St. Paul the Apostle

Deacon Tony and his wife Sylvia have been married for 34 years and have been members of St. Paul the Apostle since 1991. Tony was ordained a deacon in 2011 in the Diocese of San Bernardino. He has been involved with baptism and marriage preparation. He has also been Involved with RCIA, Marriage Enrichment, and the Ignite Evangelization team. His presentation will focus on the family dimension and the impact baptism has on our children and our families. What Does Our Baptism Mean?

“Treading Water in the Baptismal Font”

Rick Howick is the host for Orange County Catholic Radio, the weekly talk show for the Diocese of Orange, and has engaged religious radio programming and public speaking for more than twenty years. Rick converted to the Catholic Faith in 1992 after completing his ministry degree as a Presbyterian while also working on graduate work in early Church history.  Since then he has served as a Catholic School Instructor, a Campus Minister, a Dean of Students, and as a Principal.  A few years ago, Rick resumed formal study in early Church history at UCR.  He holds a Master’s Degree in Divinity, a Master’s in Education, a Master of Arts in Religious Studies, and is finishing his PhD. dissertation on Tertullian, an early Church writer from about the year 200.  He has been happily married 25 years to his wife Cathleen, and their family resides in Riverside where they attend St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish and where he continues to sponsor converts through the RCIA process. 
 
Rick will speak on “Treading Water in the Baptismal Font”.  His talk will focus on the powerful meaning baptism has for the believer, not just at the moment of cleansing (which for most Catholics was long before memory began).  On the contrary:

1. Baptism welcomes the believer into the household of God as a member of the family;
2. Where we are continually called to remember our baptism throughout our lives – in every confession, in every Eucharist, in all we do;
3. So that far from just relaxing, as if treading water, we are called to swim against the current of our age, and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to all God puts around us. 

Rick will tell us how we can both recall the meaning of baptism, and make it wet again in our daily

“Understanding Your Family: How to Make Things Right With Your Family This Lent”

Fr. Sebastian Walshe is a Norbertine Canon of the Abbey of St. Michael in the Diocese of Orange, California, where he is a professor of philosophy for the seminary program. He has studied at Thomas Aquinas College in California, Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas at Rome where he taught and received a Masters in Sacred Theology and a Doctorate in Philosophy. He has been a guest speaker on various media sources and is a popular speaker at the Lenten and Advent series at St. Paulthe Apostle.

There is so much confusion today among Catholics and non-Catholics alike about what makes a family and what makes a marriage. But unless we understand clearly what marriage and family are, we will not be able to live family life and marriage well. This talk will clearly spell out what marriage and family are, and give some advice to help make things right in your marriage and family this Lent

“Kindle Light in the Wilderness: Living Our Baptism in a Secular World”

Sister Edith Prendergast, RSC, is a member of the Religious Sisters of Charity. She is former Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and was responsible for the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, a gathering of 40,000, held annually at the Anaheim Convention Center. Edith has been a board member for the National Conference of Diocesan Directors and has served on the National and International levels in several areas of ministry. She facilitates the International Symposium on “Adult Formation for Social Transformation” held in Florida and followed up in India, Thailand and England.

She is a frequent speaker nationally and locally and has contributed to several articles on catechesis and spirituality. She is the author of Grace Abounds: Call to Awaken and Renew Faith. In September of 2015 she received the Evangeli Gaudium-Joy of Gospel” award at the 75th Anniversary of St. John’s Seminary. In September 2017 she received the Angel Award from C.A.L.L. - Catholic Association of Latino Leaders.

Sister holds a Doctorate in Ministry from Claremont School of Theology, a Masters Degree in Theology from Boston College and a Teachers’ certificate from Maria Assumpta College, London.