C21 Easter Series: Revitalizing Our Church During COVID

Dr. Ximena DeBroeck is the Director of Catechetical and Pastoral Formation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  She is also Adjunct Professor of Sacred Scripture at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and senior fellow at St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.  Previously, she served as Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture at St. Mary’s Seminary and as Director of the Office of Worship and Sacramental Formation in the Archdiocese Baltimore.  Before relocating to Maryland, she taught Scripture, Theology, Spirituality, and Pastoral Ministry at St. Vincent Seminary and Seton Hill University. She earned her Theology MA, with Scripture concentration, from Saint Vincent Seminary, her License in Sacred Theology from St. Mary’s Seminary, and her doctorate in Systematic Theology from Duquesne University.

Fr. Peter Grover, OMV is a religious priest with the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. Presently he is the director of St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine in Boston. He also teaches classical languages and biblical studies at St. John Seminary, the Theological Institute of Boston, and Pope St. John XXIII Seminary. He is an avid fly-fisherman and enjoys wreaking havoc in the kitchen.

Sister Elaine firmly believes in the prophetic mission of Catholic schools and has carried out her ministry as teacher, principal, associate superintendent, director of curriculum and testing, and as a Superintendent for two Diocese. She has been a frequent presenter on varied topics for a variety of groups including NCEA. While in her role as Executive Director of the Innovative Catholic School Network she has worked on several initiatives with DePaul University. She is currently and facilitating retreats for new Catholic school leaders in the Archdiocese of Chicago to prepare, encourage, and support them in their roles as the Faith and Spiritual Leaders of their school communities

Ximena Soto is the Assistant Director of the Latinx Leadership Initiative at the Boston College School of Social Work. She earned her Master’s degree in Social Work at the Boston College School of Social Work, where she has also previously taught as an Adjunct Professor and served as the Assistant Director of Field Education. Last year, Ximena was recognized with the Greatest Contribution to Social Work Award by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers for her work in preparing future clinical social workers to support the Latinx community

Father Paul B. O’Brien has been the Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish in Lawrence, MA since 2001.  He is the founder of the Cor Unum Meal Center, a founding trustee of Lawrence Catholic Academy, and the President of WGUA 98.1, a Spanish-language Catholic radio station.

Fr. Octavio Cortez came to St. Anthony's in September 2015 and has been appointed pastor as of June 29, 2016.  He is a member of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (I.V.E.).  Father Cortez was born in Mexico, one of 8 children and came to the United States when he was 17 years old and speaks fluent Spanish and English. His family now lives in California.

Philip Landrigan, MD. MSc, is a pediatrician and epidemiologist. He directs the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. His research examines the health impacts of toxic environmental hazards. He has studied lead, pesticides, air pollution and asbestos, and his research on these toxins has helped to prevent disease and premature death in thousands of Americans. Dr. Landrigan co-chaired The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, which reported in 2018 that pollution causes 9 million deaths annually and that pollution prevention is feasible and highly cost-effective. Since 2019, Dr. Landrigan has led the Monaco Commission on Human Health and Ocean Pollution.

Dr. Landrigan graduated from Boston Latin School (1959), Boston College (1963), Harvard Medical School (1967) and the London School of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, University of London (1977). He is a member of the US National Academy of Medicine.

Melodie was named executive director of the Roche Center for Catholic Education and faculty member for the Lynch School of Education and Human Development in 2019. Prior to coming to Boston College, Melodie served as an assistant professor and academic director of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program for the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame. She also has served as president of Nativity Jesuit Academy and director of mission effectiveness for the NativityMiguel Network of Schools in Washington, DC. Melodie presents nationally on topics such as Catholic School Governance and Effective Board Management, Strategic Planning, Development and Enrollment Management Strategies, and Making Schools Culturally Competent for New and Existing Latino Families. Her published work includes Seven Steps to Strategic Planning for Catholic School Leaders (2020) and Responding to the Call for Educational Justice: Transformative Catholic-Led Initiatives in Urban Education (2018). Melodie has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and master's degrees in educational administration from Marquette University and education from Mount Mary College.

Adrián Alberto Herrera is an Associate Director for the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He has served as consultant to the National Advisory Committee on Adult Religious Education, formerly known as NACARE. He has written articles for several publications and developed materials for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis for Catechetical Sunday 2010. Author of Oraciones y Reflexiones Dominicales para Católicos 2017 by LTP, Catechetical Leadership 2017 by Loyola Press, Un año lleno de gracia:2018 by Loyola Press.

Adrián served as one of the six animators for the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership FCH “Forum on Catechesis with Hispanics”. He has been a catechist, youth Minister and Director of Religious Education. Obtained BS in Microbiology and Chemistry from The University of Texas at El Paso and his MA in Pastoral Studies from the School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary.

Rose Mary Donahue grew up in a close-knit Irish Catholic neighborhood in Syracuse, New York, and she attended the small parish school from grades K-12. She received a B.A. in Sociology from Le Moyne College, and earned an M.Ed. from Boston College in elementary and special education while working in the President’s Office. She has served as Assistant to the President for 40+ years, working on a variety of projects and initiatives, including the establishment of the Church in the 21 st Century Center.

Rose Mary has also been active in parish life, serving on the Parish Councils of both Saint Ignatius Church and Saint John the Evangelist in Wellesley, MA, where she also served as a Eucharistic Minister. From 2008-2013, she was a member of the Saint John’s Pastoral Planning Group, established to help coordinate planning for the future of the parish and to raise awareness of the inevitable changes to come, particularly as the Archdiocese of Boston studied the possible reorganization of parishes. She currently serves on the Saint John-Saint Paul Collaborative Pastoral Council.

Rose Mary’s community involvements include membership on the Wellesley Planning Board, and its Fuller Brook Park Coordinating Committee, Town Government Study Committee and Advisory Committee. She is also a current Town Meeting Member.

Taiga Guterres is the assistant director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies for marketing and programming, where he promotes the Institute's publications, events, and mission through print and online advertisement.  He also serves as the project manager for the Ever to Excel program.  Taiga has over 10 years of experience working with the Society of Jesus and is currently pursuing an M.A. in Theology & Ministry and an M.S.W. from Boston College.  His research interests include the cross-section of culture and spirituality, the history and spirituality of Pedro Arrupe, and Ignatian leadership.