Contributors

Alice Camille

Alice Camille is a religious educator, scripture commentator, and author of many books including This Transforming Word and other titles found at alicecamille.com.

Peggy Ekerdt

Peg Ekerdt is a writer, spiritual director, and retreat facilitator. She has served as a parish pastoral associate for more than 30 years, working in the areas of pastoral care, bereavement, marriage preparation, liturgy, adult formation, and religious education. She has written for Celebration, National Catholic Reporter, Abbey Press CareNotes, Liturgy Training Publications, and as a scripture columnist for the diocesan paper. She continues to write for Take Five and Prepare the Word.

Father Dominic Grassi

Father Dominic Grassi is retired pastor emeritus of St. Gertrude Catholic Parish in Chicago and the author of several award-winning books, including Death in Chicago: Winter (ACTA, 2018) and Living the Mass with Joe Paprocki (Loyola Press, 2005). He is the 2017 recipient of the St. John XXIII Award, which is given by the Association of Chicago Priests for excellence in priestly ministry and for significant contributions to the life of the Church of Chicago.

Daniel Grippo

Daniel Grippo, Ph.D., co-founder of TrueQuest Communications, is an editor and author with 40 years experience in religious publishing. He is a specialist in Latin American history, a meditation teacher, and a certified spiritual director.

Deacon Pedro Guevara-Mann

Originally from Panama, Deacon Pedro Guevara-Mann, is a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Toronto at Holy Martyr's of Japan Parish in Bradford, ON and producer and host of The Salt + Light Radio Hour. He lives north of Toronto with his wife, Sheri, their two sons, Nicolas and Daniel, and their dog, Max.

Tom McGrath

Tom McGrath is a veteran Catholic publisher, recently retired from Loyola Press. He was a co-founder of TrueQuest Communications and, prior to that, director of publishing at Claretian Publications. He is author of Raising Faith-Filled Kids and The Meal Box.

Jennifer Tomshack

Jennifer Tomshack is a veteran journalist who has written and edited for numerous publications, including U.S. Catholic magazine. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in English from DePaul University.

Patrice J. Tuohy

Patrice Tuohy, co-founder of TrueQuest Communications and publisher of PREPARE THE WORD, is an award-winning writer, editor, designer, and author of a number of articles on Catholic life.

Carmen F. Aguinaco

Carmen F. Aguinaco was editor of Hispanic Ministry Resources at Claretian Publications in Chicago.

Clarissa Aljentera

Clarissa Aljentera, Catholic writer and performing artist, works as the coordinator of adult faith formation and social media resources for the Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Father Gregory Apparcel C.S.P.

Father Gregory Apparcel, C.S.P. is the rector of the Church of Saint Susanna, the parish for American Catholics in Rome. With a degree in film and television, Greg also worked for Paulist Productions for six years as vice president of development.

Kevin Axe

Veteran religion journalist Kevin Axe lives with his wife, Jacquie, in Evanston, Illinois.

Father Britto M. Berchmans

Father Britto M. Berchmans is pastor of St. Paul of the Cross Church in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Father Paul Boudreau

Paul Boudreau is a retired priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut. He lives in southern New Mexico where he helps out at the Apache Mission in Mescalero.

Kathleen Chesto

Kathleen Chesto is a family-life author, retreat leader, and speaker living in Connecticut. Her recent works include Know Me, Hold Me, Sing to Me: What My Grandchild Taught Me about God (Ave Maria Press, 2004) and Holy Ground: Beatitudes as Gifts (Twenty-Third Publications, 2006).

Kevin Clarke

Kevin Clarke is America magazine’s chief correspondent and the author of Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out (Liturgical Press).

James F. Colaianni Sr.

James F. Colaianni, Sr., deceased, theologian, author, lawyer, and activist, authored more than 2,000 sermons on a wide variety of subjects. Since 1970, Colaianni's Sunday Sermons have provided resources to the preaching clergy with worldwide distribution.

James F. Colaianni Jr.

James F. Colaianni, Jr. is the editor/publisher of Sunday Sermons—serving clergy worldwide since 1970.

Catherine Collins

A graduate of the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, Catherine Collins is a spiritual director, a retreat leader, and directs the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

Bryan Cones

Bryan Cones was managing editor of U.S. Catholic Magazine.

Santiago Cortés-Sjöberg

Santiago Cortés-Sjöberg is an author, speaker, and the supervising editor of parish life resources at Loyola Press in Chicago.

Dwight Daniels

Carol DeChant

Carol DeChant is an author who lives with her husband Stan Reinisch in Ocean Ridge, Florida and spends hurricane season in Evanston, Illinois.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Most Rev. Timothy M. Dolan is the cardinal archbishop of New York.

Brian Doyle

Brian Doyle, deceased, was the editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland and author of many books, including The Wet Engine, about the "muddle & music & miracle of hearts."

Robert Ellsberg

Robert Ellsberg is the author of several books, including All Saints, The Saints’ Guide to Happiness and Blessed Among All Women.

Father George Fitzgerald C.S.P.

