Plenary Speakers
Finding Light-filled Beauty in Our Darkness
Friday, May 16, 2025 at 7pm ET (after conference opening)
Using his own art and stories, Brother Mickey will share the many ways in which Art in all its forms can lead us to deep, contemplative experiences of healing and hope. With the help of Creative Saints and Prophets — from Vincent Van Gogh and St. Therese of Lisieux to Thomas Merton and Thea Bowman — he will enlighten our paths from grief, sadness, and fear to inner peace and self-acceptance.
Brother Mickey McGrath OSFS is an artist, author, story-teller, and retreat director who currently lives and works in Camden, NJ. A native of Philadelphia, Brother Mickey has been a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales for forty-seven years. After receiving his MFA in Painting from the American University in Washington, DC, he worked as a professor of art at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA. Since 1994, he has been pursuing his ministry of art full time. He has published more than twenty award-winning books. He travels to conferences and retreat centers throughout the United States and Canada in order to share his firm belief that beauty will indeed heal and save our broken world. Pope Francis has said that artists are apostles of beauty-and Bro. Mickey takes this ministerial role seriously. Art, one of the great gifts of the Holy Spirit, brings us joy and hope in these very broken and disturbing times in history. His faith and philosophy can be wrapped up in this quote from the Patron of his religious community: ‘We pray best before beauty.” St. Francis de Sales
Revisiting and Reclaiming Vatican II's Pastoral and Prphetic Vision Sixty Years Later in a Culturally Diverse Church
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 9:15am ET
The Second Vatican Council challenged the Catholic world to be enthusiastically pastoral and prophetic in its engagement with the world. This vision remains a priority, today more than ever, as we embrace the call to be a synodal church. For 60 years, the National Association of Catholic Chaplains has lived up to this vision. Let us imagine together how to continue to do so into the future, particularly in the culturally diverse context that defi nes Catholicism in the United States.
Hosffman Ospino PhD is Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College, Clough School of Theology and Ministry where he is also Chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry. His research explores the relationship between faith and culture, and how that relationship shapes Catholic ministerial and educational efforts. Hosffman is the author and editor of more than 20 books and about 250 articles, academic and general. He is a Past-President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) and is currently an officer of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA).
Lessons From the Well: A Sacred Space for Hope, Connecting, and Understanding
Sunday, May 18, 2025, 11:45am ET
In the Gospel of John, we read of the encounter that Jesus has with a Samaritan woman and the impact this meeting has on her. This woman, a marginalized woman and stranger to Jesus, experiences a bond, a listening ear and ultimately hope. For this plenary, Sr. Melinda will use storytelling, art and music to illustrate ways chaplaincy can emulate Jesus’ open heart and his inner being to see individuals with transformative compassion!
Sr. Melinda Adrienne Pellerin SSJ is a Pastoral Minister at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, case manager at a local transitional sober home for men and women, and retired Chaplain. Sr. Melinda received a BA in secondary education with a minor in history and social sciences, a Master’s in Educational Technology, and a Certification in Addiction Counseling. Before entering religious life, Sister Melinda was a secondary teacher spending most of her teaching career in the Public School System in Springfield, Mass. In 2019, Sister Melinda made her Final Vows with The Sisters of Saint Joseph. She was the Vice President of the National Black Sisters Conference and lectures on African America History and Black Catholics in the church.
Struggling to Sustain Hope when Everything is Seemingly Conspiring Against it
Monday, May 19, 2025 at 9:45am ET
In a world that often feels overwhelmed by suff ering, division, and personal trials, sustaining hope can feel not just diffi cult, but nearly impossible. We are reminded that hope is not wishful thinking — it is a mystical capacity to live in the tension between God’s promises and our current reality. This plenary session will explore the quiet, courageous nature of hope — a hope that does not deny suff ering but walks through it with faith. When everything around us seems to conspire against our joy, our belief, and our sense of meaning, how do we hold on to the light? Fr. Ron we will refl ect on the spiritual strength required to sustain hope, and how to recognize the often-hidden ways that God is still at work — even in seasons of desolation, doubt, and darkness.
Rev. Ronald Rolheiser OMI is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is President Emeritus of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas and a Professor of Spirituality there. He is a community-builder, lecturer, and writer. His books are popular throughout the English-speaking world and have now been translated into many languages. His weekly column is carried by more than 80 newspapers worldwide. Prior to this present position, he taught theology and philosophy at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta, for 16 years, served as Provincial Superior of his Oblate Province for six years, and served on the General Council for the Oblates in Rome for six years. He has been at Oblate School of theology since 2005. Keeping an active speaking schedule, his retreats and workshops have inspired many. Along with his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he has become a popular speaker in the areas of contemporary spirituality and religion and the secularity.