2026 MEET THE SPEAKERS

Adult Rally

Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC

Speaker

Bishop Riesbeck was born in Montreal on February 7, 1970.  He attended the University of Ottawa from which he obtained a Bachelor of Social Sciences (B. Soc. Sc.) In Political Science, followed by a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology (S.T.B) from St. Paul University of Ottawa and a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) From St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough.  He was Ordained to the Priesthood in Ottawa for the Companions of the Cross on October 12, 1996.

After serving in pastoral ministry in the Archdioceses of Kingston, Ottawa and Galveston-Houston, Texas (nine years as pastor) from 1996 to 2008, he completed additional studies in Canon Law (J.C.L. – Saint Paul University) in December 2010.  In January 2011, he was appointed Chancellor and later Episcopal Vicar for Canonical Concerns for the Archdiocese of Ottawa, and a judge of the Ottawa Regional Marriage Tribunal.  He also served as the Assistant General Superior of the Companions of the Cross from 2012 to 2014.  Following the announcement made by Pope Francis on January 7, 2014, Bishop Riesbeck was ordained to the episcopate on March 19 as Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa.  He held the offices of Vicar General, Vicar for the National Language Parishes, Communities and Faithful, Moderator of the Curia, and Coordinator of English Pastoral Services.

Bishop Riesbeck was named Bishop of the Diocese of Saint John on October 15, 2019 and installed on December 9, 2019. He is the thirteenth bishop of the Diocese.

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Ralph Martin

Speaker
Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries and the host of the weekly Catholic television program The Choices We Face. He holds a doctorate in theology and has just completed twenty-three years as the director of Graduate Theology Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit. Ralph is the author of A Life in the Spirit: A Memoir and the widely read A Church in Crisis: Pathways Forward and The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints. Ralph and his wife, Anne, reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have six children and nineteen grandchildren.
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Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV

Speaker
Sister Mary Gabriel, SV is a member of the Sisters of Life, a religious community founded by John Cardinal O’Connor which is a community dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of human life. The community’s apostolates include direct services to women in need and evangelizing on God’s plan for life and love. The Sisters are based out of New York with missions elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada. She received her degree from the University of Dallas prior to entering the order in 1999. She assisted in development of the community’s evangelization mission and served as Vocation Director for 5 years and Novice Director for 10 years before receiving her current mission of graduate studies in Washington, DC. Sister has been a supporter of Renewal Ministries, participated in Ralph’s courses at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and participated in Renewal Ministries during her semester in Michigan.
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Pete Burak

Speaker

Pete Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries, a ministry dedicated to Catholic renewal and evangelization around the world. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and has a master’s degree in theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. Pete is a frequent speaker on discipleship and evangelization and the co-director of Pine Hills Boys’ Camp. He is a monthly columnist for Faith Magazine and the host of two podcasts: Spirit-filled Leadership and The Hour. Pete and his wife, Cait, have five children.

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Peter Herbeck

Speaker

Peter Herbeck is the Executive Vice President and Director of Missions for Renewal Ministries. For more than thirty years, he has been actively involved in evangelization and Catholic renewal throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. Peter is the co-host of the weekly television show, The Choices We Face. He hosts the daily radio show Fire on the Earth. He is a frequent conference speaker. He co-authored his most recent book, Lessons From the School of Love: Cultivating a Christ-Centered Marriage, with his wife, Debbie. He has also authored When the Spirit Comes in PowerWhen the Spirit Speaksand numerous booklets, and is a frequent contributor to Renewal Ministries’ popular YouTube channelPeter and his wife, Debbie, have four children and twelve grandchildren, and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Steve Norman

Emcee

Steve Norman serves as the director of Forged, a ministry that aims to form young men into missionary disciples of Christ. Steve moved to Ann Arbor with his wife, Katey, and two children, Jeremiah and Kateri, from Stratford, Ontario. He served as a high school campus minister in Canada and is currently finishing his Master of Arts in Theology Degree from the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado.

