Guest Speakers April 18, 2015

Sister Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T.

  Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T., was raised in Woodland,
  Washington, and is a graduate of the University of Nevada-Reno, where
  she played volleyball on a scholarship and majored in communications.
  Although originally hoping to work for ESPN or another news
  organization, Heidland’s life was transformed in a very slow but deep
  way during her college years. Spending most of her time living a typical
  college life of parties, sports, and freedom, she seemed to have it all. In
  reality, her life was empty and broken.

  Through the friendship of a holy and caring priest, Heidland’s life began
  to transform as she realized Jesus was real and that he was the great
  love that her heart desired. 

  In 1998, from darkness Into God’s marvelous light, she entered the
  Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, a missionary community
  that serves global areas of deepest apostolic need. She says, “My goal
  now is to bring the message of Jesus’ authentic love and mercy to everyone I meet. Jesus came to set us free from sin and darkness so that we might walk in his marvelous light.”  

She has a powerful testimony of the victory of faith, hope, and love over the doubt, despair, and lust that cast their shadow over so many souls. Her inspiring and authentic witness is proof that God wants to write his own powerful story of redemption in each of our lives. Sr. Miriam is an authentic witness of Jesus’ irresistible love.  With vulnerability, honesty, and beauty, she invites each of us to experience the Lord’s astonishing love—just as we are.  Her talks often bring life-changing encounters.

Sister has served at missions in Rome, North Dakota, Seattle, and Texas. Her apostolates have included being a director of the S.O.L.T. Apostolic Novitiate for eight years, working with elementary school students, coaching high school volleyball, cohosting a Catholic radio program, and speaking in different parts of the United States and Canada. She is pursuing a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute and attends courses at the Theology of the Body Institute.

Now a lover of Jesus, sports, reading, beauty and coffee, Sister Miriam James is dedicated to poverty, chastity and obedience; and she is among the happiest of women.  Her first book was newly released last fall.


    “Loved As I Am” 
     An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus
    

Visit her website: www.societyofourlady.net

Read her blog about authentic life, love and holiness at www.soltsisters.blogspot.com

Follow her on Twitter @OneGroovyNun


 
Joan Watson

   Joan Watson is the Director of Adult Formation for the Diocese of
   Nashville. In addition to her work for the diocese, Joan is a popular
   speaker who has addressed a wide variety of audiences, from local
   parishioners to members of the Roman Curia. 

   Besides writing about Christ and His Church, she loves talking about Him
   and His Bride, too.  Whether it’s a day of recollection for school teachers
   or a fervorino for parents of confirmandi, her joy comes from sharing her
   passion and zeal with others.  Joan previously worked as the assistant
   director of catechetics at Aquinas College and with Dr. Scott Hahn at the
   St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

   She received her bachelor’s degree in history from Christendom College and her master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University. 

She is currently a member of the National Advisory Council for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  You can find her thoughts and musings, along with upcoming events, at

www.joanmwatson.com.
 

Sister Mary Johanna Mellody, O.P.

   Sister Mary Johanna Mellody, O.P., grew up in Akron, Ohio, as the   
   seventh of nine children in a faithfully Catholic and happily hectic
   family. She attended Catholic elementary and high school before going
   on to the University of Akron for an Elementary Education degree.  Of
   Sister’s eight siblings, two other sisters are also Sisters, one a
   cloistered Visitation nun and the other a Sister Servant of the Sacred
   Heart who currently works as a street evangelist outside a soup kitchen
   in Delaware. Sister Mary Johanna taught in Catholic schools and lived
   with other Catholic women as part of a lay movement before she found
   her way to Nashville and the joy of a religious vocation.

  Sister Mary Johanna is a member of the Dominican Sisters of St.
  Cecilia.  She has worked in the field of Catholic education as a teacher
  or administrator for over 20 years.  She is currently completing a
  Master’s in Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is also certified in Spanish and has had the privilege of serving the Hispanic Community in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. 

She currently assists with the catechesis of children, youth, and adults at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Nashville. She also has the opportunity to work with adult faith formation by teaching the Aquinas College Catechist Formation Program in the Diocese of Nashville and Knoxville. Two years ago she and another sister translated the Catechist Formation Program into Spanish, and the sisters are currently training 400 Spanish speaking Catechists in the Diocese of Nashville and Lexington.

Another project close to her heart is working with immigrants new to the Nashville area to help make it possible for them to enroll in Catholic schools.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia have just published a beautiful book on family prayer called A Short Guide to Praying as a Family: Growing Together in Faith and Love Each Day (St. Benedict’s Press). Sister Mary Johanna and the sisters are currently working with several Hispanic families to publish a Spanish edition of the book, which will include special sections on Hispanic traditions.

The sisters’ website: www.nashvilledominican.org 




Tajci


   "Tajci" (Tatiana Cameron) Singer/Songwriter and inspirational  
   performing artist has performed for international audiences,
   sold platinum records and has toured the US in more than
   1,000 iDoBelieve concerts. 

   Born in Croatia, Tajci (Ty-chee) grew up in communist
   Yugoslavia.  Raised in a musical family, at the age of 19, she
   became a superstar in Central Europe. Her life became
   a blur of concerts, video shoots, personal
   appearances and commercial tie-ins – an
   unending crush of photographers, adoring fans, and bodyguards. Ironically the “dream come true” also brought feelings of isolation, loneliness and emptiness. By 1991, war had come to Croatia and Tajci joined thousands of young people flocking to the churches, now that the atheist regime had fallen
.
Then “Shocking her country and peers, Tatiana left it all – stardom, glamour, fame, friends and family to come to the United States, alone and unknown, at age 21.” In her newfound anonymity, Tajci found answers in prayer.  In her faith and in the freedom it brought her, she found the inspiration to compose music and sing about her new experiences.  And she’s comfortable once again being known as Tajci.

Now, after 13 years of touring America, performing more than 1,000 concerts, raising a family on the road and almost losing her marriage, she speaks about learning the secrets to achieving the freedom and courage that it takes to awaken from someone else’s dream and to begin living one’s own. 
She and her husband created and now produce “Waking Up In America” a weekly multi-platform show with guests and music in which they explore the 'waking up moments' that shift us from discontent to purpose and uncover the essence of who we are meant to be.

www.tajci.net
    
www.wakingupinamerica.net