Alex Jones was an "on-fire" Pentecostal minister in Detroit who was a completely dedicated shepherd of his flock. He greatly loved his people and they loved him. In seeking to give his flock the most genuine experience of the early Church prayer and worship services, he carefully read Scripture, the Fathers of the Church and writings of the early saints. The more he read, the more Alex came to the startling conclusion that the present day Catholic Church - and the Holy Mass - is the same exact "worship service " from the very early Church. Alex began to share his findings with his parish, and eventually Alex, and most of his parish, joined the Catholic Church. His book, No Price Too High: A Pentecostal Preacher Becomes Catholic, is his incredible story of a black Pentecostal minister's challenging and dramatic spiritual journey, and the flock that followed him. Today he preaches with his usual passion about Christ - as a Catholic deacon! The book tells the story of Alex's life from his childhood all the way to his conversion to Catholicism in 2001. It simultaneously tells the story of his wife, Donna, and her spiritual journey as well, which shows how they were not always on the same path during Alex's preparation for entering the Catholic Church. Each had to be personally, deeply convinced that this momentous, life-changing and career-changing spiritual decision was God's will for them.

Ned Dolejsi is executive director of the California Catholic Conference, the public policy arm for the Catholic Church in that state. The group has lobbied on behalf of Catholic Charities of California against the Women's Contraception Equity Act, passed in 1999, which requires Catholic Charities in 12 dioceses to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives whenever they offer prescription drug benefits to employees.

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce is the president and co-publisher of ACTA Publications (Assisting Christians To Act), a publisher of books and tapes for the Catholic/Christian market. Pierce is also a popular speaker and writer on the spirituality of work. He is the author of Spirituality @ Work: Ten Ways to Balance Your Life On-the-Job (Loyola Press, 2001), which received two major awards from the Catholic Press Association.

He is presently working on a new book on work to be published by Ave Maria Press in the Spring of 2007, tentatively titled The Sending Forth: A Spirituality for Catholics in the World of Work.

Pierce is married to Kathleen Augustine-Pierce, a Catholic junior high school teacher. The couple are the parents of nineteen-year-old twins--Abigail and Nathaniel--born on their father's 40th birthday and seventeen-year-old Zachary. The family is a member of St. Mary of the Woods Catholic parish on Chicago's northwest side.

John LaBriola is the president and founder of Lighthouse Training, a nationally recognized training and consulting company. John has spent the last fifteen years teaching persuasion skills to businesses all across the country.

As a trainer, John has experience in creating, marketing, selling and delivering custom tailored business trainings to major corporations. His trainings combine the best in personal development techniques with leading edge business skills producing tangible results. He is a gifted communicator whose ability to relate to various audiences is unsurpassed.

As a consultant, John has evaluated current state of businesses, determined future expectations, developed and implemented training to meet and exceed newly established goals. He has worked to create and implement “best practices” and to promote culture changes within companies.

As a Christian, John has been involved in church ministry for over twenty years. He has spent time as a Youth Minister, Young Adult Minister and Adult Faith Formation teacher. He has delivered hundreds of faith based missions, retreats, workshops and classes, nationally and internationally. He has extensive experience with all broadcast media, appearing frequently on Christian radio.

A subtle, yet undeniable, presence of Christian principles has been characteristic of all the work that Lighthouse Training does. John’s manuscript, Christ Centered Selling, A Scripturally Based Guide to Principled and Profitable Persuasion, is the fullest expression of his belief that one’s work can be a sacred act that can bring glory to God. His goal in writing the book is simple; to bring those who read it to a deeper relationship with God, through the practice of Christian principles at work.

Christ Centered Selling is a well written, easily accessible and thought provoking and is for Christians and non-Christians alike. John expresses the truth of Christianity in a manner that is accessible, non threatening and understandable to all. Christ Centered Selling is a guide to living in the world, without being consumed by it. Its potential impact extends far beyond the sales arena. It is, at its essence, a guide to a better relationship, with one’s self, with one another and with God.

John resides in southern California with his wife and their three beautiful daughters.

Father Larry Snyder is the president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the national membership organization of more than 1,400 local Catholic Charities agencies and institutions nationwide.

Catholic Charities USA’s members provide help and create hope for nearly seven million people a year, regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds. For more than 275 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing.

Father Snyder was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1988 and served as associate pastor at Epiphany Catholic Church in Coon Rapids, MN, from 1988 to 1990 and Nativity of Mary Church in Bloomington, MN, from 1990 to 1991.

