Morning Keynote in English

Talk Title: Real Beauty in an Artificial Age: Radiating the Beauty of Christ

Talk Description: In an age saturated with artificial intelligence, filtered images, and digital illusions, what does it truly mean to be beautiful? In this opening keynote, Sister Michaela explores beauty through a Catholic lens, emphasizing truth, goodness, participation in divine glory, and a path of evangelization that reveals God. She will reflect on how women, by baptism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are called to be living icons of Christ’s love in the world, shining with His light in their families, parishes, and communities. Come be encouraged to shine with Christ’s light: to let the Eucharist shape your gaze, to cultivate a contemplative heart that discerns the beautiful from the counterfeit, and to embrace the real beauty that flows from your unique and unrepeatable identity as beloved daughters of the Father. Our beauty, when grounded in truth and ordered to love, is not merely genuine; it is radiant.

Learn more about Sr. Anna Laura: Raised in Arkansas by Minnesota-native parents, Sister Anna Laura and her four brothers grew up Catholic in the heart of the Bible Belt. After high school she studied at the University of Dallas, immersed in the riches of the Catholic intellectual tradition. During her senior year, much to her surprise, she began to experience a desire for a life of total consecration to God. Two years later, she entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation and began her life’s adventure as a daughter of St. Dominic.  For the past thirty years, she has served as a teacher and administrator in Catholic Schools in Nashville, Cincinnati, Houston, and Baltimore. She currently chairs the Philosophy Department at Mount De Sales Academy in Catonsville, Maryland.

(One more fun fact that I can’t resist sharing: From June 9 through August 11, I will be in Australia, helping our sisters with retreat talks as Australia prepares for a Eucharistic Congress in 2028. I am so excited!)

Afternoon Keynote in English

Talk Title: The Heart of Perfection

Talk Description: Spiritual perfectionism – an obsession with flawlessness rooted in the mistaken belief that we can earn God’s love – can drain our joy, burden our faith, and shapes the way we judge ourselves and others. In this closing keynote, Colleen will introduce the “perfectionist trap” and offer a liberating vision drawn from her acclaimed work The Heart of Perfection. Drawing on the lives of the saints, Colleen reveals how many holy men and women were themselves recovering perfectionists who found true freedom in Christ. Blending their stories with her own experiences, Colleen sheds light on the perfectionist trap, offering practical, grace‑filled insights for letting go of pressure and embracing the peace that comes when we allow God, not our efforts to perfect our hearts. In this closing keynote, you will be invited to resist the pressure to perform and perfect and instead rediscover the peace, trust, and authentic discipleship that flourish when we let Christ perfect our hearts.

Learn more about Colleen: From editing speeches alongside a president in the Oval Office to announcing a new pope to a worldwide television audience from St. Peter’s Square, Colleen’s career path has taken her places she never expected when she penned her first news story as a freshman at Marquette University in Wisconsin.

Her original ambition was acting. Voted most likely to be the next Meryl Streep by her eighth-grade classmates, Colleen was winning awards for stand-up comedy and performing in shows at the local community college by high school. But after hammering one too many set pieces in a bleak backstage studio as a first-semester theater major and hearing how many years she’d have to spend waiting tables as she chased her big break, Colleen realized she might not be cut out for the hardscrabble life of an aspiring actress.

She discovered a new dream when Marquette’s alternative campus newspaper published her profile of a homeless man on its cover that same fall. The opportunity to blend creative
storytelling with intellectually challenging research in service of an important social cause lit a fire in her heart. Seeing her byline on the front page didn’t hurt, either. Colleen switched majors the next semester.

Over the next two decades, her passion for the interplay between writing, research and performance led her from one unexpected opportunity to another. Colleen spent her college years editing Marquette’s magazine and yearbook, leading the campus journalism society and writing for such publications as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washingtonian Magazine. She won nearly a dozen academic and journalism awards, scholarships and honor society memberships before graduating from Marquette Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude in 1996.

Colleen’s first job out of college was as a news reporter with the Memphis Commercial Appeal, where she wrote a series of front-page articles exposing political misconduct among elected officials in Tennessee’s fastest-growing suburb, Collierville. The next year she moved to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where she wrote a five-part investigative series exposing corruption in the St. Louis Public Schools. The series resulted in state-mandated reforms to the failing school district and Colleen’s nomination as a finalist for the Livingston Awards, the largest all-media, general reporting prizes in American journalism.

Colleen’s series also caught the attention of the Post-Dispatch’s editorial page editor, who invited her to join the newspaper’s editorial board. At age 24, Colleen became its youngest member. She wrote daily editorials on everything from education policy and social issues to media and culture, earning a fellowship for editorial writers from Columbia University.

