MARIO SACASA, PhD, LMFT
Associate Director, Faith and Marriage Apostolate
Mario Sacasa, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of the Willwoods Community Faith and Marriage Apostolate. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has been in practice for over 15 years. Integrating the riches of the Catholic faith with sound counseling practice is the aim of his career and influences all his professional endeavors.
Dr. Sacasa is the host of Always Hope, a personal growth podcast that sits at the crossroads of psychology and Catholicism. He travels the country offering lectures on hope, relationships, and mental health issues. He is the creator of two online courses: Dating Well, which helps young adults navigate the current dating scene, and Overcoming Stress and Anxiety, which offers clear guidance for managing stress in life.
Dr. Sacasa is married to his wife of 20 years, Kristin, with whom he shares the joy parenting their four sons.
CHAD JUDICE
Author & National Catholic Speaker; Director of Catechetics, Diocese of Lafayette, LA
Chad Judice is a nationally recognized motivational speaker, an award-winning author, and former teacher in the Theology departments of two Catholic High schools in Lafayette, Louisiana for seventeen years. He is the author of three inspiring prolife, pro-faith books whose central character is his second son who was born with spina bifida. The books are Waiting for Eli, A Father's Journey from Fear to Faith; Eli's Reach: On the Value of Human Life and the Power of prayer; and Growing with EIi: Our Journey into Life and Light. Eli's Reach was named the best book by a small publisher in 2013 and Growing with Eli received honorable mention in the category of Family Life in 2019 by the Catholic Press Association.
His articles have been published in the New York Post, The National Catholic Register, and The Word Among Us. He's been a guest on national TV and radio shows including EWTN's The World Over Live, Catholic TV's Seize the Day and Catholic Answers Live.
Chad has earned certificates in Theology, Apologetics, Philosophy, Church History, Old and New Testament Studies, and the History of the Roman Rite from the New St. Thomas Institute. He has an Advanced Catechist and DRE certification from the Franciscan Catechetical Institute in Steubenville, Ohio. Chad is currently the Director of the Office of Catechesis for the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, where he assists Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel in handing on the Deposit of Faith Jesus Christ revealed to the Apostles and provides catechetical resources and oversight to 122 Church parishes and 30 Diocesan schools.
For the past 16 years, he has given presentations to more than 100 audiences in 17 states, addressing Man to Man conferences, Respect Life gatherings, leading retreats, and conducting parish Lenten and Advent missions.
LAURA SEDLACEK
Program Coordinator, St. John Paul II Foundation
Laura Sedlacek is a Program Coordinator for the Together in Holiness Formation series. Laura was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, and attended DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois where she earned her BA in Communications with a focus in Public Relations & Advertising. Laura’s career in project management, marketing, and communications has allowed her to live in cities across the US and abroad. Laura was most recently an active member of the diaspora at St. Monica’s in Santa Monica, California and she is excited to grow her community in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The teachings of St. John Paul II drew Laura to the mission of the St. John Paul II Foundation. She is grateful to be part of a team that serves couples and families through the TH Formation series.