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CONFESSION

ADORATION

SPEAKERS

HOLY MASS

February 17, 2024
2024 E6 Speakers
Birk
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SEAN "THE MAYOR"  CASEY

Sean Casey, 12-year Major League Baseball first baseman, MLB Network Broadcaster and Analyst since 2009, host of The Mayor's Office show on youtube, philanthropist, keynote speaker, mental performance and breakthrough coach. Sean, nicknamed “The Mayor” by his fellow players for his outgoing personality, and named the Friendliest Player In Baseball by 600 fellow MLB players in a 2007 Sports Illustrated poll. Sean’s nice and friendly personality was contrasted by being a fierce competitor. Sean built his career on his ability to take high leverage and high stress situations, and channeling them into huge successes.

Sean played for the Cincinnati Reds (1998-2005) where he became one of the most beloved players in franchise history and was inducted into the Red’s Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2006, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was traded to the the Detroit Tigers (2006-07) where he hit .529 with 2 home runs in the World Series.  The three-time All-Star proudly retired with the Boston Red Sox in 2008 and joined the Lifetime 300 Hitter Club with a career batting average of .302 and .410 in the postseason.  In Sean’s career, he hit  130 home runs, 735 RBI with an 814 OPS, finished in the top 10 in National League batting average three times and had six seasons in which he hit above .300.

Bear
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TIM STAPLES

Tim Staples is a Senior Apologist here at Catholic Answers, but he was not always Catholic. Tim was raised a Southern Baptist. Although he fell away from the faith of his childhood, Tim came back to faith in Christ during his late teen years through the witness of Christian televangelists. Soon after, Tim joined the Marine Corps.

During his four-year tour, he became involved in ministry with various Assemblies of God communities. Immediately after his tour of duty, Tim enrolled in Jimmy Swaggart Bible College and became a youth minister in an Assembly of God community. During his final year in the Marines, however, Tim met a Marine who really knew his faith and challenged Tim to study Catholicism from Catholic and historical sources. That encounter sparked a two-year search for the truth. Tim was determined to prove Catholicism wrong, but he ended up studying his way to the last place he thought he would ever end up: the Catholic Church!

He converted to Catholicism in 1988 and spent the following six years in formation for the priesthood, earning a degree in philosophy from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. He then studied theology on a graduate level at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for two years. Realizing that his calling was not to the priesthood, Tim left the seminary in 1994 and has been working in Catholic apologetics and evangelization ever since.

Meyer
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Fr. JOHN HOLLOWELL

Fr. John Hollowell was ordained a priest on June 6th, 2009 for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  He is currently serving as a pastor in solidum with Fr. Jonathan Meyer over the 4 parishes in Dearborn County, IN.  Fr. Hollowell's first assignment was as chaplain to Cardinal Ritter High School, where he taught theology and coached football.  He spent the next 11 years in the western part of the Archdiocese at Annunciation Catholic Church in Brazil, St. Paul's Catholic Church in Greencastle, Catholic Chaplain to DePauw University and the Putnamville Penitentiary.  Fr. Hollowell also served as executive producer for "The Third Way: What the Catholic Church ACTUALLY Teaches About Homoseuality"

Houck
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NATHAN CRANKFIELD

Nathan Crankfield was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He was baptized Lutheran, but entered the Catholic Church at age 13, becoming the first Catholic in his family. In 2015, he graduated from Mount St. Mary's University, where he received an Army ROTC Scholarship. After graduation, Nathan was commissioned and trained as an Infantry officer at Fort Benning, GA, where he completed U.S. Army Airborne School and Ranger School. Upon completion, he headed to Fort Bragg, NC, where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division for three years.

After a deployment to Afghanistan, Nathan knew it was time to pursue his love for evangelization. Throughout his life, Nathan has cultivated a deep passion for encouraging others to fulfill their potential and purpose. In 2019, he accepted a position at the Dynamic Catholic Institute, where he faithfully served as a Parish Consultant for the archdiocese of Kansas City, MO & Austin, TX. Nathan served as a Resident Director at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS. He currently resides in Denver, Co with his wife; Emily and their son Jordan. Nathan currently serves as a Sales Lead for Hallow, the Catholic prayer & meditation app.

The initial ideas around Seeking Excellence came to Nathan during his college years as he felt God calling him to serve the Church using his gifts for writing and speaking. While serving his parishes, Nathan dedicated consistent time to writing reflections to share within his community.

When the mandatory stay-at-home orders went into place in the spring of 2020, Nathan received several cancellations for his booked speaking engagements. Much like all things Nathan does in his life, he decided to make the most of the situation by evolving. He moved his in-person events to a virtual platform, gaining new audiences and identifying our world's needs. Shortly after, Seeking Excellence launched with the support of Nathan's community and several friends who committed much time to help lay the foundation to bring his dream to life. 

Nathan continues to cast a bold vision for Seeking Excellence while striving to build a strong alliance of community, which will help make a significant impact in the Church.

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