Prior to entering the seminary, Father Snyder was a high school teacher for eight years, teaching music and German at St. Bede Academy in Peru, IL, and Marquette High School in Ottawa, IL. Father Snyder earned a bachelor’s degree from Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, IL. He also holds a master’s degree in divinity from the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN, and a MPA from Hamline University in St. Paul.

Doug Barry is the founder and Director of the Catholic apostolate Radix, as well as a husband and father of six children. For more than a decade he has traveled throughout the United States and beyond, spreading and defending the Catholic Faith. Witha dynamic and explosive style, Doug has spoken to thousands, young and old alike, through television, radio, and live appearance. He is probably best known for his direct, no holds barred approach to confronting the culture of death. He is also recognized for his one-man performance of the Passion of Christ, seen regularly on EWTN and other Christian channels throughout the world.

Tim Staples was raised in a Southern Baptist home in Virginia. Although he somewhat fell away from serious faith during his adolescent years, the preaching of several TV evangelists motivated Tim to give his life to Christ at the age of 18. Shortly thereafter Staples joined the Marine Corps to gain some much-needed discipline and get some help financing his college education. During his tour of duty he had the opportunity to participate in several Protestant ministries and bible studies. Before long, Tim enrolled in the Jimmy Swaggart Bible College and with an eye towards becoming an youth minister for the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal denomination.

However, during his final year in the Marines, Tim met a fellow soldier named Matt Dula who really challenged Tim to examine the Catholic Faith from a biblical and historical perspective. Tim's friendship with Matt sparked a two-year search for the truth. Though Tim was determined to prove Catholicism wrong, he wound up studying and praying his way right into the Roman Catholic Church!

After converting to Catholicism in 1988, Staples spent six years in formation for the priesthood. Tim began his journey towards ordination by earning a degree in philosophy from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. He then went on to study graduate theology for two additional years at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

In 1994 Tim discerned through prayer and counsel that his calling was not to be a Catholic priest, but rather to be a lay Catholic apologist and evangelist. He has been hard at work ever since producing materials to help Catholics and non-Catholics alike understand the meaning and the biblical foundation of the Catholic faith. His works include Nuts and Bolts: A Practical How-To Guide for Explaining and Defending the Catholic Church, and Twisted Scripture(CD), a critique of the Protestant doctrine of "Sola Scriptura." Tim's personal conversion story can be found in written form in the book edited by Patrick Madrid entitled Surprised by Truth - 11 Stories of Conversion to the Catholic Church. Staples' journey of conversion is also available in an audio/video version under the title The Bible Made Me Do It! (VHS, Audio Tape, Compact Disk).

In hundreds of live appearances all over the country, Tim Staples has helped thousands of people find their way home to the Catholic Church. Tim makes his extensive knowledge of Scripture available in tapes, books, and talks, helping others to see the strong biblical basis under girding Catholic doctrine. Tim’s humor and infectious enthusiasm captivate his audiences, and his unique style has brought him worldwide renown. Tim currently resides in Southern California with his wife Valerie and their infant son, Tim Jr. He is currently a staff apologist for Catholic Answers in El Cajon, CA.

Mark Brumley is president of Ignatius Press, one of the nation's largest Catholic publishing companies, and he is author of How Not to Share Your Faith and a contributor to The Five Issues That Matter Most. He is also the former director of Communications and of the Office for Social Ministries of the Diocese of San Diego.

Mark Brumley is a regular guest on television and radio regarding the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II, and issues of faith in contemporary society. He is an adjunct professor of theology for the Institute for Pastoral Theology of Ave Maria University. His articles have appeared in such publications as The Catholic World Report, the National Catholic Register, Catholic Dossier, The Catholic Faith, This Rock, and National Review Online.

Formerly the associate publisher of The Southern Cross, the diocesan paper of San Diego, he is presently the associate publisher of the online magazine, IgnatiusInsight.com.

Dr. Ray Guarendi is a home-schooling father of 10, clinical psychologist, author, public speaker and a radio host. He can be heard weekdays on "The Doctor is In!" radio program, which is broadcast on ihradio.org, avemariaradio.net, Relevant Radio or wdeo.org. His experience includes school districts, Head Start programs, mental health centers, substance abuse programs, inpatient psychiatric centers, juvenile courts, and a private practice.

