The St. Thomas Aquinas Society has an impressive history of bringing the finest speakers for conferences, Masses, retreat days, Divine Mercy weekends, and evenings of concert and testimony.
We invite you to read about our history and learn about our mission. Most importantly, we invite you to join the enthusiasm in sharing and experiencing our Catholic Faith.
Guidelines: The St. Thomas Aquinas Society is very committed to observing the guidelines at the time of the conference. Currently Social Distancing and Masks are required. Please bring your own mask.
CONCERTS
July 30, 2020 (Thurs) at 7:30 PM
Michael Russell O'Brien
Catholic Entertainment's Best Kept Secret!
Michael has been a headliner at more than 100 Catholic Conferences and 800 Catholic Parishes. Each year Michael performs a "one man show" of classic Catholic Music Hits and humorous stories of his conversion back to the faith. The former BMG rock music category solo artist reached chart status and after an unexpected trip to Medjugorje, put that career on hold to become one of the top Catholic recording artists and conference speakers of the last 30 years!
Michael's Catholic Music recordings have received millions of views on YouTube.
Michael spent 10 years as a published advice columnist for a major Catholic Magazine.
Michael has a #1 Catholic YouTube music video for Hail Mary / Gentle Woman.
Michael was a 2013 Keynote Speaker for the Catholic Organization “Legatus”
Michael Russell O'Brien Facebook page has become one of the top Catholic related fan pages.
"I can’t explain why people have been moved to tears, as my feet slowly apply pressure to the face and neck of my guitar something happens. For as long as I could remember these toes of mine have been like fingers. God somehow has blessed me with music and the desire to persevere."
Originally from Rivas, Nicaragua, Tony was born without arms. He also had a clubbed foot due to the drug, Thalidomide, taken by his mother. At the age of one Tony's family immigrated to the USA so he could have corrective surgery on his left foot.
Tony grew up in a home where mom protected and cared greatly for him. His father encouraged and pushed him to do things on his own. As he had no arms, Tony had to learn to do almost everything with his feet. At the age of sixteen he taught himself how to play the guitar with his toes.
Bishop Michael Sheridan was born in St. Louis, MO on March 4, 1945. He was ordained as a diocesan priest by Cardinal John J. Carberry on May 29, 1971. On September 3, 1997 Bishop Sheridan was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis by Archbishop Justin Rigali. On December 4, 2001 Bishop Sheridan was appointed coadjutor bishop of Colorado Springs and became the bishop of the diocese on January 30, 2003.
Bishop Sheridan has received several graduate degrees in theology, including a Doctorate of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas [Angelicum] in Rome. We are honored to have Bishop Sheridan celebrate our Friday evening Mass this year. www.diocs.com
Monica Ashour, MTS, M Hum
Theology of the Body
Holding two Masters’ from the University of Dallas, one in Theological Studies and one in Humanities, Monica Ashour is an author, national speaker, content developer, leading Theology of the Body expert, and Founder of the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team, known as TOBET.
Named in 2010 by The Catholic National Register as one of the top six speakers on Saint John Paul’s seminal work known as the Theology of the Body, Monica with the help of her team just completed a Pre-school to 8th Grade Theology of the Body program entitled, The Body Matters. In a culture that relegates the body as an object that can be mutilated at will rather than as a gift from God for true love, The Body Matters is helping children and their parents to see the truth and meaning of the human body and how the Incarnation affects our lives today.
Monica presented a talk about how to teach teens TOB at the Theology of the Body International Symposium in Rome in November of 2011. She was also a participant in the International Summit on Lay Leadership with Cardinal Arinze in Rome.
Before becoming a national speaker, Monica served as a campus minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Texas A&M University from 1996 to 1999. There she launched the now nationwide Nun Run, in which young women travel around the nation visiting convents. Before and after her stint at St. Mary’s, Monica enjoyed 20 years teaching theology and literature in the classroom.
Monica was the recipient of Bishop Farrell’s 2008 Pro-Life Award for Civic Action and was named to the Hall of Fame for her alma mater, Nolan Catholic High School in Ft. Worth.
