DAMON OWENS
Founder of Joyful Ever After
Damon Owens, international speaker and evangelist, is executive director of Joyful Ever After (joyfuleverafter.org). The first executive director of the Theology of the Body Institute and chairman of the 2016 International Theology of the Body Congress, Damon founded Joyful Ever After as a non-profit ministry dedicated to encouraging and educating couples to understand and live marriage and family life together with joy through St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. A presenter at the 2015 World Meeting of Families, 2017 USCCB Convocation of Catholic Leaders, and 2019 Catholic Family Life Symposium, Damon keeps a full international speaking schedule at conferences, seminars, universities, high schools, seminaries, and parishes on the good news of marriage, sexuality, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Family, adoption, and NFP. In 2018, Pope Francis honored Damon with his Benemerenti Papal Medal in recognition for his work in support of marriage and family. Damon lives outside Philadelphia with his wife Melanie and their eight children. Damon has published numerous articles, appeared on many radio and television programs (EWTN, Catholic Answers, Ave Maria, Relevant Radio, Immaculate Heart Radio, ABC World News Tonight, CBS News, NPR), taught in many major Catholic faith programs, and has hosted and produced three 13-part television series for EWTN. He is also an accomplished gospel singer honored with a solo during the 1995 NJ Papal Mass at Giants Stadium presided by Pope St. John Paul II.
MOST REV. FRANK J. DEWANE
Bishop of Venice in Florida
Most Reverend Bishop Frank J. Dewane serves as the spiritual leader of more than 227,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Venice in Florida. Bishop Dewane was named Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Venice 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 DC, as well as from Pontifical Gregorian University and Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, both in Rome. Bishop Dewane currently serves 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, Ad Hoc Committee against Racism, Subcommittee for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers. Further, Bishop Dewane is a member of the Board of Directors of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land.
ROBERT AND DIANE SCHWIND
Co-Directors of Three Hearts Institute
Robert and Diane Schwind are the co-directors of Three Hearts Institute, a marriage and family ministry which was born 15 years ago in the Fort Worth Diocese. Robert and Diane’s passion is marriage and family lived God’s way. Their 36 years of marriage has been an exciting journey towards Our Lord and towards each other as together they continue to learn and live and share God’s design for marriage and family. With four children and 11 grandchildren, so far, Robert and Diane greatly desire to share the love of the Three Hearts in their family and with others who also desire the peace and joy that can come only from living marriage and family life God’s way. Their ministry has focused on marriage preparation, marriage enrichment, marriage in crisis, and family development, all from the foundation of Church teaching. In the last five years, Robert and Diane have developed a method for married couples to give them a focus in their marriage called Matrimonial Spirituality. Not unlike the rule of a monastery, Matrimonial Spirituality is a method of life that calls each of the couple to a greater union with God and thereby a greater union with one another.