In 2000, Colleen won the $50,000 Phillips Journalism Fellowship (now the Novak Journalism Fellowship) that allowed her to take a year’s leave from her newspaper work and travel the country, researching and writing about a little-noticed trend that had attracted her attention: the appeal of traditional religion and morality to a growing number of young Americans. The result was The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy, a critically acclaimed book that went through six printings and became a finalist for the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award. Since its publication in 2002, The New Faithful has been adopted as required reading by numerous colleges and universities and featured in more than 100 magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and abroad, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, National Review and Christianity Today.

The publication of The New Faithful also marked the de facto start of Colleen’s speaking career. Since 2002, she has headlined more than 120 events from coast to coast and overseas, reaching some 60,000 people in speeches delivered at colleges and universities, Christian conferences, women’s and youth conferences and trade events. Among the many speaking invitations Colleen has accepted are requests to discuss her books on Capitol Hill and at the White House, and to present a copy of The New Faithful to Pope Benedict XVI while serving as a North American delegate to an international Vatican Congress on women.

In 2002, Colleen began work toward a doctorate in philosophy at Saint Louis University. She interrupted her studies later that year to accept a job as one of six speechwriters, and the only woman speechwriter, to President George W. Bush. Colleen worked directly with the President on major policy addresses, writing his speeches on such topics as education, the faith-based initiative, the fight against AIDS and judicial appointments.

After a year at the White House, Colleen returned to St. Louis to marry her husband, who was studying medicine at Washington University of St. Louis, and to be nearer to her father, who was battling Alzheimer’s disease there. She continued to maintain ties to the nation’s capital, serving five years as a St. Louis-based fellow for the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics and Public Policy Center. She also launched an op-ed column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and became a regular commentator on religion, politics and culture in the national media.

Colleen’s writing has been published by dozens of print and online outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, National Review Online, Weekly Standard, Christianity Today and First Things. She has served as a columnist for America, Our Sunday Visitor and Lay Witness, winning a Catholic Press Association award for her work in the latter. Colleen has contributed to several anthologies and other books in addition to her own and has been quoted as an expert by dozens of American and international publications and news agencies, including the Associated Press, U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and The Christian Science Monitor.

In the broadcast arena, Colleen has made more than 350 appearances on such television and radio networks as CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and the CBC. For seven years, she served as creator and host of “Faith & Culture,” a weekly television and radio interview show that aired internationally on EWTN, the world’s largest religious media network, and on Sirius Satellite Radio and Relevant Radio. Colleen also served as executive producer and anchor of “EWTN News Nightly with Colleen Carroll Campbell,” launching the network’s first ever television newscast from the show’s studios near Capitol Hill. In 2013, she anchored EWTN’s live television coverage of the historic election and installation of Pope Francis in Rome. In the course of her television career, Colleen has interviewed dozens of political, cultural and religious leaders, including senators, congressmen, cardinals, archbishops, Vatican officials, bestselling authors, filmmakers, songwriters, artists, activists and academics.

Colleen’s second book was My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir. Published by Random House in 2012, My Sisters the Saints interweaves the story of her 15-year spiritual search with the stories of the six women saints who guided her on her way. The book has sold nearly 100,000 copies in English and has been published in Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Slovak. Praised as “a beautiful and inspiring story” by bestselling novelist Mary Higgins Clark, “provocative …charming and instructive” by Kirkus Reviews and “touching … thoughtful and gracious” by Booklist, My Sisters the Saints won a 2013 Christopher Award and a 2013 Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Award. Colleen has spoken widely about the book, most notably as commencement speaker at several universities and as the keynote speaker for a 2015 international gathering of scholars at the University of Avila in Spain to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila.

Colleen’s third book is The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s. Hailed as “persuasive … enjoyable … insightful” by Publishers Weekly,“liberating” by 5 Love Languages author Gary D. Chapman, and one of the season’s “buzziest books” by O, The Oprah Magazine, The Heart of Perfection won a 2020 Catholic Press Association Book Award and has been featured by dozens of media outlets ranging from Booklist and Library Journal to Christianity Today, America Magazine and National Review. The book blends stories of Colleen’s own struggles against comparison and impossible expectations with those of seven recovering perfectionist saints (and one heretic) who show us how to pursue a new kind of perfection: freedom in Christ. The Heart of Perfection was published by Simon & Schuster in 2019.

Colleen’s other awards include honorary doctorates from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and Immaculata University, a designation as 2004 Young Alumna of the Year from Marquette University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Phillips Foundation’s 2008 Distinguished Leader of the Year Award (previously awarded to Congressman Paul Ryan) and the 2018 Archdiocese of St. Louis Excellence in Communication Award. Colleen has served as a lay consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops since 2014 and she continues to speak to audiences across the country and around the world. She and her husband live on the central coast of California, where she is at work on more books and the project dearest to her heart: the raising and homeschooling of their four joyful, quirky, loving little kids. Visit her website at www.colleen-campbell.com.

Breakout Session

Talk Title: Theology of the Body: Understanding Who You Are

Talk description: In a world that presents the body as expendable, beauty as artificial, and standards as unattainable, come discover how God has destined YOU for meaning, truth, and purpose. We will discuss your true identity, the purpose of your body, God’s design for your life, and how to find the ultimate meaning and happiness that God made you for.

