Matthew Leonard - "Find the Secret Joy"

Matthew is an internationally known speaker, writer, and Executive Director of the St. Paul Center for Bibilical Theology, founded by Dr. Scott Hahn. He travels far and wide giving talks at conferences, parish missions, and retreats, as well as leading Journey Through Scripture, the St. Paul Center’s parish-based Bible study program. He’s described as a champion of our Catholic faith and has been heard and seen in places like “Deep in Scripture with Marcus Grodi”, Sirius Radio, and Our Sunday Visitor.

Invited back to Nashville after several described him as a dynamic speaker, with a powerful conversion story, and the overall highlight of the Carell conference!

The son of a Protestant pastor, Matthew served as a missionary in Latin America previous to his conversion to Catholicism in 1998. After entering the Church, he obtained a Master’s degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and taught theology for the diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and lectured at local parishes.

 The father of four, Matthew and his wife Veronica make their home in Steubenville, Ohio.

http://www.matthewsleonard.com

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Elizabeth Ficocelli - "A Journey in Grace"

Elizabeth, is a best selling, award winning author of fourteen books for adults and young people. Her books include: Seven from Heaven: How Your Family Can Find Healing, Strength and Protection In the Sacraments, Lourdes: Font of Faith, Hope, and Charity, Shower of Heavenly Roses; Stories of the Intercession of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Entering the Catholic Church in 1983, she immersed herself in reading everything she could about her new faith. She began with supernatural phenomena such as Eucharistic Miracles, stigmata and apparitions, then progressed to Church history, the saints, and apologetics (the defense of the faith.) The more she read, the more reasons Elizabeth found to love the Catholic faith. She asked God how she could share her love of his Church with others, and he showed her the answer: through her writing.

In the year 2000, after a 20-year career in advertising, Elizabeth launched a new ministry in spiritual writing. She is a popular speaker at conferences, parishes, schools, and retreats. She is also the host of a radio program, “Answering The Call”.

Elizabeth and her husband of 27 years have four boys and reside in Columbus, Ohio.

www.elizabethficocelli.com
 

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Babetta Gray-Boggs - "Renewed by God's Love"

Babetta is a former corporate lawyer who spent a combined fifteen years in private practice.

As a teenager in the 1970’s, she believed the message in Helen Reddy’s song, “I Am Woman Hear Me Roar”. For many years she went after what the prevailing culture told her was important: recognition, prestige, power, money. Eventually unhappy & close to divorce, a job loss brought her to contemplate another way of life and the decision to take a sabbatical . She shares how God, through his boundless, merciful, gracious, redemptive love, trans-formed—and continues to transform—her life according to His purpose.

Babetta taught Spanish for four years until turning to practicing law. She now has her own law office and handles business & commercial, family, criminal & immigration matters in all communities, including the Hispanic community.

Baptized and raised in the Protestant faith, Babetta joined the Catholic Church in April 2007 together with her husband George, “the best thing that I ever did” (besides marrying her husband, of course).

She and George, married for twenty-two years, live in Collierville, TN.

www.babettagrayboggslaw.com
 

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Kitty Cleveland - "God Will Provide"

Kitty, a New Orleans native, has been an inspirational speaker and award-winning singer, songwriter and actress for over 25 years. Though she put her singing on hold after college to pursue careers as a lawyer, university instructor and career counselor, Kitty’s life as a full-time music missionary began in earnest after launching her first CD in 2000, with several CDs following.

She feels called to encourage people—whether through music, story-telling, or teaching from the great Catholic spiritual writers and her own life experience. Tears in the audience (and occasionally from her) are not uncommon, and she considers them sacred. Audiences also laugh a lot, which she considers to be a true gift of the Holy Spirit. Her heart burns with a desire to share the riches of our Catholic faith, especially to lapsed or lukewarm Catholics.

 Her stirring testimony takes us all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and is now being heard on EWTN Radio and on over three million CDs distributed by Lighthouse Catholic Media.

Kitty makes her home in the New Orleans area with her husband and young daughter, whom they adopted from China in 2005.

www.kittycleveland.com