Regular Contributors

Msgr. Paul Watson is the Director of Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England. Ordained January 12, 1974, he has served as pastor for many parishes. In each of the parish appointments he had extensive involvement in pastoral care and support, also undertook marriage counseling and counseling of abuse victims as well as personal spiritual direction. He also designed and taught a number of courses and programs of a catechetical and spiritual nature in the various parishes. He was awarded an S.T.L. Summa Cum Laude (Spirituality) from Gregorian University in Rome, and has written a course book for Maryvale’s BA in Applied Theology / BA Divinity on the “Church’s Developing Vision of Catechesis” as well as a course book on "The Christian Tradition of Spiritual Formation" for the MA in Religious and Educational Studies. Msgr. Paul jointly launched, and regularly contributes to, a monthly magazine Bible Alive of Scriptural catechesis and personal spirituality. This has a circulation of 30,000 and up to 60,000 Advent, Lent and 45,000 in Eastertide. In 2004 he graduated from the Open University with an MA in Education. His particular interests are in the areas of spirituality, scriptural catechesis, study skills and the methodology of distance learning.

Petroc Willey BD, Ph.D., studied theology at King's College, London and philosophy at Liverpool University, where he received his doctorate. From 1985-1992, he was Lecturer in Christian Ethics at Plater College, Oxford. Since 1992, he has worked at Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, where he is now Deputy Director. He is Editor of The Sower. His publications include Become What You Are: The Call and Gift of Marriage (with Katherine Willey) (HarperCollins 1991), and articles in collections of essays and journals such as New Blackfriars, Faith, The Nazareth Journal, and Catholic Canadian Review. He has written and edited a number of distance-learning course texts at Masters degree-level and higher education levels, including Moral, Personal and Social Education, and Marriage and Sexual Ethics (for the M.A. in Religious and Educational Studies, validated by the Open University), and six volumes of commentary on the new Catechism, Adult Studies in the Catholic Catechism. He is also a member of OFSTED's Teacher Education Division, inspecting courses of teacher training in religion and education. He is the Host of the EWTN series Handing on the Faith (2007). His work on the Craft of Catechesis, co-authored with Professor Barbara Morgan and Fr. Pierre de Cointet, and with an introduction by Cardinal Schonborn, is expected to be published in 2008.

Dr. Alan Schreck is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, specializing in Catholic doctrine, Church history, and the teachings of Vatican II. He is the author of several books including The Essential Catholic Catechism, published in 1999, and his latest book Vatican II: The Crisis and the Promise, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press in 2005. In 2004 his noted apologetic book, Catholic and Christian: An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs, was reprinted in a 20th Anniversary edition. He is currently publishing a series on the encyclical letters of Pope John Paul II in The Sower catechetical journal. He and his wife Nancy have five children and reside in Steubenville.

Amette Ley writes the regular 'On the Spot' column for The Sower Review. She was born in Sussex, England, and is married with four children. Amette trained as a teacher of religious education and has taught in Catholic schools for many years, having converted to Catholicism more than 30 years ago. She completed a BA in Divinity and MA in Theology at Maryvale Institute, degrees validated by the Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland. She also holds an S.T.L from the Pontifical University, Louvain and is currently undertaking doctoral studies at the Pontifical Athenaeum 'Regina Apostolorum' University in Rome. She now writes and edits religious education curriculum materials and is on the Catechetics and Theology faculties of Maryvale Institute.

William Keimig serves as a Master Catechist in the Hearts Aflame Program and a teacher in the marriage preparation program for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC. Mr. Keimig is currently the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary’s Parish in Clinton, Maryland. His duties include directing adult education, RCIA, oversight of the youth group, sacramental preparation, catechist training, and catechesis of the parish’s children in the day school and Sunday school. In addition to his in-diocese work, Mr. Keimig serves as the Director of the Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM). This apostolate serves dioceses and seminaries in the United States and other countries, in training clergy and laity how to implement RCIA successfully in parishes. This work takes him to numerous dioceses to do catechist training, alongside with the Association’s many seminar presenters. Mr. Keimig holds a Master’s Degree in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and a Certification in Catechetics. He also holds a BA in Government and Politics and a Master’s Degree in Public Management from the University of Maryland. Mr. Keimig has been a contributor to The Sower since October 2003. He and his wife Heather have five children.

Brian Pizzalato is the Director of Catechesis, RCIA. & Lay Apostolate, Diocese of Duluth. He is also an adjunct professor in philosophy at the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, England. He has been involved in various aspects of catechesis on the parish, diocesan and campus levels for over ten years. His publications include: Education, the Human Person and Truth and An Unforgivable Sin?: The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:31-32, a monthly column for The Northern Cross of the Diocese of Duluth, and he is a contributing author to the Association for Catechumenal Ministry's (ACM) RCIA Participants Book. Brian is currently authoring the regular series, "Catechesis and Contemporary Culture," in The Sower. He is also author of the Philosophy of Religion course book for the BA in Philosophy and the Catholic Tradition at the Maryvale Institute. Brian holds a BA in Theology and Philosophy, an MA in Theology and Christian Ministry with a Catechetics specialization, and an MA in Philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. Brian is currently a PhD candidate at the Maryvale Institute. Brian is married and has six children.