Fr. James Blount is a priest of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity – Georgia Mission. A very gifted Spiritual Director and Confessor, Fr. Jim is a bold charismatic preacher endowed and empowered with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He speaks of living a life in relationship with each of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. His teachings depict his deep love for the Eucharist and his intimate relationship, love and devotion to Jesus and Mary draws many souls to also fall in love with them.
Father Jim is a powerful instrument of the Holy Spirit as evidenced by so many stories of miracles, healings and conversions. His talks help to increase awareness of the intense Spiritual Battle in our present world where evil has waged war against the Sacred thus aiming toward the destruction of holy family life. His humble boldness and untiring drive to minister to the lost and ill are particularly noteworthy.
Dedicated to his healing and deliverance ministry, Father travels preaching and proclaiming the Gospel whenever and wherever he can, in the United States and abroad.
Fr. Ken Geraci, CPM
Making Room for God
Fr. Ken Geraci, CPM, lived the life of the prodigal son for most of his young adult life. Raised in a nominally Catholic family, who only lived the externals of the faith, Fr. Ken left the Catholic Church for many years. During that time he earned a business degree and worked as a business profession in Advanced R&D and software testing; a few years into his career he joined a few of his co-workers in establishing a $4.5 million Internet software company. Focused on money, fitness, and success, he made little room for God; but God did not give up on him. During this journey, God presented him with challenges that forced him to question his personal beliefs and the question “What is Truth?” Through a series of conversions, years of struggle, study and questioning, Fr. Ken found his way from agnosticism, to non-denominational Christianity, and ultimately back to the Catholic Church.
Fr. Ken joined the Fathers of Mercy in 2006 and was ordained in 2012. For two years, he served as an associate pastor of a medium sized parish and currently serves as a Missionary, webmaster and vocation director for the Fathers of Mercy. Fr. Ken has a great understanding of the personal and societal pressures that individuals face and knows what it is like to “hate coming to church.” His mission talks are for people of all levels of faith; from those who are madly in love with Jesus to those who struggle with church and religion.
American Restoration: How Faith, Family, & Personal Sacrifice can Heal our Nation
We are really sorry to inform you that Tim Goeglein will not be attending our conference "in-person" this year due to unanticipated transportation challenges.
Tim will be joining Nancy Korpi for a remote presentation that will be shown at the Conference.
Tim Goeglein's years of public service and private initiative have been devoted to faith, freedom, and family.
Tim is the Vice President for External and Government Relations at Focus on the Family in Washington. He served in high-level government posts for the past two decades. He worked as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, where he was the Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison from 2001 to 2008. He was the President’s principal outreach contact for conservatives, think tanks, veteran’s groups, faith-based groups, and some of America’s leading cultural organizations. He was a member of the President’s original 2000 campaign and White House staff, serving for nearly 8 years. Also, he has served as a senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
Goeglein is the author of the political memoir THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE: FAITH AND POLITICS IN THE GEORGE W. BUSH ERA which was published in September, 2011. His latest book is AMERICAN RESTORATION: HOW FAITH, FAMILY, AND PERSONAL SACRIFICE CAN HEAL OUR NATION (Regnery, 2019), in which he offers a roadmap to national and spiritual renewal by examining American culture.
From 1988 through 1998, Tim was first the Deputy Press Secretary, followed by Press Secretary and Communications Director for U.S. Senator Dan Coats of Indiana (who was in the Senate for a decade). Between his time with the Senate and Bush campaign, Tim served as Communications Director for Gary Bauer at the Campaign for Working Families and in the Bauer presidential bid.
Tim was an intern for then-U.S. Senator Dan Quayle in 1985, and for then-Representative Dan Coats and for NBC News in 1986 during his college years at Indiana University’s Ernie Pyle School of Journalism. When he graduated in 1986, he was the Richard Gray Fellow in his senior year.
Tim’s first job upon graduation was as a television news producer for the NBC affiliate in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. During high school and college, he produced a show for WOWO Radio, then owned by the Westinghouse Broadcasting Corporation. The program was heard in 28 states.
Tim holds Honorary Doctorate degrees from Concordia University, New York City; and from Faith Evangelical College and Seminary, Tacoma, Washington.
Tim is the secretary of the Coalitions for America Board, a member of the board for the National Civic Art Society, and a member of the board of governors of the Young America’s Foundation which owns and operates the Ronald Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Tim also serves on the Institute for American Universities Advisory Board. Goeglein served as Board Secretary of the American Conservative Union Foundation, and five years as a Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Also, he is a member of the Council for National Policy, the Philadelphia Society, and the Capitol Hill Club.
