REV. ERIC SCANLAN
Pastor, Incarnation Catholic Church
Fr. Eric Scanlan is a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Venice in Florida, where he serves as Pastor of Incarnation Catholic Church in Sarasota. Ordained in 2013 at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, he is a native of Fort Myers and the oldest of eleven children. During his college years while on pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Medjugorje, he experienced the love of God in a powerful and life changing way. Renewed in his love for the Catholic Church and relationship with Jesus Christ, he began to discern a call to the priesthood. Eucharistic Adoration and Marian devotion were instrumental in his discernment. Fr. Scanlan graduated with Marketing and Political Science degrees from University of Florida. He studied philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, and finished in 2014 with a Licentiate (STL) in Spirituality from the Teresianum in Rome. Fr. Scanlan loves sharing the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith with others, and believes strongly in its unique ability to transform the culture. As a priest, his greatest joy is helping people encounter and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
KEVIN AND LISA COTTER
Catholic Authors and Speakers
Kevin and Lisa Cotter met in high school, were married straight out of college, and are now raising their four kids, ranging from 16 to 3, in Denver, CO. After spending 11 years as a missionary family with FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), Kevin is the Head of Content for the Hallow App, and Lisa is a mom who speaks and writes on the side. Together they are the author of "Dating Detox" and co-hosts of the How-to Catholic podcast. Kevin holds a Masters in Scripture from the Augustine Institute, and Lisa is currently pursuing her Masters in Theology from the Augustine Institute.
MOST REV. FRANK J. DEWANE
Bishop of Venice in Florida
Most Reverend Bishop Frank J. Dewane serves as the spiritual leader of approximately 250,000 Catholics in the 10-county Diocese of Venice in Florida. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 as the second Bishop of the Diocese.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice in Florida by Pope Benedict XVI on April 25, 2006, and on January 19, 2007, he was installed in his current role as Bishop of the Diocese.
In addition to holding a degree from the University of Wisconsin, Bishop Dewane also completed studies at The American University in Washington, D.C., as well as from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome.
Prior to entering the seminary, Bishop Dewane worked for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in Moscow, Russia, and then for a subsidiary of PepsiCo in New York City.
Ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Green Bay in 1988, Bishop Dewane was appointed in 1991 to serve as a member of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York City, during which time he represented the Holy See at several international conferences. In 1995, he was transferred to the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and was later appointed Under Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Bishop Dewane serves on the Ad Hoc Committee against Racism, and Subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Dewane previously served on several committees at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops including the Committee for Domestic Justice and Integral Human Development (past Chair), Committee for International Justice and Peace.
Bishop Dewane is a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land, and is the Episcopal Liaison for Catholic Charities, USA.