Sr. M. Johanna Paruch, FSGM, Ph.D, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, holds a BA in Theology and Elementary Education from St. Louis University, a Pontifical Catechetical Diploma, an MA in Religious Education from the Angelicum, and a PhD in Theology from Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, England. Sister has been involved in Religious Education for over twenty-five years. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, specializing in Catechetics, and offers catechetical workshops in both the US and her native Canada.

Bob Rice desires to share the love of God by using every talent with which he has been blessed. He is an assistant professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he teaches classes on youth ministry and Scripture. He leads praise and worship for thousands of people each year through summer conferences, and also travels around the country performing his own original music. He is an accomplished author and is gifted at making people laugh (he used to work professionally at an improvisational comedy club). But his heart is about sharing the gospel. Bob's creative use of humor, personal stories, and extensive knowledge of the Faith have made him an internationally sought after speaker for youth and young adults. This same dynamism overflows into his Sower series "Youth and Young Adult Catechesis". You can find out more about him at bob-rice.com.

Caroline Farey divides her time between teaching catechetics and philosophy. She is currently the Director of the BA in Applied Theology for Catechesis at the Maryvale Institute in England, and Lecturer in Philosophy at St Mary's College, Oscott, the Seminary for the Archdiocese of Birmingham, where she teaches Metaphysics, Epistemology, and St Thomas Aquinas. She originally studied philosophy under Cardinal Desmond Connell in Dublin and then pursued further philosophical studies for an M.Phil in Cambridge. Since that time, years of experience in retreat and pilgrimage settings in Lourdes and in parish and community formation in the Faith have contributed to her passion for supporting an authentic catechetical formation which draws upon all of the riches of Catholic art and culture and of the Church's philosophical heritage. She is a regular contributor to The Sower, writing the Learning Through Art pages and sees The Sower as a key means of ensuring a creative ongoing formation for DREs and key catechists. Her own ongoing formation has included an MA in Theology and a Licence in Philosophy from the Pontifical University, Maynooth, as well as an S.T.L from the Pontifical University Louvain. She is currently completing doctoral studies at the Lateran University in Rome.

Carson Weber, MA is the Associate Director for New Media Evangelization the Diocese of Sacramento, California. He has served as the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Evangelization at St. Mary, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Brenham, Texas and as an assistant for the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Information Systems from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts degree in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. The author of the Understanding the Scriptures Podcast at CatholicBoard.com, Mr. Weber is experienced in the use of technology to advance the Church's mission of evangelization and catechesis. He is the author of the "Technology and Catechesis" series for The Sower and can be found online at CarsonWeber.org.

Additional Contributors

Msgr. Stuart W. Swetland, S.T.D., was ordained a priest in 1991 for the Diocese of Peoria, IL. He received his undergraduate degree in Physics from the United States Naval Academy. Elected Rhodes Scholar in 1981, he entered the Catholic Church while studying at Oxford. He has a B.A. and M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; a M.Div. and M.A. from Mt. Saint Mary's Seminary; and his S.T.L. and S.T.D. from the Pontifical Lateran University where he studied at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, DC. He currently serves as Director of Homiletics and Pre-Theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He also currently serves as Theological Advisor to the Catholic Conference of Illinois and is the Executive Secretary for the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. Msgr. Swetland was named a Prelate of Honor in 2000 by His Holiness John Paul II and is a Knight Commander for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre and is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. Msgr. Swetland also writes for The Sower, his most recent article being, "Restoration and Original Justince."

Eric J. Westby, MA is the Director of Parish Leadership Credentialing and Certification for the Kino Catechetical Institute for the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona. He is an instructor for the Kino Catechetical institute and is the main catechist of the St. Thomas the Apostle RCIA process in Phoenix, Arizona. He holds a Masters of Arts degree in Theology and Christian Ministry from Franciscan University in Steubenville, from where he was the first student to complete the graduate specialization in catechetics. He holds a Certificate in Youth Ministry Studies from the Center for Ministry Development, and has been involved in full-time parish youth ministry since 1988. He directs the Advanced Youth Ministry Training Conference for Franciscan University of Steubenville/LIFE TEEN/Diocese of Phoenix. He is a regular presenter at the summer St. John Bosco Catechetical Conference at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He has published youth ministry materials through YOU! Press and is the founder of ymcentral.com. He is married and has four children.

