PATTY SCHNEIER
Catholic Author and Speaker
Patty Schneier is a Catholic author, speaker, and radio host from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. For 21 years, she has travelled the country, inspiring Catholics to reignite their faith. Her book, Love Letters from Mom on What Matters Most, is a must-read for parents who want to pass the faith on to their children, and her podcast, The Daily Dose of Encouragement, is heard daily on Covenant Network Catholic Radio. Patty has been a guest on EWTN and is a recipient of the Archbishop Robert J. Carlson Excellence in Communications Award. She and her husband Larry have been married for 36 years; their oldest son is a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
REV. MITCH PACWA,
Keynote speaker
Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J. received his B.A. in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Detroit, summa cum laude. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1976 with the Society of Jesus, as a Master of Divinity and S.T.B. from the Jesuit School of Theology of Loyola University, magna cum laude. At Vanderbilt University, he received his Master of Arts as well as his Ph.D. in Old Testament.
He is best known for his appearances on EWTN for over the last thirty years. Fr. Pacwa is a best-selling Catholic author and has written numerous books on a variety of topics about the Scripture and our Catholic Faith to continue to teach us and generations to come.
As we know, since the 1960's the Catholic church has lost several generations of baptized Catholics due to a lack of knowledge of their Catholic Faith. But since the 1980's there has been efforts to address the lack of faith in our young adults: Theology on Tap, Cardinal Newman Society, Fellowship of Catholic University and College Students and Young Catholic Professionals to name a few known efforts. Father's mission is to offer younger adults the opportunity to talk with him in informal, smaller venues. He wants to listen to, support, and strengthen the next generation of Catholics as they strive to live their Faith in today's culture. In 2017, Father extended his teaching mission by embarking on a new 'Legacy of Faith' Initiative. This is a specific effort to reach younger Catholics in answering their questions and concerns as living as Catholics in the 21st century.
RICK PLAEGER
Panelist
Rick Plaeger is a parishioner of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Houston and is active in several ministries and Catholic organizations. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 40 years and enjoy exploring the world and spending time with their two adult children, who also live in the Houston area. Prior to his retirement, Rick was a senior executive for over 30 years for three publicly traded Fortune 500 oil and gas companies and prior to that time was a federal court law clerk and a partner in a New Orleans-based commercial law firm.
GINA BERGERON
Panelist
Gina Bergeron has been married to her husband, Scott, for 27 yrs and they have 4 daughters ages 24, 21, 17, and 16. She grew up in a strong Catholic family in New Orleans and graduated from the University of New Orleans and Loyola University with a bachelors degree and a masters degree in secondary math education, respectively. Gina was a stay at home mom for 18 yrs when she and Scott moved to Houston, then began teaching again 6 yrs ago at St. John XXIII High School in Katy, where she works in the Learning Center.
LUCY HINES
Panelist
Lucy Hines, a native Houstonian, is always cooking up something--homeschool plans, meal plans, and even fresh kolaches in her small bakery, the Kolache Shoppe. Lucy, a widow at 27, was amazingly blessed with the gift of marriage to Randy Hines in 2012. As a devoted wife and mother to five who range in age from 10 to 2, Lucy is constantly seeking Christ in the workplace and in the domestic church. She is a parishioner at Our Lady of Walsingham here in Houston.
WILLIAM R. “TREY”
CASHION III
Panelist
Trey Cashion and his wife, Stephanie, have been married for nearly 30 years and have six children, including soon-to-be 17 year-old triplets, and are Parishioners at St. Mary’s in College Station, Texas. In 2001, Trey received his Master of Theological Studies from The University of Dallas IRPS program. Trey co-authored with Dr. Joseph White "Together in God’s Love" – a marriage preparation program published by Our Sunday Visitor. Trey and Stephanie host a radio show produced by RED C Radio in College Station, Texas called "The Mystery of Parenthood". Currently, Trey is a Private Banker and Senior Vice President with Guaranty Bank & Trust.
KIERNAN O’CONNOR
Panel moderator
Kiernan O’Connor is a writer in The Woodlands, TX. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in CatholicMom.com, Down in the Dirt, Ancient Paths, and Catholic Arts Today. He and his wife of 17 years, Jackie, have four children and attend Annunciation Catholic parish in Houston.
ARLAND K. NICHOLS
President, St. John Paul II Foundation
Arland K. Nichols is president and founder of the St. John Paul II Foundation. Early in his career, as an educator and non-profit executive, he became a popular speaker and successful writer while he established the groundwork for the initiatives that would become the St. John Paul II Foundation. Arland launched the St. John Paul II Foundation in 2014 and he is author of the 4th edition of the Handbook on Critical Life Issues published in 2024 by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Arland earned a B.A. in philosophy from Texas A&M, an M.Div. in Theology from University of St. Thomas, and pursued doctoral studies in bioethics at Regina Apostolorum in Rome. With the generous support of his wife, Cindy, and their ten children, Arland is blessed to lead the St. John Paul II Foundation as it serves, educates, and supports medical professionals, married couples, and clergy.
VERONICA VALLONE, LMFT-A
Panel moderator
Veronica Vallone is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist-Associate currently working in research with MD Anderson, focusing on healthy lifestyle change and neuromodualtion. She and her husband, Mark (a youth minister at St. Anthony of Padua) met while earning their undergraduate degrees at Franciscan University of Steubenville. They have a beautiful and rambunctious 5-year-old daughter.
