Morning Keynote in English
Mary Ann Wiesinger-Puig
Coordinator of Spanish Language Initiatives, Catechetical Institute Franciscan University of Steubenville
Talk title: The Feminine Genius in the New Apostolic Age

What Mary Ann will talk about:

Most of us are keenly aware that we are living in an era when Jesus Christ and his Gospel no longer inform the society in which we live. Much like the times in which the apostles lived, Catholic women find themselves commissioned by Christ to bring the Gospel to people and circumstances who are often indifferent or even hostile to the claims of Christianity. In this opening keynote, Mary Ann will help us understand the basic mindset of our post-Christian society and how it is that we, as women transformed and illumined by Christ, can speak to the hearts of men and women today. We will reflect together on the beauty of the feminine genius and how it uniquely positions women to be the bearers of Christ to a restless and searching world.

Learn more about Mary Ann:

Mary Ann Wiesinger-Puig is passionate about raising leaders and teaching the Catholic faith. She worked at the diocesan level for 12 years in a wide range of capacities, from running catechist certification schools to programs on parish and personal evangelization. Raised in El Paso, Texas, Mary Ann is bilingual and bi-cultural. Throughout her professional career, she has worked hard to provide the same level of excellence in both English and Spanish. She enjoys teaching in both languages and finds mentoring catechetical/pastoral ministers to be especially fulfilling. Mary Ann currently works remotely for the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University of Steubenville developing Spanish language content and lives in Texas with her husband, David, and son, Dante. She enjoys Cuban coffee and good books.

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Afternoon Keynote in English
Sister Faustina Maria Pia, S.V.
Sisters of Life
Talk title: The Mission of Trust

What Sister Faustina will talk about:

Women have a pivotal role to play in leading our broken world into the Heart of Jesus Christ.  In this final talk of the conference, Sr. Faustina Maria Pia will help us understand how a deeply feminine, trusting heart can transform the world.  Many of us struggle with trust: trusting God and trusting others.  And yet, when we grow in understanding of trust as mission, it will lend a new fire to our desire to be healed of our trust wounds and instead open ourselves to the vulnerability and dependence on Christ that can help save the world.

Learn more about Sister Faustina:

Sister Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. was raised in Somers, Connecticut, and is the youngest of eight children.  She studied human services and nursing before entering the Sisters of Life in 2009 and professing  final vows in 2018.  The Sisters of Life are a community of religious women who vow to protect the sacred dignity of every human life.  Sr. Faustina currently resides in New York and serves as the local superior of Annunciation Motherhouse.  Several years ago, in her own struggle to trust the Lord, she received an inspiration to compose a prayer, the Litany of Trust, and subsequently authored a book entitled, Jesus I Trust in You, A 30 day Retreat with the Litany of Trust. 

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Morning Keynote in Spanish
Father Thomas Viviano
Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Talk title: The Feminine Genius in the New Apostolic Age

What Father Viviano will talk about:
[This talk will be in Spanish] Most of us are keenly aware that we are living in an era when Jesus Christ and his Gospel no longer inform the society in which we live. Much like the times in which the apostles lived, Catholic women find themselves commissioned by Christ to bring the Gospel to people and circumstances who are often indifferent or even hostile to the claims of Christianity. In this opening keynote, Fr. Viviano will help us understand the basic mindset of our post-Christian society and how it is that we, as women transformed and illumined by Christ, can speak to the hearts of men and women today. We will reflect together on the beauty of the feminine genius and how it uniquely positions women to be the bearers of Christ to a restless and searching world.

Learn more about Father Thomas Viviano:

Fr. Thomas Viviano is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He grew up in St. John Bosco Parish in Hatboro, Montgomery County. After graduating from Archbishop Wood High School in 1999, he attended DeSales University in Allentown, PA. He graduated in 2003 with a BA in Spanish. He then taught Spanish at Abington Senior High School from 2003 to 2007, during which time he also obtained his Master’s degree in TESOL, also from DeSales University. He entered St. Charles Seminary in 2007 and was ordained a priest by Archbishop Chaput on May 18, 2013. After ordination, Fr. Viviano spent three years serving as a parochial assistant at Holy Innocents Parish in Philadelphia, and then served for two years as priest secretary to Archbishop Chaput. During those first five years of his priesthood Fr. Viviano also served as the vocations coordinator for the Hispanic apostolate. In 2018 Fr. Viviano was assigned to further studies in Rome to pursue a doctorate in moral theology, which he was awarded in June of 2024. Fr. Viviano currently serves as a seminary formator and the Chair of the Moral Theology at St. Charles Seminary where he also teaches Spanish.