Father George Fitzgerald, C.S.P. is a Paulist priest who has served as rector of St. Paul's College in Washington, D.C., an editor of Paulist Press, and instructor in homiletics at Catholic University as well as at All Hallows Theological School in Dublin and at the Angelicum and North American College in Rome. He lives in Southern California.

Sister Susan Rose Francois, C.S.J.P.

Sister Susan Rose Francois, C.S.J.P. is a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. She is on the staff of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center in Seattle.

Bryan Froehle

Bryan Froehle, Ph.D. is professor and director of the Ph.D. program in practical theology in the School of Theology and Ministry of St. Thomas University in Miami. His publications include Catholicism USA, Global Catholicism, and hundreds of national and local surveys of church trends and Catholic attitudes and behavior.

Alex García-Rivera

Alex García-Rivera, deceased, was an associate professor of systematic theology at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in California and author of a number of books, including A Wounded Innocence: Sketches for a Theology of Art (2003) and numerous articles on Catholic sacraments and culture.

Frank Gaughan

Frank Gaughan, president and CEO of FMG Productions, is a seasoned Catholic communicator, writer, and dramatic artist.

Sister Colleen Gibson S.S.J.

Sister Colleen Gibson, S.S.J. is a Sister of Saint Joseph who currently serves as the coordinator of services at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey. She is a regular contributor to various Catholic publications.

Peter Gilmour

Peter Gilmour was a director of the master of religious education program at Loyola University Chicago's Institute of Pastoral Studies.

Heather Grennan Gary

Heather Grennan Gary is a freelance writer and editor living in Northwest Indiana.

Father Richard J. Hauser S.J.

Father Richard J. Hauser, S.J. teaches theology and is currently director of the Masters Program in Christian Spirituality and rector of the Jesuit Community at Creighton University. He is the author of In His Spirit: A Guide to Today’s Spirituality (Paulist), Moving in the Spirit: Becoming a Contemplative in Action (Paulist), and Finding God in Troubled Times (Loyola).

David Heim

David Heim is executive editor of the Christian Century, a magazine of religion, politics, and culture based in Chicago.

Mary Lynn Hendrickson

Mary Lynn Hendrickson has spent nearly 20 years directing parish catechetical ministry within the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. Previously she was the executive director of the Associated Church Press and worked for 20 years in Catholic publishing as an editor and writer.

Tina Hernandez Lasquety

Tina Hernandez Lasquety is president and CEO of With Mercy and Justice, a start-up nonprofit organization which addresses domestic, sexual, and clergy abuse and violence through the teachings, liturgy, and sacraments of the Catholic Church. She is pursuing her master of arts in liturgical studies at the Liturgical Institute of the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois.

Caroline Hopkinson

Caroline Hopkinson is a school social worker, and former Catholic parish youth minister and social media editor for TrueQuest Communications.

Vicki Ix

Vicki Ix received an M. Div. from Saint John’s School of Theology-Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota, in 2002.

Father Larry Janowski O.F.M.

Father Larry Janowski is a Franciscan Friar of the Assumption of the B.V.M. Province. His ministries very much involve words: listened to, preached, and written in poetry. He has an M.A. in spirituality from Aquinas Institute and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Vermont College. A native of Chicago, Father Larry assists on weekends at St. Barbara Parish, Brookfield, Illinois.

Thomas Johnson

Thomas Johnson is a writer and pastoral minister in Minneapolis.

Father Terry Keehan

Father Terry Keehan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago serving as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Inverness.

Loretto Kennedy

Loretto Kennedy is an attorney and mother of three. She lives in Chicago with her husband, who comes from a family of nine.

Father Donald Klein

Father Donald L. Klein is pastor of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Sister Maxine Kollasch I.H.M.

Sister Maxine Kollasch, I.H.M. is co-founder of and current consultant for A Nun's Life Ministry. She is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan.

Sister Margie Lavonis C.S.C.

Sister Margie Lavonis, C.S.C., is a freelance writer and also works in the communications department of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. She has served in campus and parish ministry and as vocation director for her congregation.

Phil Loftus

Phil Loftus is executive director of the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations and a member of St. Mary of the Woods Parish in Chicago.

Father Sebastian MacDonald C.P.

Father Sebastian MacDonald, C.P. is a member of the Passionist community at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He has an S.T.D. from the Angelicum in Rome, and with Carroll Stuhlmueller he edited A Voice in the Wilderness, on Barnabas Ahern, and is the author of Moral Theology and Suffering.

Jim Manney

Jim Manney is a popular writer on Ignatian topics (God Finds Us, A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer) as well as the editor of many books on Ignatian spirituality, including What Is Ignatian Spirituality? He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Katherine Martin

Katherine Martin is a lifelong Catholic and graduate of Gonzaga University. She is currently pursuing a career as a firefighter and paramedic.

Evelyn Mautner

Evelyn Mautner is a lifelong educator and learner, spending many years teaching fourth- and fifth-grade students, and a regular contributor to various Catholic publications.

