MOST REV. GERARD W. BATTERSBY
Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
The youngest of nine children along with his twin brother, Gerard W. Battersby was born May 15, 1960, to the late Christopher and the late Helen (Buckley) Battersby. He grew up in northwest Detroit and attended St. Benedict Parish and school in Highland Park.
In 1993, he entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary as an adult vocation, and received a Master of Divinity degree in 1998, being ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Adam J. Maida.
After ordination, he served in parish ministry for approximately 10 years. He served as an associate pastor at St. Thecla Parish in Clinton Township, Presentation/Our Lady of Victory Parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and St. Gerard Parish, all in Detroit.
In 2002, he was named pastor of St. Christopher Parish in Detroit, and in 2007, was appointed to Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he received a Licentiate in the New Evangelization in 2008. While serving as director of graduate seminarians and graduate pastoral formation at the seminary, Fr. Battersby also served concurrently as administrator of St. Leo Parish in Detroit. In 2009, Fr. Battersby was assigned to graduate studies at the Angelicum in Rome, Italy. In 2011, Fr. Battersby was appointed Vice-Rector and Dean of Seminarian Formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. In 2015, Fr. Battersby was concurrently appointed pastor of St. Mary of Redford, Detroit. Fr. Battersby was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit on November 23, 2016, and was ordained to the episcopacy on January 25, 2017.
SR. JOSEPH ANDREW BOGDANOWICZ, OP
Co-foundress and Vocation Director, Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist
Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz, OP, is one of four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI. As the Community’s vocations director for 28 years, she travels extensively giving talks, writes for various Catholic publications, and leads retreats for students, parishes, priests and seminarians. She has appeared in media including EWTN, Oprah, NPR, CBS, and Fox & Friends. Sister has written and compiled two volumes of And Mary’s ‘Yes’ Continues, concerning Religious Life today. Over 28 years, the Community has grown to over 130 members, with women coming from throughout the USA and internationally. The average age of the Sisters is 37 years old. These past 3 years, Sister has been assigned as the Community’s “Eucharistic and Marian Revival Preacher,” an obedience that both humbles and excites her immensely!
LUIS AND JANET DIAZ
Luis and Janet Diaz have been married for 40 years. They have three children and seven
grandchildren (so far). They believe that placing their Catholic faith at the heart of family life is
the best way to honor God with their marriage, to raise children, and ultimately to help all the
family members to get to heaven.
Luis worked his entire career in the field of human resources, working for various corporations.
After retiring recently, he has dedicated himself to supporting the Diaz family through lots of
babysitting grandchildren! He also enjoys racquet sports and of course time with Janet. Janet
has worked in ministry in the Catholic Church in various capacities, including both parish
pastoral ministry and work in lay ministry programs at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. She
currently works as Director of Pastoral Formation for Church of the Holy Family in Novi,
Michigan and also teaches seminarians and lay students at the seminary.
RYAN HANNING, PhD
Fellow, St. John Paul II Foundation
Ryan Hanning, PhD, serves as the Executive Vice President of Catholics Come Home and Virtue Media which provides media and educational resources in 11 different languages. He coordinates the outreach for Catholics Come Home and its apostolates and has helped lead over 20 Diocesan campaigns in the US, Canada, and Poland. He has helped expand the Catholics Come Home online presence with over 10 million views, and over 600,000 online followers. Dr. Hanning earned a PhD in Theology from Maryvale Institute in England and has studied at the University of Dallas, Cambridge, and the Jagiellonian, St. John Paul II’s alma mater. In addition to being a Fellow for the Institute of Theology, the St. John Paul II Foundation, and Havard Virtuous Leadership Institute, he has served in non-profit leadership and published books, and articles with Ignatius Press, TAN Publishing, Sword & Spade, The Catechetical Review, Ressourcement, Catholic Rural Life, and Hearth & Field. He has presented at conferences in the US, Mexico, Canada, and Europe and has been featured on EWTN and various national and international podcasts. Ryan serves as a founding editor for Creed & Culture Books, as well as Hearth & Field. He currently homesteads in Tennessee with his beautiful wife Rebecca, and their ten amazing children.