The Inaugural Kate O’Beirne Event

The Future of the Church: Synod, Scandal, and Solace

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Washington, D.C.

Event Page  |  Video  |  Agenda

Keynote Speaker

George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

Mr. Weigel is perhaps best known for his widely translated and internationally acclaimed two-volume biography of Pope St. John Paul II: the New York Times bestseller, Witness to Hope (1999), and its sequel, The End and the Beginning (2010). In 2017, Weigel published a memoir of the experiences that led to his papal biography: Lessons in Hope — My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II. George Weigel is the author of more than twenty other books and his weekly column, “The Catholic Difference,” is syndicated to eighty-five newspapers and magazines in seven countries.

Mr. Weigel received a B.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is the recipient of nineteen honorary doctorates in fields including divinity, philosophy, law, and social science, and has been awarded the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Poland’s Gloria Artis Gold Medal, and Lithuania’s Diplomacy Star.

Panelists

Katie Prejean McGrady is an international speaker, educator, & author. Since 2007, Katie has been traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada sharing a unique blend of humor & storytelling, coupled with teaching theological truth, to engage audiences of all ages. Katie has spoken at events large & small, including Steubenville Youth Conferences, the National Conference for Catholic Youth Ministry, the National Catholic Youth Conference, Los Angeles Religious Education Congress & Youth Day, in dioceses & parishes from coast to coast, and has appeared on EWTN, Catholic TV, Radio Maria, & shows on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM. Katie has written extensively, publishing two books – Room 24: Adventures of a New Evangelist and Follow: Your Lifelong Adventure with Jesus – with Ave Maria Press.

Katie has her degree in Theology from the University of Dallas. She is married to Tommy McGrady & lives in Louisiana with their daughter, Rose, & dog, Barney.

 

Rev. Msgr. Robert Panke, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, is the Rector of the Saint John Paul II Seminary in Washington, DC.

He is also the Director of Clergy Formation for the Archdiocese of Washington and oversees the formation for seminarians, the continuing formation for priests, and the formation for candidates to the permanent diaconate. Msgr. Panke also served as Director of Priest Vocations and Formation for the Archdiocese of Washington for nine years. Prior to his work in vocations, he served as Parochial Vicar at St. Peter’s in Olney, MD and was the Chaplain of the Newman Center for George Washington University. Msgr. Panke earned his Licentiate in Spiritual Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome after receiving his B.A. in Financial Management from The Catholic University of America. Monsignor Panke has served as an Archdiocesan Consultor, as President of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors and as a member of several boards and councils including the Seminary Formation Council and the Institute for Priestly Formation.

Moderator

Mary Rice Hasson is the Kate O’Beirne Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. She also directs the Catholic Women’s Forum, a network of Catholic professional women and scholars seeking to amplify the voice of Catholic women in support of human dignity, authentic freedom, and Catholic social teaching. Mary is an expert on topics related to women, faith, culture, family, sexual morality, and gender ideology.  She was the keynote speaker for the Holy See during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in both 2017 (“The Distinctiveness of Women’s Work and Women’s Empowerment”) and 2018 (“The Integral Education of Rural Women and Girls”). Mary’s writing has appeared in a variety of websites, policy journals, and scholarly publications. Mary has been interviewed by a wide range of national media, is a frequent commentator on EWTN and Catholic radio programs.

Before joining EPPC, Mary worked as an attorney and writer and served the Church for over twenty years in leadership positions in Catholic marriage preparation programs, diocesan education efforts, and Catholic ministries to women and families. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Notre Dame Law School.

 

Hosted by

The Catholic Women’s Forum, 

a program of The Ethics and Public Policy Center