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Katey Norman

Emcee
Katey Norman is a proud Stratford, Ontario, native, and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is currently finishing her master’s degree in theology. She and her husband, Steve, moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, with their two children to be on mission and serve the Lord with Renewal Ministries. Katey is the director of discipleship for Be Love Revolution. With over fifteen years of working in ministry, Katey has a heart for evangelization, mission, and a desire to see the body of Christ living dynamically and boldly as sons and daughters of the King.
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Chris Bray

Music Ministry

Chris Bray is a full-time, travelling Catholic speaker and musician. Having received multiple Gospel Music Association Covenant awards and numerous #1 hit songs on Christian radio in Canada, his ministry has spanned North America, from the Air Canada Centre, to headlining the National March for Life rally on Parliament Hill for 25,000 people, to involvement in Life Teen, World Youth Day, Steubenville Toronto, and National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). He has worked with great figures such as Matt Maher, Audrey Assad, Matt Fradd, Jackie Francois, Leah Darrow, Emily Wilson, Paul J. Kim, Steve Ray, Ralph Martin, Chris Padgett, Fr. Dave Pivonka, Sr. Miriam James, and Teresa Tomeo. He has been featured on EWTN, Salt & Light TV, 100 Huntley St., and Shalom World TV, and has presented to tens of thousands each year at hundreds of conferences, retreats, schools, and churches.

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Youth Rally

Sr. Mary Gabriel, SV

Speaker
Sister Mary Gabriel, SV is a member of the Sisters of Life, a religious community founded by John Cardinal O’Connor which is a community dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of human life. The community’s apostolates include direct services to women in need and evangelizing on God’s plan for life and love. The Sisters are based out of New York with missions elsewhere in the U.S. and Canada. She received her degree from the University of Dallas prior to entering the order in 1999. She assisted in development of the community’s evangelization mission and served as Vocation Director for 5 years and Novice Director for 10 years before receiving her current mission of graduate studies in Washington, DC. Sister has been a supporter of Renewal Ministries, participated in Ralph’s courses at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and participated in Renewal Ministries during her semester in Michigan.
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Fr. Alex Colautti

Speaker
Fr. Alex Colautti, CC, is a Canuck who originally hails from Windsor, Ontario, which is (not) often called the “Florida of Canada,” as it is the southernmost city in the Great White North. He was ordained a Catholic priest on May 5, 2018, as a member of the Companions of the Cross religious community. His deepest passion is to see people’s lives transformed through an encounter with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, and this passion informs his approach to preaching and ministry. Fr. Alex currently serves in Detroit, Michigan, as the vocations’ director for Companions of the Cross. When he’s not priesting it up, Fr. Alex enjoys doing regular, human-being-type things like reading books, watching movies, playing soccer, and traveling. Once, he was foolish enough to run a marathon, but try not to hold that against him! He really is a nice guy most of the time.
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Rachel Herbeck

Speaker
Rachel Herbeck is the director of young adult discipleship for Renewal Ministries, and host of the daily radio program and podcast Burning Hearts. She received her degree in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has extensive experience working with youth and young adults. She speaks at retreats, conferences, and events around the world. Rachel is passionate about life issues and has worked for multiple pro-life and political organizations. She currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Faith Fosdick

Emcee

Faith Fosdick serves as the campus ministry coordinator for Be Love Revolution. She is from Ypsilanti, MI and graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Hospitality Business. She has been attending Be Love events since she was in high school and is passionate about helping girls be His, be Free, and be Love.

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Connor Flanagan

Emcee

Connor Flanagan is a hip-hop artist & worship leader passionate about encouraging others to step into God’s dream for their life. In a world where people are crippled by fear, scared of the unknown, and longing for purpose; Connor desires for his career to serve as a witness of what can happen when you don’t settle for what the world offers, and instead allow God to breath life into your gifts. From a small farm in Richfield, OH, to opening for David Crowder and having two records debut in the top 10 on the iTunes chart; Connor knows first hand the hard work, hustle & unshakeable faith it takes to step out and pursue God's will for your life.

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Steadfast Worship

Music Ministry

Steadfast Worship is a Toronto-based music ministry started by a group of friends passionate about praying with music. Since their formation in 2019, Steadfast has released original music reaching more than 100,000 streams on Spotify and led worship at Catholic events such as Steubenville Atlantic in Halifax, the Renew Conference in Toronto, and March for Life in Ottawa. Steadfast’s mission is to inspire all people to “bless the Lord at all times,” worshiping from the heart, and leading from a place of deep, personal relationship with Jesus and propelled by devotion to his Church.
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