August 26, 2023 | Baton Rouge, LA | Converging Roads

MOST REV. MICHAEL G. DUCA
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA

Michael Gerard Duca, a native of Dallas, Texas, was ordained a priest on April 29, 1978, for the Diocese of Dallas. On December 20, 2004, he was conferred the Title of Reverend Monsignor. He was called to the order of bishop on April 1, 2008, for service in North Louisiana. On May 19, 2008, he was ordained and installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Shreveport. On June 26, 2018, he was appointed as Bishop-designate for the Diocese of Baton Rouge and installed as the 6th Bishop on August 24, 2018. Bishop Duca attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas from 1970 to 1978 and also studied in Rome from 1994 to 1996 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas-Angelicum University where he received his License in Canon Law. During his active ministry as priest and prior to his appointment as diocesan bishop, Bishop Duca served in many different parishes in the Dallas area, including: All Saints Catholic Church, St. Patrick Catholic Church and St. Luke Catholic Church. He also previously served on a diocesan level in the Diocese of Dallas as Vocations Director, member of the Personnel Board, Campus Minister at Southern Methodist University, member of the Presbyteral Council, member of Board of Consultors, and Director of Ongoing Formation of Priests. From 1996 to 2008, he served as Rector at Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas. Bishop Duca presently serves as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and Immediate Past President of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference. He serves as a trustee to Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans and St. Joseph Seminary, Covington, LA, as well as serving on the University of Dallas Board of Trustees. He is a member of the St. Francis Medical Center Board of Directors, Monroe, LA, the Southeast Pastoral Institute (SEPI) Board of Directors, Miami, FL, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Knights of Columbus-Fourth Degree, and the Knights of Peter Claver-Third & Fourth Degree. In 2008, Bishop Duca received the Bishop Lynch High School Alumnus of the Year Award; in 2013 he received the University of Dallas’ Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2018 he received the Bishop Lynch High School Legacy Award.

SUSIE SAENZ
Vice President of Operations, St. John Paul II Foundation

Susie Saenz is Vice President of Operations at the St. John Paul II Foundation where she oversees and supports the Conference team as they plan and execute Converging Roads and Together in Holiness conferences, along with the Together in Holiness Formation series Business Development team as they expand this initiative to parishes and schools across the country. Susie earned her BS in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University and, prior to joining the St. John Paul II Foundation in 2017, worked at Baylor College of Medicine in the philanthropy and alumni relations office. She and her husband, Victor, are parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Houston, TX.

SISTER MICHAELA SERPA, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS

Sister Michaela Serpa, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS is a clinical pharmacist licensed to practice pharmacy in four states, a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist, a member of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) where she serves on the Ethics in Pharmacy Committee. Sister Michaela received her B.A. Psychology from Carroll College, Helena, MT, an M.A. Theology with emphasis in Bioethics from Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Cromwell, CT in conjunction with a certificate in bioethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC), and her PharmD from Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. Sister Michaela was a member of the adult ethics committee at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven, CT for 12 years.

SUSAN CALDWELL, MD, CFCMC
Primary Care/Naprotechnology Physician, East Jefferson General Hospital

Susan Caldwell, MD, CFCMC, is a mother of three and a primary care physician specializing in women’s health working at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Caldwell received her MD from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 1999 where she also completed her Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency in 2005. In 2013, she began her studies at the St. Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction to eventually become a Certified Naprotechnology Medical Consultant in 2016. She is a member of the Catholic Medical Association where she has served as State Director. She also enjoys writing and speaking about authentic femininity and reproductive health that upholds the dignity of all human life and aligns with the teachings of the Catholic Church. She is currently enrolled in the Certification Program at the Theology of the Body Institute in Pennsylvania. Her work has been published in the Linacre Quarterly and National Catholic Register. She blogs about topics in women’s health at drsusancaldwell.com.

ANTHONY ISACCO, PhD
Professor, Director of Training for PsyD Program, Chatham University

Anthony Isacco, PhD, is a professor of Graduate Psychology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA and Director of Training for the PsyD in Counseling Psychology program. He is a licensed psychologist in PA and authorized to provide telepsychology services in approximately 30 states. He maintains a small private practice with a niche focus on the psychological assessment of clergy candidates to the Catholic Church. Dr. Isacco has published widely through his books, popular press articles, and academic journals on the psychological health of seminarians, fatherhood, and the psychology of men and masculinity. He sits on the Advisory Board of Saint Paul Seminary, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Formation Team of Saint Cyril and Methodius Seminary, Pittsburgh Byzantine Eparchy. He is a proud graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville (BA, '02), Boston College (MA, '04), and Loyola University Chicago (PhD, '09). He is married to Celeste and has four daughters, Sophia, Claire, Gianna, and Monica.

MARK BRADFORD
Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Word on Fire Institute

Mark Bradford was appointed as the Word on Fire Institute's Fellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at the beginning of 2023. For over 20 years, he has been blessed to serve in leadership positions in various church ministries, including the National Catholic Bioethics Center and Catholic Social Services for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. In 2012, he became the founding president of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation in the U.S. Mark and his wife Denise have 7 children and are parents to Thomas, their 6th child (and first son), who happens to have been gifted with an extra 21st chromosome. Mark is a passionate advocate for those born with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. He especially advocates against the threat of abortion following a prenatal diagnosis at every opportunity. The Bradfords reside in the Philadelphia suburbs.