Dr. Guarendi has been a regular guest on national radio and television, including Oprah, Joan Rivers, Scott Ross Prime Time, 700 Club, Gordon Elliot, and CBS This Morning. He's appeared on regional radio and television shows in over 40 states and Canada. He has been the program psychologist for Cleveland's Morning Exchange, Pittsburgh 2-Day, and AM Indiana. He has written several books, including You're a Better Parent Than You Think!, now in its twenty-first printing, Back to the Family and his newest book is Discipline That Lasts a Lifetime.

Randolph Roque Calvo was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the seventh Bishop of Reno on December 23, 2005. Bishop Calvo was born on August 28, 1950, in Agaña, Guam. As a child, he moved with his family to San Francisco where he attended elementary school. He completed his clerical formation at Saint Joseph College Seminary in Mountain View, California, and at Saint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, California. Shortly thereafter, he earned a doctorate in canon law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome. He was ordained to the presbyterate on May 21, 1977 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and served as parochial vicar at Holy Name Parish in San Francisco (1977 - 1979) and at Saint Pius Parish in Redwood City (1979 - 1982). From 1982 to 1986, he studied canon law in Rome. He served as Vice Judicial Vicar for the San Francisco archdiocese (1986 -1987) and then as Judicial Vicar (1987 - 1997). In 1997, he was appointed as Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redwood City, California. He also taught canon law at Saint Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park. His episcopal ordination and installation was February 17, 2006 in Reno, Nevada.

Founded in 1997 by Curtis Martin, FOCUS, The Fellowship of Catholic University Students, is a national outreach to college campuses, both to secular and Catholic schools. Through small group Bible studies, large group leadership training, and one-on-one discipleship, FOCUS brings the fullness of life and truth in the Catholic Church to college students, and gives the tools to help them share this good news with their friends. FOCUS is working to play a vital role in the “new evangelization” called for by Pope John Paul II.

FOCUS takes recent college graduates, trains them in the teachings of the Church, Scripture and practical aspects of ministry, and sends them out typically in teams of four to serve on college campuses. FOCUS staff members make a two-year commitment to this fulltime work. FOCUS works with the blessing of the local bishop and the support of the local pastor and existing campus ministry(ies).

Joe has been married to his wife Christine for 16 years. The couple has been blessed with five children, all home-schooled. He is currently the Executive Director of Project Moses, which is dedicated to assisting all people in embracing the essential duties of living a life of truth, charity and justice through a strong adherence to God's Ten Commandments.

Joe has recently spoken at First Lady, Laura Bush’s Inaugural Tea, January 22, 2005, the Wyoming, Louisiana, Texas and Ohio State Knights of Columbus Conventions, and the Nebraska, Ohio, California and Louisiana Knights of Columbus District Deputy training seminars. He has also taken part in numerous national radio interviews, including Al Kresta in the Afternoon, Morning Air and KLOVE’s “Another Look.”

Marcus Grodi and his wife Marilyn were both “cradle Protestants.” Marcus received his BS degree from Case Institute of Technology in Polymer Engineering and worked for six years as an engineer. During this time he was involved in a variety of Protestant youth and music ministries. He then received his Master of Divinity Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was ordained to the Protestant pastoral ministry. During his more than fifteen years of youth, young adult, and pastoral ministry, his main emphasis was church and lay spiritual renewal. Marilyn, Marcus, and their two older sons, Jon Marc and Peter, were received into the Catholic Church on December 20, 1992. Their third son, Richard, entered through baptism.

Marcus now serves as the President / Executive Director of The Coming Home Network International, a non-profit Catholic lay apostolate aimed at helping our separated brethren, both clergy and laity, come home to the Catholic Church. He also hosts The Journey Home, a weekly live television program, and Deep In Scripture, a weekly live radio program, both on EWTN. He is the author of the novel How Firm a Foundation and the editor/author of Journeys Home. He has taught courses in Catechetics, Youth Ministry, and Leadership at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Pontifical College Josephinum. He writes a regular article for The Catholic Answer magazine and has also written for other Catholic publications.

Patricia Lebreton is the executive director of Immaculate Heart Radio. In addition to her duties with IHRadio, Patricia has been regaling audiences with the wit and wisdom she developed on her 20-year journey into modernism and return to the Catholic Church.

Patricia's topic is "A woman's journey from darkness to LIGHT."

Dr. Franklin Dailey is a retired aircraft carrier fighter pilot and retired physician, and is now a local Catholic apologist and author.

