Colleen Carroll Campbell
Speaker
Colleen Carroll Campbell is an award-winning author, print and broadcast journalist and former presidential speechwriter. Her books include her critically acclaimed journalistic study, The New Faithful; her spiritual memoir, My Sisters the Saints, which won two national awards and has been published in five languages; and The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s, just released by Simon & Schuster. Colleen has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Christianity Today, America and National Review, and appeared on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and EWTN, where she hosted her own television and radio shows for eight years. A former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and editorial writer and op-ed columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Colleen is the recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous other awards and fellowships. She speaks to audiences across North America and Europe and lives in St. Louis with her husband and their four young children, whom she homeschools. Her website is www.colleen-campbell.com.
Joan Simone
Speaker
Joan Simone was born in England, and with her mother and father immigrated to Canada when she was seven years old. At the age of 13, at a Catholic Youth meeting, she met her soul mate Andrew Simone and they later married in 1960. It was Joan's dream and greatest desire to be a mother; in fact, in high school, when asked to choose a career she chose to be a mom and before Andrew finished medical school they already had two children. In 1974, God touched Joan's heart at a Life in the Spirit seminar; she encouraged her husband to join her and together their relationship with God deepened. At this time, they felt God asking them to live a simpler life and to work with the poor. In their desire to serve God, Joan and her husband not only raised 13 children, but they also embraced 23 foster children and became co-workers of the Missionaries of Charity and professed Secular Franciscans. Over the years, Joan has opened her home to many in need especially mothers with young children. Together with her husband, Joan's commitment to make this world a better place and her love for God continued to blossom. In 1984, in the charism of St. Teresa of Calcutta, they began
Canadian Food for Children www.canadianfoodforchildren.net, a flourishing mission to feed the poor and in 2011, they continued to extend their love for the poor by starting a new charity, Silent Children's Mission
, in order to reach in a direct way, the forgotten, the abused and the unwanted. This charitable work with the poor has changed many lives both in Canada and in the developing world and for this work Joan was honoured with the Papal Cross, the Order of Canada and an honorary Doctorate among other awards, but continues the work God has given her with humility and joy. Joan Simone brings love and hope to those in need, she is an inspiring example of motherhood, and a beacon of light for our darkened world.
Celeste Giraldo Estrada
MC Speaker
Celeste Giraldo Estrada is a joyfully married wife to her husband Emerson Giraldo Estrada. In their 12-year marriage, they have been blessed with seven beautiful children. Celeste is currently in her third year of a con-joint PhD program in Philosophy of Theology with a specialization in medical ethics. The degree is being con-jointly offered by the Jesuit College, Regis at the Toronto School of Theology and the University of Toronto. Her previous education includes an Honours bachelor of Science double Major Degree in Biology and Geography Co-operative Option from the University of Waterloo. This degree afforded her the opportunity to work at the National Research Centre (NRC) in Montreal, Quebec in mammalian molecular biology. She also obtained a baccalaureate in Philosophy, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. She later completed her Licentiate in Philosophy of Bioethics, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Her thesis, which concentrated on Aristotle’s hylomorphic theory, embryogenesis and monozygotic twinning received a grade of 97 per cent. She was the only Canadian selected amongst twelve North American participants to participate in the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society in Krakow, Poland in 2005. The Seminar focused on the philosophical thought of St. John Paul II and her instructors included George Weigel, Michael Novak and the late Richard Neuhaus. Celeste has worked as a Lay Pastoral Associate for St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Woodbridge. Her most recent work is as an adjunct Professor of Morality at St. Philip Neri Seminary in Toronto, Ontario.