to the Chancellor. Her research has focused on St. Bonaventure, communion ecclesiology, semiotics, and the thoughts of John Paul II, Benedict XVI., von Balthasar, and Maximus the Confessor. Publications include four books and numerous articles in theological journals. Books: Religious Life: A New and Special Bond, Chapter II: “The Spousal Bond”, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2009. Members of One Body, Prophets, Priests and Kings: An Ecclesiology of Mission, Alba House, 1999. Marriage: The Sacrament of Divine-Human Communion, A Commentary on St. Bonaventure's Theology of Marriage, Franciscan Press, 1996. Mapping the Catholic Cultural Landscape, (editor), Rowman and Littlefield (Sheed and Ward), 2004. Sister Mary Kolbe Heffern, F.S.E, is a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of St. Thomas in Houston (where she was a student of Sister Paula Jean Miller, FSE), she entered the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. She completed an MA in Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut and is a Montessori-trained Elementary guide. She has taught Religion, Spanish and Fourth Grade in Catholic elementary schools and currently teaches six-to-twelve-year-olds in the Montessori Elementary Environment at Siena Academy in Great Falls

As Catholic Christians we are called to love God with our whole selves, body, mind and soul. However, in the Christian journey, we often find ourselves neglecting our own health and well-being at the service of our God-given mission. Kara will share her story of how she has navigated her spiritual, mental, and physical health through her many years in ministry work and as she has stepped into her primary vocation of wife and mother. Kara Lilly is a George Mason University and Catholic Patriot Alum. She graduated with a B.A. in music and theater in 2015. She served as a student leader within the Catholic Campus Ministry all four years including two years as Student Campus Minister. Upon graduating, she entered into full-time youth ministry in the Diocese of Arlington at the Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria and St. Bernadette in Springfield. She married her CCM sweetheart, John Lilly, in May 2017 and gave birth to her daughter, Bella Therese, in April 2020. After leaving her full-time ministry work, she strives to continue her mission in leading others to Jesus through her entrepreneurial pursuits. She is the owner of Kara Loryn Photography LLC helping Catholic Christian couples, families and individuals capture sacred moments in their lives and she helps others experience freedom in their health journey as an Independent Optavia Health Coach.

Pizza, Pasta and Prescription: Go Out and Set the World Ablaze.  Dr. Bruchalski earned his medical degree from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 1987. He completed his OB/GYN residency at Eastern Virginia Medical Center and the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia in 1991. He received board certification in 1993. During his residency, Dr. Bruchalski performed abortions out of a desire to help women, but realized abortion was not achieving the freedom, health, and happiness they sought. Dr. Bruchalski returned to the Catholic faith and felt God’s call to start a medical specialty practice that truly helped women.  In 1994, Dr. Bruchalski founded Tepeyac in Fairfax, VA, committed to serving all women regardless of their beliefs, background, or financial situation. In 2000, he founded Divine Mercy Care that raises funds to cover the cost of prenatal care for approximately 30% of Tepeyac’s pregnant patients who are in financial need.

In a world whose motto is "let's get it done" Mary teaches us to say "let it be done". Mary will walk us through the dispositions of knowing and doing God's will in the extraordinary and ordinary moments of daily life.   Carmen "China" Briceño is a Consecrated Virgin and has dedicated her life to the work of missions and evangelization. She is the founder of Sacred Print which seeks to evangelize through art and beauty. Check out her Christian Art shop with all original designs! www.sacredprint.com

How do we live joyfully when anger, loneliness, and confusion seem to surround us? Scripture makes it clear – true joy only comes from living for Christ. The talk aims to answer three questions: What is stealing our joy and how do we stop it? What specific role does our Christian faith play in causing our joy? How do we share that joy and our faith with others who do not seem to want it? Ricky was born and raised in the Diocese of Arlington. Fast forward to college – he attended Mason as an undergrad and worked for the Admissions office for 4 years after graduating in 2010. God brought him to Saint John Paul the Great High School in Dumfries, VA as a school counselor for the next five years. During the summer of 2018 God made his next step known in adoration at the Diocesan WorkCamp and in the fall of 2019 he began his studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD. God-willing he will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in 2024 and to the priesthood in 2025.

Things You Learn About Your Vocation in College and Why it Matters! Derek was born and raised outside of Buffalo, NY where he lived on a farm with his family. He met his beautiful wife Bethany while attending Christendom College. After getting married, they started youth ministry programs for their tiny parish before moving to the Diocese of Arlington to serve in youth ministry full time. Since 2010, Derek and Bethany have served as Directors of Youth Ministers at two different parishes and continue to grow their own family of future youth group members. They write and perform music together and find time to watch movies and play games as often as possible.

As we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Victory, Mary will share how the Rosary has been a crucial part of her ongoing faith journey as a wife and mother. Through her storytelling, she will show how Our Lady has walked with her through great celebration and unimaginable grief, always pointing her home to her Son. The Rosary is Our Lady’s call to battle, one that we should all keep in our arsenal of prayer. Mary Lenaburg is a full-time Catholic speaker and author of Be Brave in the Scared, which earned a 2020 Excellence in Publishing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers. Her second book Be Bold in the Broken, was published March 12, 2021. She has given keynotes at conferences internationally, including The Edel Gathering, the Genius Women’s Conference, the Fiat Conference in Pasadena, CA,  Military Council for Catholic Women European Retreat, and at the Women of the Word Conference in Toronto, Canada. A writer with Take Up & Read, her work has appeared in five meditation books. She also has contributed to two other books. She has appeared on Catholic radio, TV, and podcasts, including The Jennifer Fulwiler Show, EWTN’s Pro-Life Weekly, The Hallie Lord Show, The Gist, Busted Halo, and Fountains of Carrots. Her mission is to accompany women to be brave in the scared and bold in the broken as they embrace their God-given purpose.