Tim serves on the Sanctity of Life Commission for his church body, the 2.5 million- member Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and has served as a deacon in his church for 30 years. His hobbies include reading, tennis, swimming, biking, and the fine arts. He is married to Jenny and they have two sons.
Emmanuel Gonzalez
What a Beautiful Cross
Emmanuel Gonzalez, most known simply as Manny, is a high-spirited young man reigning from the city oasis of Dallas, Texas. Emmanuel is currently a sophomore at Franciscan University of Steubenville, studying hard to achieve his degree in Social Work. He is fully dedicated to being a daily light of Christ's love to each and every soul he encounters.
Emmanuel hopes to one day be able to travel the world spreading the good news of the Church and Her beautiful teachings on homosexuality and chastity. His courageous testimony has already inspired many, having been featured with Catholic organizations such as Courage International and Theology Of the Body Evangelization Team.
Fr. Bill Halbing, of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, is known for his gift of bible teaching. Fr. Bill, attended the Immaculate Conception Seminary in Mahwah, New Jersey, and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark on October 30th, 1982. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and received both his Master of Fine Arts degree in Jewish-Christian studies and his Master of Divinity degree at Seton Hall University.
Active in Charismatic Renewal since 1975, Fr. Bill has been a guest speaker at national charismatic conferences in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Denver, Florida, New Hampshire and Idaho and has traveled as far as Canada, Guyana, Eastern Europe and the Philippines to preach God's Word. He is also involved in door-to-door evangelization, Catechism for Filipino Catholics, Bookas Loob Sa Diyos and Hispanic ministry. He has been a featured guest speaker at conferences, retreats, days of renewal, parish missions and youth bible conferences.
Fr Stephen Imbarrato, ordained in 2005, is officially a retired priest from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fr Stephen has the unique grace of having 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren and has been a pastor of 3 parishes over a 10 year period before going to work for Priests for Life for 3 1/2 years during which time he cohosted the EWTN Defending Life TV Show and preached the EWTN Global Mass almost 2 dozen times.
Fr Stephen now travels around the country in his Mother Teresa Mobile Camper Chapel, ON THE ROAD FOR LIFE, under the mantle of LifeMinistriesUS. Fr Stephen has celebrated Mass more than 2 dozen times in front of more than a dozen abortion mills where he also has countless times prays minor exorcism prayers and ministers to frontline pro-lifers.
Fr Stephen has been arrested 5 times while trying to peacefully save babies from abortion as part of the Red Rose Rescue Movement. He has also founded 2 Pregnancy Resource Centers and does extensive Rachel ministry to post abortive women and men as well as those affected by suicide and cancer as his adopted son took his own life in 2014 and his oldest granddaughter is a cancer survivor.
Fr Stephen brings his family and ministry life experiences to the St Thomas Aquinas Society Conference for the 2nd year. His talks this year will cover topics such as…The Family, Christ’s Mercy. The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, and Prolife Activism.
Speakers of the highest calibre have participated in our conferences. They have come from all over the world, from countries including; Poland, Peru, Hong Kong, Portugal, Thailand, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Russia, and Croatia.
The St. Thomas Aquinas Society has an impressive history of bringing the finest speakers for conferences, Masses, retreat days, Divine Mercy weekends, and evenings of concert and testimony.
Bishop Michael Sheridan was born in St. Louis, MO on March 4, 1945. He was ordained as a diocesan priest by Cardinal John J. Carberry on May 29, 1971. On September 3, 1997 Bishop Sheridan was ordained as an auxiliary bishop of St. Louis by Archbishop Justin Rigali. On December 4, 2001 Bishop Sheridan was appointed coadjutor bishop of Colorado Springs and became the bishop of the diocese on January 30, 2003.
Fr Stephen has been arrested 5 times while trying to peacefully save babies from abortion as part of the Red Rose Rescue Movement. He has also founded 2 Pregnancy Resource Centers and does extensive Rachel ministry to post abortive women and men as well as those affected by suicide and cancer as his adopted son took his own life in 2014 and his oldest granddaughter is a cancer survivor.