Learn more about Samantha: Samantha Kelley is an international presenter, author, and speaker. She is the Founder and current President of FIERCE Athlete Inc. She holds an Honorary Doctorate in Applied Leadership from Walsh University, a Masters in Catholic Psychology from Divine Mercy University, a Catholic Innovators Certificate from The University of Notre Dame, Certification in Strength & Conditioning, and Certification from Encounter Ministries. She is also the author of Be FIERCE: The Athlete’s Guide to Growing Physically, Mentally, and Spiritually. She is a Leonine Fellow, and has extensively studied the Theology of the Body. Her founding of FIERCE Athlete was inspired by her own athletic career, where she was a 9x state champion in high school between soccer, ice hockey and track. She also played Division I Soccer at UConn and is currently involved in competitive rowing, pickleball, and triathlons. Through FIERCE she desires to reach female athletes, coaches, and parents across the world and change the culture of female athletics. She currently resides in Pennsylvania with her golden retriever Birdie.

Breakout Session

Talk Title: Unveiled: Seeing Ourselves Through God’s Eyes – Visio Divina Prayer Session

Talk description: Rooted in the theme Real Beauty in an Artificial Age, this small‑group breakout invites women into authentic freedom by learning to behold themselves and others through the loving gaze of God. Katie will lead a Visio Divina prayer experience that opens the heart to healing from the cultural lies that distort our understanding of beauty. This gentle, contemplative session will name and tend the wounds caused by disordered self‑image, perfectionism, and comparison, creating a sacred space for women to encounter the truth of their identity as daughters of the Father. Through prayer, sacred imagery, and quiet reflection, participants will rediscover that true beauty is not manufactured or earned but received – a gift bestowed by the One who created us in His image and calls us good. Come and rest in a peaceful, prayerful pause, allowing Christ to restore your vision, renew your heart, and draw you deeper into communion with the God who delights in you.

Learn more about Katie: coming soon.

Breakout Session

Talk Title: A Return to Beauty: Fashion Trends and Truth

Talk description: What we wear speaks not only to who we are, but to whose we are. Grounded in the Church’s understanding of the human person as created in the image of God, this session explores clothing as an expression of prayer, witness, and restoration. Drawing from her book A Return to Beauty: Ancient Catholic Wisdom and Modern Fashion, Catherine weaves together sacred tradition, magisterial teaching, and personal testimony to show how dress can participate in the sanctification of everyday life. Women will be introduced to a Catholic vision of beauty rooted in modesty, dignity, and virtue, and will receive practical guidance for cultivating a wardrobe that reflects their baptismal identity and feminine vocation. Join us to rediscover fashion as a pathway to recovering reverence for the body, joy in our womanhood, and a deeper conformity to Christ in the ordinary moments of daily life.

Learn more about Catherine: Catherine Rose earned her BA in Theology from the University of Notre Dame, after which she worked as a pro-life lobbyist and with women in crisis. She has been married to Devin Rose for 20 years and is blessed with two children; she lives on an organic farm with her family in Tyler, TX. Catherine is the author of A Return to Beauty and founder of Chesterton Academy of Tyler. She is currently earning her MA in Counseling from Divine Mercy University.

Breakout Session

Talk Title: Motherhood in the Digital Age: Breaking Free from Comparison

Talk description: In a world shaped by endless scrolling and curated highlight reels, many women may find themselves drawn into envy, self-doubt, and quiet comparison or discouragement. Social platforms thrive on perfect images, while motherhood is full of very real chaos, mess, and imperfection. This becomes fertile ground for envy, insecurity, and the fear that we are not “enough.” Even when we use social media as a helpful tool: seeking advice, community, or parenting resources, the endless stream of information can feel overwhelming. Without the steady reminder of our identity and our vocation, this constant exposure can subtly undermine confidence in our ability to be good and holy mothers. And yet, holy mothers are exactly what the world needs. This talk explores how to reclaim peace, purpose, and holiness amid digital noise; how to re-center our vocation in God’s love; and how to recognize the sacredness of the hidden, ordinary moments that define motherhood today.

Learn more about Naomi: Naomi Levis is a proud wife and mother to four beautiful children under 5, a certified birth doula, and has a background in social work and Catholic education.

Passionate about all things birth and motherhood, she has served in Americorps at Maggie’s Place – providing housing and living in community with homeless expectant mothers. She was a writer and a presenter for Ascension’s TOB for Teens program, YOU: Life, Love and the Theology of the Body. Naomi has offered counseling support to women as an advocate at a pregnancy resource center, and is currently involved in her parish’s pre-baptismal program as a witness to Catholic motherhood. 

After a brief stint in Camp Lejeune as a military wife while her husband Rob completed his time in the Marine Corps, you can now find Naomi back home in PA on any given day with a baby on her hip, children at her feet, sourdough rising on the counter, and almost definitely running late.