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Afternoon Keynote in Spanish
Mary Ann Wiesinger-Puig
Coordinator of Spanish Language Initiatives, Catechetical Institute Franciscan University of Steubenville
Talk title: The Mission of Trust

What Mary Ann will talk about:
[This talk will be in Spanish] Women have a pivotal role to play in leading our broken world into the Heart of Jesus Christ.  In this final talk of the conference, Mary Ann will help us understand how a deeply feminine, trusting heart can transform the world.  Many of us struggle with trust: trusting God and trusting others.  And yet, when we grow in understanding of trust as mission, it will lend a new fire to our desire to be healed of our trust wounds and instead open ourselves to the vulnerability and dependence on Christ that can help save the world.

Learn more about Mary Ann:

Mary Ann Wiesinger Puig es catequista y misionera. Trabajó a nivel diocesano por 12 años en la Área de la Bahía de San Francisco y Miami, sirviendo a los Directores de Educación Religiosa y lideres de RICA. Dirigió y enseñó en los programas de Certificación para Catequistas e institutos de evangelización. Su primer interés es formar a discípulos misioneros.Criada en El Paso, Texas, Mary Ann es bilingüe y bicultural. A lo largo de su carrera profesional, ella ha trabajado para ofrecer el mismo nivel de excelencia en los programas de formación en inglés y español.Actualmente, Mary Ann vive en San Antonio, Texas con su esposo e hijo, y dirige los las iniciativas en español del Instituto Catequetico de la Universidad Franciscana de Steubenville remotamente. Le gustan en el cafe cubano y los buenos libros.

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Reverend Sean Loomis
Pastor, St. Madeline
Talk title: The Mission of Courage: How 16 Carmelite Women Brought an End to the French Revolution

What Father Loomis will talk about: 

During the 18^th century Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, sixteen Carmelite nuns stood firm in their fidelity to Jesus Christ and in so doing, brought about the end of the mayhem and bloodshed gripping the country of France.  In this talk, Fr. Loomis will share the story of the Carmelites of Compiègne and their dramatic battle with the hostile forces around them. Drawing from their heroic witness, Father will identify some of the key aspects of the feminine genius expressed through their story and how we, as women equally endowed with these feminine gifts, can be similarly influential in our own time which, too, is often hostile to the Gospel.

Learn more about Father Loomis:

After converting to Catholicism during his college years, Fr. Seán Loomis earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Franciscan University in 2007. Subsequently, he pursued his master’s in theology and Master of Divinity at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, specializing in Scripture and American Sign Language. In 2013, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput ordained Fr. Loomis to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, where he currently serves as the pastor of Annunciation B.V.M. in Havertown and chaplain to the Deaf Apostolate. As a dedicated servant of both the Deaf community and Annunciation parish, Fr. Loomis is committed to ensuring full access to the Catholic faith, which he personally discovered as an adult.

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Bishop Joseph Perry
Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
Talk title: Upholding the Sacred: The Life of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster

What Bishop Perry will talk about:

Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster is a shining example of what it means to live the feminine genius in a world that resists the radical demands of the Gospel. In this talk, Bishop Perry will give us insight into the ways that Sr. Wilhelmina expressed the feminine genius as a Mother Foundress and reformer of Catholic religious life in a time when many communities were abandoning the sacredness of their vocation.  Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster is the foundress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles located in Missouri. Her life has come to the fore in Catholic news recently as her body was found to have no signs of decomposition when she was exhumed in 2023.