The author of "How the Catholic Church is the Same and How It Is Different from Other Christian Churches" has spoken at various venues throughout the United States, and has published an audio tape based on his apologetic book.

Dr. Dailey discussed how you can discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your Professional life, family life, and whole life! He addressed the important question of how you can differentiate between Divine guidance and demonic temptation.

Carl has had the good fortune of writing articles for Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, This Rock, First Things, The Catholic Faith, Catholic Parent, Touchstone, Gilbert!, Envoy, Saint Austin Review, New Covenant, The Catalystand CatholicExchange.com. He has also been a guest on a number of radio shows and television networks, including several appearances on EWTN and appearances on FOX, CNBC, and BBC radio.

Since 1998 he has written several articles about the Left Behind books and the Fundamentalist belief in the "Rapture." My book critiquing the Left Behind phenomenon and premillennial dispensationalism, titled Will Catholics Be Left Behind? A Catholic Critique of the Rapture and Today's Prophecy Preachers (2003), was selected by the Associated Press as one of the best religious titles of 2003. It has been described as "extraordinary" by novelist Michael O'Brien, and "wonderful" by EWTN's Fr. Mitch Pacwa.

In June 2004 his second book, The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code (Ignatius Press), co-authored with journalist and medieval historian Sandra Miesel, was published. It has been described by Francis Cardinal George, archbishop of Chicago (who wrote the Foreword) as "the definitive debunking" of Dan Brown's best-selling novel and has been widely praised by both Catholic and Evangelical scholars and authors. You can learn much more about it at Ignatius Press.

Since 1941, Catholic Community Services of Northern Nevada has been offering numerous services to Washoe County, including Emergency Assistance, St. Vincent's Dining Room, St. Vincent's Residence, St. Vincent's Haven, St. Vincent's Thrift Shop, St. Vincent's Food Pantry, Holy Child Day Home, and the Adoption Progam.

Patrick Madrid is the publisher of Envoy magazine, a Catholic journal of apologetics and evangelization. Since its inception in 1996, the Envoy team has garnered several journalism awards, including the several first place awards in the magazine-of-the-year “General Excellence” category from the Catholic Press Association.

Patrick is the author of several books including, Pope Fiction, Any Friend of God’s Is a Friend of Mine, Where Is That In the Bible?, Search and Rescue, Why Is That In Tradition? Answer Me This, and More Catholic Than the Pope. He is also the editor and co-author of the acclaimed multi-volume Surprised by Truth series (with over 400,000 combined copies in print in English and Spanish). He has also produced many apologetics tape sets, videos, and DVDs.

Fr. McCoy, who entered the Catholic Church while a student at Thomas Aquinas College, is a contemplative Cistercian monk, priest and Steward for Temporal Affairs for the Abbey of Our Lady of Spring Bank in Sparta, Wisconsin. He is also the founder and CEO of LaserMonks.com, a three-year-old start-up company that sells new and refurbished computer supplies online. With gross annual sales increasing from $2,000 to $2.5 million in only three years, LaserMonks.com is one of the fastest growing companies in the United States. As an emerging company that is unique in its innovation, integrity and inspiration to other young companies, it received first place in 2004 in Fast Company's "Fast 50 Awards." It has also been featured by CNN, ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Reuters, USA Today, Entrepreneur magazine, National Public Radio, Zenit, the National Catholic Register, EWTN and numerous newspapers around the country. Fr. McCoy and his fellow contemplatives have entered the fast track of e-commerce.

Born October 20, 1935 at Ramsey, Indiana, Bishop Gettelfinger was the fourth of eight children of Gerald and Mary Gettelfinger. He graduated St. Meinrad High School in May of 1953 and received his Graduate Studies degree from St. Meinrad College in 1957. He received his MS degree in Education from Butler University, Indianapolis in 1965. Bishop Gettelfinger was ordained to the Holy Priesthood May 7, 1961. He was named Domestic Prelate, January 26, 1983, Chancellor Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1980 - 1988, Vicar General Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 1988 - 1989, and was appointed Bishop, Diocese of Evansville - March 11, 1989. He was ordained and installed Bishop, Diocese of Evansville - April 11, 1989. His other appointments include Assistant Pastor, Pastor, Assistant Principal and Principal of a high school, and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Bishop Gettelfinger is the current Episcopal Liaison to the National Catholic Committee on Scouting. His interests include canoeing, camping, and skiing.