Robert McClory

Robert McClory, deceased, was professor emeritus at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and author of As It Was in the Beginning: The Coming Democratization of the Catholic Church (Crossroad, 2007) and Radical Disciple: Father Pfleger, St. Sabina Church, and the Fight for Social Justice (Chicago Review Press), among other books.

Kathy McGovern

Kathy McGovern is a former instructor in the Denver Catholic Biblical School. She writes a weekly scripture column for parish bulletins called "The Story and You." Find out about subscribing for your parish at her website, thestoryandyou.com.

Rev. Mary Kendrick Moore

Rev. Mary Kendrick Moore, M.Div., BCC is a minister in the United Church of Christ, a healthcare chaplain, and freelance writer.

Bishop Robert F. Morneau

Bishop Robert F. Morneau is auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Mary Morrell

Mary Morrell, associate editor presenter for RENEW International in Plainfield, New Jersey, is an author, syndicated columnist, and freelance writer. She is also a trained hospice volunteer and bereavement facilitator.

Pat Morrison

Pat Morrison writes from Ohio. A vowed laywoman in the Carmelite tradition, she is a member of the Association of Contemplative Sisters.

Linus Mundy

Linus Mundy was the publisher at Abbey Press, a Benedictine publishing firm in St. Meinrad, Indiana. He is founder-director of CareNotes publications and author of the books Slow-down Therapy and Prayer-Walking.

Father Henri Nouwen

Father Henri Nouwen was a diocesan priest from the Netherlands who lived much of his life in the United States and Canada. He was a university teacher and a writer, and during the last years of his life he lived with mentally handicapped persons as pastor of L’Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, Ontario.

Ann O'Connor

Ann O'Connor, deceased, was the author of The Twelve Unbreakable Principles for Parents (Except When Necessary) from ACTA Publications.

Siobhán O'Neill Meluso

Siobhán O'Neill Meluso, former TrueQuest editor, currently serves as communication coordinator for the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago and is a member of the Board of the Communicators for Women Religious (CWR).

Catherine O’Connell-Cahill

Catherine O’Connell-Cahill was senior editor at Claretian Publications and U.S. Catholic magazine in Chicago. She grew up listening to her father’s stories about the many colorful pipe-coverers who belonged to Local 17.

Joseph Peach

Joseph Peach is a Catholic author, freelance writer, and speaker. He works for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Cleveland and has published six books.

Sister Rosa Pereda C.V.M.

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce is the publisher of ACTA Publications in Chicago, a former president of the National Center for the Laity, and the author of The Mass Is Never Ended: Rediscovering Our Mission to Transform the World and Reveille for a New Generation.

Nate Pierce

Nate Pierce received a B.A. from Grinnell College in Iowa and currently resides in Chicago.

Sister Vivian Ramos O.S.B.

Sister Vivian Ramos, O.S.B., is a Benedictine Sister of Ferdinand, IN, a practicing veterinarian, and an occasional writer.

Sean Reynolds

Sean Reynolds, director of communications for the Midwest Augustinian Friars, worked as an intern at TrueQuest Communications and studied at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York.

Father Richard Rohr O.F.M.

Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M. is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and an internationally recognized author and spiritual leader. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Father Ronald Rolheiser O.M.I.

Father Ron Rolheiser, O.M.I., is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is a theologian, professor, award-winning author, and serves as president of the Oblate School of Theology.

Dominic Sanfilippo

Dominic Sanfilippo has written a number of articles on Catholic life and church teachings. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton with undergrad degrees in philosophy and human rights studies and a master's degree in theology.

Joel Schorn

Joel Schorn is former managing editor of TrueQuest Communications and author of Holy Simplicity: The Little Way of Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day and Thérèse of Lisieux (Servant Books).

Father Donald Senior C.P.

Father Donald Senior, C.P. was president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, a member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and author of a number of books on scripture.

Father Richard Sparks C.S.P.

Father Richard C. Sparks, C.S.P. Father Sparks is a Paulist priest and the author of several books, including Contemporary Christian Morality (Crossroads, 1996).

PTW staff

Terry Tuohy

Terry Tuohy is a longtime church fundraiser and former development director for St. Matthias Parish in Chicago.

Sister Julie Vieira I.H.M.

Julie Vieira, I.H.M. MA, (she/her), a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan, is a writer, presenter and thinker in spirituality. She serves as the director of the Margaret Brennan Institute and as a volunteer crisis counselor for LGBTQ+ youth.

Mary Vineyard

Mary Vineyard is an author living in Maine.

Nick Wagner

Nick Wagner is a parish trainer and the author of Whole Community Liturgy (Twenty-Third Publications). Log on to his website at www.nickwagner.net.

Father Andrew Carl Wisdom O.P.

Father Andrew Carl Wisdom, O.P., D.Min. is a preacher and member of the Dominicans, Order of Preachers, Province of St. Albert the Great. The Liturgical Press published his book, Preaching to a Multi-Generational Assembly, which won a Catholic Press Association book award.

Sister Marcia Ziska O.S.B.

Sister Marcia Ziska, O.S.B. was a vocation director for 14 years. Currently she serves her monastic community of Mount St. Scholastica as director of pastoral care at Dooley Center in Atchison, Kansas.