 Learn more about Bishop Perry:

Bishop Joseph Perry was ordained a priest for service in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, 24 May 1975 by Archbishop William Edward Cousins.  Upon ordination he was assigned as associate pastor of St. Nicholas Parish, Glendale, Wisconsin, a post he held till he was assigned to the Tribunal Department of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in December 1976 where he served as Advocate in matrimonial cases and instructor of special cases.  August 1979 he was assigned to the Catholic University of America, Washington DC for graduate studies in canon law, receiving the licentiate degree in canon law 1981.  Returning to Milwaukee he resumed service in the Tribunal for Milwaukee as judge in special cases and in the appeals section for the Dioceses of Green Bay, Superior, Madison and LaCrosse and director of the Conciliation/Arbitration services of the Archdiocese.  He also taught canon law as adjunct professor at Sacred Heart Seminary, Hales Corners, Wisconsin and at Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee.

He served as chaplain of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Society of Wisconsin, an association of lawyers, judges and law enforcement persons.  Completing his term of service in the Tribunal he was assigned pastor, June 1995, at All Saints Parish, Milwaukee, while serving as adjunct professor of canon law at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois, where he teaches to this day; and he continues to serve as judge ad causam on the Metropolitan Tribunal of Chicago.

April 28, 1998, Father Joseph Perry was informed by the Vatican nuncio to the United States that he was appointed auxiliary Bishop to Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago.  His consecration as a bishop took place 29 June 1998.  Bishop Perry is spiritual advisor to the board for the World Apostolate of Fatima (WAF-USA) and currently chairs the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism.  Since 2010 Bishop Perry is also Postulator for the Cause of declared Sainthood of Father Augustus Tolton (1854-1897) underway at the Vatican, the first documented African American priest to serve in the United States.

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Elizabeth Leon
Catholic speaker, writer, wife and mother

Talk title: The Mission of Sacrificial Love: The Martyrdom of Wiktoria and Josef Ulma and Their Seven Children at the Hands of the Nazis.

What Elizabeth will talk about:

What does motherhood look like in an apostolic age? Join us as we reflect on the lessons we can learn from Wiktoria Ulma and her family as they strove to maintain fidelity to Christ in the midst of the Nazi occupation of Poland.  We will allow the witness of Ulma Family to illumine for us the mission of motherhood and Catholic family life, animated above all by the spirit of self-sacrificing love.

Learn more about Elizabeth:

Elizabeth Leon is a Catholic speaker, writer, wife, and mother from Ashburn, Virginia.  She is the founder of the Journey of the Beloved, a ministry that inspires and equips women to find healing and freedom in Christ, and the author of the award-winning memoir, Let Yourself Be Loved: Big Lessons from a Little Life, winner of Best Memoir from the Catholic Media Association. She serves as the Director of Family Support for Red Bird Ministries, a Catholic grief support ministry for families of child loss, and provides Catholic inner healing coaching and Sacred Story workshops through You Are Made New Ministries.  You can find her online at www.elizabethleon.org.

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Delia Larrauri, MD
Gianna Center of Philadelphia, OB/GYN
Talk title: Revering the Person in Women’s Healthcare

What Dr. Larrauri will talk about:

Women are invited to gather for this breakout session on women’s health in which Dr. Delia will share with us the mission of the Gianna Center of Philadelphia. The Gianna Center is a Catholic women’s healthcare organization that honors the sanctity of the female body, life and marriage. In this talk, Dr. Delia will offer insight into the root problems of women’s health issues such as cycle irregularity, intimacy problems, infertility, hormone replacement therapy, menopausal and post-menopausal care. This talk is for any woman who wants to better understand the beauty of her body and how to pursue greater health.

Learn more about Delia Larrauri:

Dr. Larrauri graduated medical school in her home country, Venezuela, at Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado. While at medical school she married Jorge, who is also a doctor, now a Trauma and critical care surgeon. In 2006 she moved to Philadelphia, where she completed her residency in Obsetetrics and Gynecology at Albert Einstein Medical Center. She completed the Creighton Model and NaProTECHNOLOGY Medical Consultant training through the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in 2017. Dr. Larrauri is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Delia and Dr. Jorge have two children.

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