Derry Connolly, Ph.D., is President and one of the founders of the John Paul the Great Catholic University (JP Catholic) for media and technology in San Diego. Hallmarks of JP Catholic will include: its strong commitment to being faithfully Catholic and its focus on tackling the increasing decline in morality in the media by encouraging and enabling students to become future entrepreneurs and leaders, innovators and creators in the fields of media and media-enabling technology. JP Catholic will have an on-campus business incubator and all senior faculty will have been successful entrepreneurs.

His talk will focus on the vision and the promise of John Paul the Great Catholic University. Derry will tell the "story of JP Catholic" thus far and the challenges. The university promises a very novel approach toward the training of future Catholic business leaders in the fields of media and media enabling technologies. Derry will talk about how it feels working in a very large public and very liberal institution when you announce that you are planning to leave a build an orthodox Catholic institution that will offer a counter-balance to the frequently anti-Catholic position of your current institution.

Bob Dunning has worked at The Davis Enterprise in parts of five decades. Hired as a part-time sports stringer in late 1969, Dunning became sports editor full-time in January 1970. After several years as sports editor and a twice-a-week sports columnist, Dunning began his daily Page 2 column in 1976.

Dunning writes about the world around him in his beloved City of All Things Right and Relevant. "Davis is a target-rich environment," he explains. Dunning is also the host of the Diocese of Sacramento's live Bishop's Radio Hour. Dunning's family includes wife Shelley, son Ted, and daughters Erin, Maev, Molly, and Emme.

Roy Schoeman was born in a suburb of New York City of "Conservative" Jewish parents who had fled Nazi Germany. His Jewish education and formation was received under some of the most prominent Rabbis in contemporary American Jewry, including Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, probably the foremost Conservative Rabbi in the U.S. and his hometown Rabbi growing up; Rabbi Arthur Green, later the head of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College who was his religion teacher and mentor during high school and early college; and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, a prominent Hasidic Rabbi with whom he lived in Israel for several months. His secular education included a B.Sc. from M.I.T. and an M.B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard Business School. Midway through a career of teaching and consulting (he had been appointed to the faculty of the Harvard Business School) he experienced an unexpected and instantaneous conversion to Christianity which led to a dramatic refocus of his activities. Since then he has pursued theological studies at several seminaries, helped produce and host a Catholic Television talk show, and edited and written for several Catholic books and reviews. Salvation is from the Jews is his first full-length book.

Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., wears many hats. He is a Jesuit priest, the president of Gonzaga University, an author, speaker, teacher, and a participant in community affairs.

His fresh and innovative approach stems from his diverse areas of interest: public accounting, finance, theology, physics, metaphysics, ethics, and, of course, Gonzaga!

Wesley Smith’s writing and opinion columns on assisted suicide, bioethics, the morality of human cloning, the dangers of animal liberation, legal ethics, and public affairs have appeared nationally and internationally, including in Newsweek, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Weekly Standard, National Review, Mother Jones, Free Inquiry magazine, The National Post (Canada), The Age (Australia), Western Journal of Medicine, and the American Journal of Bioethics.

He has also been published in regional publications throughout the nation. Smith wrote the chapter on assisted suicide for the Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice and has authored chapters in several books relating to the various issues about which he advocates.

Janice T. Connell is the bestselling author of Meetings with Mary, Angel Power, and Praying with Mary. She is a frequent guest speaker to groups in the United States and abroad and recently addressed the World Bank-IMF and the Pentagon, an event that was covered by C-SPAN's BookTV.

An attorney and financial consultant, she has a master's degree in public and international administration and is a graduate of the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.

Matthew Arnold is a lay Catholic apologist and the host of EWTN Radio's Scripture Matters with Dr. Scott Hahn. Matthew's work also includes several audio series including Fire and Sword and The Life of Christ in Scripture and Tradition.

A convert to Catholicism and a father of five, Matthew currently serves as Creative Director for St. Joseph Communications.

The Christian Brothers, founded in 1721, have the mission to educate and catechise the world's children. Brother Donald is a theologian and Integral Studies professor at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.

He's an expert on the Middle East and he sometimes get's a substitute to take over his classes while he's on "special assignment;" between the recent Iraq wars he entered Iraq and rescued persecuted Christians.