Gloria F. (Gigi) Zapiain has been involved in catechetics on the parish and diocesan levels for more than 20 years, having served as a parish DRE and Catechetical Consultant for the Archdiocese of Washington and diocesan director of faith formation of the Diocese of Fargo, ND, and Bridgeport, CT. Gloria holds a MA in Religious Studies and a Pontifical Catechetical Diploma from the Notre Dame Institute of Arlington, VA. She is currently an adjunct professor for catechetics at the University of Dallas and a catechetical consultant to several southwestern dioceses.

Sister Jane Dominic Laurel, O.P., is a member of the Saint Cecilia Congregation of Dominican Sisters of Nashville, TN. Currently, she teaches Theology at Aquinas College in Nashville and assists with the theological formation of the newest members of the religious congregation. This coming year she will be pursuing studies in theology at the Angelicum (The Pontifical University of St. Thomas) in Rome, Italy.

In addition to contributing articles to several Catholic journals and magazines, Sister has served as RCIA lecturer, Spiritual Promoter for the Third Order Dominicans, and guest speaker/lecturer on various topics related to religious life and theology, speaking for young adult groups, parenting groups, and others in U.S. cities such as Atlanta, Cleveland, Nashville, Charlotte, Dallas, and Notre Dame. She enjoys teaching immensely and considers it one of the greatest privileges that can be afforded a person—to be entrusted with the formation of human souls.

Prof. James Pauley is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Catechetics at Franciscan University, recently completing his seventh year on faculty and his twentieth year in the field of Catechetics. James began working as a parish youth minister in 1989 and since then has worked in young adult ministry, adult faith formation and in two different agencies of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. As the Coordinator of Catechist Formation in Washington, James contributed to the development and initial implementation of the Archdiocesan lay ministries training program which was based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the vision of the General Directory for Catechesis.

In his time at Franciscan University, James has specialized in teaching courses focused on catechetical teaching methodology, parish evangelization and the mission and vocation of the lay faithful. He has written numerous catechetical articles and is a frequent presenter in dioceses and parishes around the country.

In May of 2009, James received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) summa cum laude from the Liturgical Institute at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois. In the Fall of 2009, he began work on his doctoral dissertation through the Liturgical Institute.

James is married to Katrina and they have been amazingly blessed with three beautiful daughters, two of whom were born just minutes apart on the same happy day.

Scott Sollom is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH. Scott is a contributing author for The Sower, including articles on “The Keys to the Deposit” and “Learning from St. Augustine.” His new series will illustrate how particular doctrines are manifested in the four pillars of The Catechism. Scott is a regular presenter of catechist training seminars for the Association of Catechumenal Ministry (ACM), an organization that offers diocesan training in the RCIA process. He is a contributing author for ACM's Catechist and Leader Manual.

Scott holds an MA in Theology and Christian Ministry with Specialization in Catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Scott is currently the campus RCIA Coordinator for Franciscan University. Prior to this, Scott served as the Director of Family Faith Formation for the Churches of Saint Michael and Saint Mary, Stillwater, MN, where his responsibilities included implementing curriculum and catechist training for K - Adult; overseeing RCIA, adult faith formation, junior high faith formation, Confirmation prep programs; supervising youth ministers and religious ed coordinators; and working in conjunction with Catholic primary school teachers. Scott has also served as the Director of Religious Education at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, College Station, TX, and as the Director of Youth Ministry and Confirmation at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church, Hudson, WI.

Stephen Yates obtained a first class honours degree in philosophy from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne before training as a primary school teacher. Between 1992 and 1998 he taught at St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Little Hulton, Manchester, UK. From 1995-1998 he studied on the Masters Programme in Religious Education and Catechetics at the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, graduating with Distinction. In September 1998, Stephen moved to Birmingham and began working for Maryvale full-time in the role of Archdiocesan In-Service Coordinator for Religious, Moral and Spiritual Formation. In January 2000 he became Programme Director for Maryvale’s distance learning MA Programme in Pastoral and Educational Studies as well as Director of the Catholic Certificate in Religious Studies, a basic theology course for teachers in Catholic schools. Since January 2007 he has also been Academic Assistant to the Director of Maryvale (in matters pertaining to the Quality and Standards of the institute’s academic programmes). Stephen has written a number of distance-learning course texts at Masters degree-level in the area of Religious Education, Catechesis, and Educational Leadership and has edited many other works used on the MA Programme. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies in the area of Catholic eschatology. He is a contributor to the EWTN series Handing on the Faith hosted by Dr. Petroc Willey.

Colleen Rainone is Publications Director for The Sower in North America, where she is responsible for editorial, marketing and operations. Colleen has worked in Catholic publishing for over 26 years, has published four of her own books, has written free lance articles, and currently edits catechetical books for Franciscan University and writes book reviews for The Sower.