RAFAEL FLORES, MAPL
Director of Mission Integration, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Rafael Flores graduated from Spring Hill College with a B.A. in Theology, has a Masters in Pastoral Leadership from Notre Dame Seminary, and is currently in training for a Master's in Bioethics from the Ohio State University. He began his career in education and parish ministry, spending eight years as a theology teacher at St. Scholastica Academy, and lay minister for St. Peter Parish in Covington, LA. He currently is the Director of Mission Integration for Our Lady of the Angels Hospital and the Northshore Region of FMOL Health System. In this role he aids the healthcare ministry live out its Catholic identity across its regional and operations, and assists as the regional bioethics resource and Ethics Committee Chair for Our Lady of the Angels Hospital.

TRACY WINSOR, MPA
Co-Founder and Parent Program Director, Be Not Afraid, Inc.

Tracy Winsor, MPA, is the co-founder of Be Not Afraid (BNA) a case management support service for parents carrying to term following a prenatal diagnosis. BNA has welcomed over 300 infants since its founding fourteen years ago, and Tracy has overseen all aspects of program management. Tracy has presented and written extensively on the topic of prenatal diagnosis to include providing presentations for the U.S. Bishops, the International Association of Catholic Nurses, and the Catholic Social Workers National Association. She also authored a chapter in the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC) text, Catholic Health Care Ethics: A Manual for Practitioners, Third Edition. Tracy’s implementation this year of an online training program to support the development of BNA-modeled services is part of a national prolife collaborative addressing prenatal diagnosis. The BNA model of care is unique in that it is parent-centered, research-based, trauma-informed, and rooted in Catholic ethics. Tracy has been married to her husband, John, for thirty-seven years and is the mother of eight children, and four grandchildren. Her own experiences of pregnancy loss, acute neonatal intensive care, and medical disability inform the insight she brings to the topic of prenatal diagnosis.

MARY BRUNO, FCP
Executive Director, FAbM Base

Mary Bruno, FCP, is from New Orleans, Louisiana, where she met and married her husband of 10 years. They have been a marriage prep mentor couple since 2018. Mary practiced as a physical therapist assistant for 6 years until they adopted their daughter. A late endometriosis diagnosis inspired her to improve fertility awareness and women’s health education through speaking, writing, and social media outreach. She started @WhiteLotusBlooming in 2016, became a Creighton Practitioner in 2018, and co-founded the non-profit FAbM Base (fabmbase.org) in 2020. Now permanently infertile, her many years of suffering forged deeper conversion and curiosity into understanding her worth and how God calls her to be fruitful. Her unique approach to infertility conversations inspired her first published book on the topic: “Twelve Stripes Deep: How Infertility & Other Suffering Delivered My Greatest Joys" in 2022. Our Sunday Visitor will publish her Catholic infertility journal in fall of 2024. Learn more at Marygbruno.com.

7:30 AM	Check-in Begins
8:00 AM	Mass
9:15 AM	Opening Remarks
9:25 - 10:25 AM	Vocation of the Health Care Professional
10:25 AM	Break
10:35 - 11:35 AM	Theological Anthropology and Beginning of Life Issues
11:35 AM	Break
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM	Dignity and Disability in Medicine
12:45 - 2:20 PM	Hippocratic Oath Luncheon
1:15 - 2:15 PM	Affirming the Dignity of Women in Medicine
2:20 PM	Break
2:40 - 3:40 PM	Responding to the Mental Health Crisis
3:40 PM	Break
3:50 - 4:50 PM	Navigating Challenging Prenatal Diagnoses
5:00 - 5:45 PM	Wine & Cheese Reception

about Converging Roads

Where Health Care Ethics and Medicine Converge

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TOPICS

Vocation of the Health Care Professional

Theological Anthropology and Beginning of Life Issues

Dignity and Disability in Medicine

Affirming the Dignity of Women in Medicine

Responding to the Mental Health Crisis

Navigating Challenging Prenatal Diagnoses

SCHEDULE

7:30 AM

8:00 AM

9:15 AM

9:25 - 10:25 AM

10:25 AM

10:35 - 11:35 AM

11:35 AM

11:45 AM - 12:45 PM

12:45 - 2:20 PM

1:15 - 2:15 PM

2:20 PM

2:40 - 3:40 PM

3:40 PM

3:50 - 4:50 PM

5:00 - 5:45 PM

Speakers

MOST REV. MICHAEL G. DUCABishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA

SUSIE SAENZVice President of Operations, St. John Paul II Foundation

SISTER MICHAELA SERPA, FSE, MA, PharmD, BCPS

SUSAN CALDWELL, MD, CFCMCPrimary Care/Naprotechnology Physician, East Jefferson General Hospital

ANTHONY ISACCO, PhDProfessor, Director of Training for PsyD Program, Chatham University

MARK BRADFORDFellow for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Word on Fire Institute

RAFAEL FLORES, MAPLDirector of Mission Integration, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

TRACY WINSOR, MPACo-Founder and Parent Program Director, Be Not Afraid, Inc.

MARY BRUNO, FCPExecutive Director, FAbM Base

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Venue

The Tracy Center

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