John Martignoni is currently the host of EWTN Open Line, a live, internationally telecast call-in program of Bible apologetics. His career has spanned numerous industries: After receiving his MBA at Alabama in 1981, John worked as a defense industry cost analyst, finance instructor, volunteer at Covenant House Alaska, investment analyst, theology instructor and manager of many christian apostolates.

John is also the founder of the Catholic Businessmen and Professionals Association and the Catholic Businesswomen and Professionals Association.

After hearing Pope John Paul II's challenge at the 1995 World Youth Day, to go make a difference in the world, Doug Sherman decided that he would start a Catholic Radio Station. The first Immaculate Heart of Mary, KIHM - 920 AM, Catholic radio station was launched in Reno in 1997. KIHM was only the seventh Catholic radio station in the country at that time.

Today the Immaculate Heart of Mary Radio stations minister to millions of listeners in Nevada and California and their tenth station is in the works.

Jerry Usher is the host of the radio show, Catholic Answers Live. He has a degree in theology and philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville, along with 20-plus years of professional radio experience.

Day by day, week by week, Jerry is joined by some of the most prominent men and women in the Catholic Church to discuss issues that are timely and relevant to us all.

Cindy Burdett is a Jewish convert to the Catholic Faith. She grew up on Long Island, NY as a kosher Jew who was bat mitzvahed and confirmed in the Jewish Faith. Her "Kosher-to-Catholic" conversion testimony is humorous, powerful and enlightening. She has shared the details of her grace-filled journey with women's and prayer groups on the parish and diocesan levels and is currently writing a book on the subject. After spending many years in the corporate world, Cindy now spends her days raising up little souls for the kingdom of God, and practicing Real Estate on the side. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, Paul, and their three children.

Fr. Pacholczyk, now 38, earned two degrees in advanced theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where the church sends its most promising priestly candidates for training. But before becoming a priest at the age of 34, he’d already done a postdoc at Harvard in neuroscience, and he picked up a Ph.D. in the same subject at Yale in just three-and-a-half years. After doing immunology rotations at Yale, he switched to neuroscience because he realized that field was more likely “to deal with questions of ensoulment, of personhood, and mind-body relations.” And then there are his four undergraduate degrees — in molecular and cellular biology, in chemistry, in biochemistry, and in philosophy — all from the University of Arizona, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1988.

Richard Thompson is the President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center. Mr. Thompson spent 24 years of his professional career, at the executive level of law enforcement. The elected Oakland County, Michigan Prosecuting Attorney for eight years, from 1989 through 1996, Mr. Thompson directed a staff of 180 including 102 lawyers, and administered an annual budget of $12 million dollars. He successfully defended the constitutionality of Michigan’s Mandatory Life Law for major drug dealers in the United States Supreme Court. He created the state’s first Child Sexual Assault Crimes Unit, and developed one of the nation’s toughest no plea bargaining policies achieving a 98 percent conviction rate.

Mr. Thompson gained national prominence while prosecuting attorney for his uncompromising stand against Jack Kevorkian, despite public opinion in Michigan which overwhelmingly supported “Dr. Death” and Physician Assisted Suicide. While preparing his legal briefs for trial, Mr. Thompson found the truth regarding right-to-life issues through the Catholic Church and later converted to Catholicism.

On July 5, 2001, the monks of the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, with Fr. Damien Thompson, OCSO, of Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky presiding, chose their fifth abbot. He is Fr. Casimir Bernas, 71. Born in Chicago, he was living in Portland, Oregon when he entered the abbey at Huntsville in 1949. Before becoming a monk, he attended high school at Columbia Prep in Portland and the first year of college at Notre Dame in Indiana. For six years prior to his election, he served as the monastery’s business manager. He brings to the office of abbot numerous skills both practical and academic. He earned a doctorate in sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, the only Trappist-Cistercian to do so thus far. He was ordained priest in Rome in 1958.

Dave Durand is a living example of Perpetual Motivation. By the age of thirty, Durand was already a "Hall of Fame" business award winner, international sales record breaker, U.S. patent holder, second degree black belt, fitness video producer, financial video producer, author, certified NLP practitioner, sought after motivational speaker, time/life management coach, husband and father of four. dave@davedurand.com

Most Reverend Phillip F. Straling, D.D., was ordained a Priest of the Roman Catholic Church on March 19, 1959: named the first Bishop of the newly established Diocese of San Bernardino on July 18, 1978: ordained a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church on November 6, 1978: appointed the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Reno on March 21, 1995; installed on June 29, 1995. Bishop Straling retired in 2005.