Biographies

The youngest of nine children, Gerard W. Battersby was born, along with his twin brother, on May 15, 1960, to the late Christopher and the late Helen (Buckley) Battersby. He grew up in northwest Detroit and attended St. Benedict Parish and School in Highland Park.

In 1993, he entered Sacred Heart Major Seminary as an adult vocation and received a Master of Divinity degree in 1998. Cardinal Adam J. Maida ordained him to the priesthood on May 30, 1998.

After ordination, he served in parish ministry for approximately 10 years. He served as an associate pastor at St. Thecla Parish in Clinton Township, Presentation/Our
Lady of Victory Parish, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish and St. Gerard Parish, all in Detroit.

In 2002, he was named pastor of St. Christopher Parish in Detroit, and in 2007, was appointed to Sacred Heart Major Seminary, where he received a Licentiate
in the New Evangelization in 2008. While serving as director of graduate seminarians and graduate pastoral formation at the seminary, Father Battersby
also served concurrently as administrator of St. Leo Parish in Detroit. In 2009, Father Battersby was assigned to graduate studies at the Angelicum in Rome,
Italy. In 2011, Father Battersby was appointed vice-rector and dean of seminarian formation at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. In 2015, Father Battersby was
concurrently appointed pastor of St. Mary of Redford Parish, Detroit.

Father Battersby was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit on Nov. 23, 2016 and his episcopal ordination occurred shortly thereafter on Jan. 25, 2017. Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron served as the principal consecrator and main celebrant.

On March 19, 2024, His Holiness Pope Francis named Bishop Battersby as the 11th Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.

Bishop Robert Barron is the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester (Minnesota)
and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. He is the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking,
award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith, which aired on PBS. Bishop Barron’s sequel, CATHOLICISM: The Pivotal Players, won an Emmy award and has been syndicated for national television.

Bishop Barron is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays and articles on theology and the spiritual life. His most recent book, This Is My Body, sold more than one million copies. He was a religion correspondent for NBC and has also appeared on FOX News, CNN and EWTN.

Bishop Barron’s website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year, and he is one of the world’s most followed Catholics on social media. His YouTube videos have been viewed more than 146 million times, and he has more than 3 million followers on Facebook.

He has engaged in dialogue with Dr. Jordan Peterson, Lex Fridman, Dave Rubin, Ben Shapiro and William Lane Craig, among other influencers and thought leaders, and he has been invited to speak about religion at the headquarters of Facebook, Google and Amazon. He has keynoted many conferences and events all over the world, including the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, 2016 World Youth Day in Kraków and the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which marked Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States.

Chris Stefanick is an internationally acclaimed author, speaker and television host who has devoted his life to sharing the love of Jesus and helping others do the same.

His live seminars, TV, radio and video ministry have reached millions, and his educational initiatives are turning the tide in the Church. He authored a confirmation prep program that’s been used by more than a million people, the popular SEARCH program and most recently released another bestseller, Living Joy.

Chris is a recipient of the Papal Benemerenti (Bay-nay-ma-ren-tee) Medal which was previously given by the pope for military valor, but today is given for achievement in ministry.

A graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Chris is also the founder and president of Real Life Catholic, a non-profit organization that makes his initiatives for renewal a reality.

Above all, he’s proud to be husband to Natalie and father to their six children and two grandchildren!

Josh Rosa is the Director of Evangelization at St. Augustine Our Lady of Victory in The Bronx, NY, and one of the founders of Agnus Dei ministry, photographer, published author, Catholic speaker, passionate follower of Christ and at a very tight 2nd in importance to all of that–devout pizza enthusiast.

Over the last 11 years of ministry, Josh has been blessed to travel around the country as a dynamic speaker sharing the word and love of Jesus to youth, young adults and adults alike. He has developed a large social media following solely from his love of proclaiming Jesus. He has also been very fortunate to work alongside some amazing organizations like Young Life, Lifeteen, Esne, and countless others working to spread the gospel!

He will be a speaker at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July 2024. He is a co-founder of Agnus Dei Ministry, a Catholic-Christian band that performs in both Spanish and English.

Immaculée Ilibagiza was born and raised in a small village in Rwanda, Africa. April 1994 began months of massacres of
Tutsi tribe members throughout the country. Not even small, rural communities like Immaculée’s were spared from the house-by-house slaughtering of men, women and children.

Immaculée’s father instructed her to seek refuge at a local pastor’s house to protect his only daughter. The pastor quickly sheltered Immaculée and seven other women in a hidden 3 x 4-foot bathroom. For the next 91 days, Immaculée and the other women huddled silently in this small room while the genocide raged outside the home and throughout the country.

While in hiding, anger and resentment were destroying Immaculée’s mind, body and spirit. It was then that Immaculée turned to prayer. Prior to going to the pastor’s home, Immaculée’s father, a devout Catholic, gave her a set of rosary beads. She began to pray the rosary as a way of drowning out the anger inside her and the evil outside the house. It was that turning point towards God and away from hate that saved Immaculée.

In addition to finding faith, peace and hope during those three months of hiding, Immaculée also taught herself English. Immaculée was always a good studen and already fluent in Kinyarwanda and French. Using only a Bible and a dictionary,
she spent countless hours in that cramped bathroom learning her third language.

After 91 days, Immaculée was finally liberated from her hiding place only to face a horrific reality. Immaculée emerged from that small bathroom weighing just 65 pounds and finding her entire family brutally murdered, with the exception
of one brother who was studying abroad. She also found nearly one million of her extended family, friends, neighbors and fellow Rwandans massacred.

After the genocide, Immaculée came face-to-face with the man who killed her mother and one of her brothers. After enduring months of physical, mental and spiritual suffering, Immaculée was still able to offer the
unthinkable, telling the man, “I forgive you.”

Immaculée is regarded as one of world’s leading speakers on faith, hope and forgiveness. She has shared this universal message with world leaders, school children, multinational corporations, churches and at events and conferences around the world, including a recent presentation to more than 200,000 people in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Born in Minneapolis, Minn., Luke began writing songs at the age of 16 and composed all of the music on his
debut album, “Be Still,” before he graduated high school. He continued to write music throughout his college years
and in 2010 he recorded and released, “Be Still,” followed by his second album, “No Other Way,” in 2011.

In 2012, Luke’s intricate guitar style and warm, captivating vocals attracted three-time Grammy Award-winning artist Ben Harper. Luke then opened for Harper’s first-ever solo acoustic tour in both the U.S. and Canada, playing in such storied venues as Chicago’s Cadillac Palace, Toronto’s Massey Hall and Philadelphia’s Merriam Theatre.

Harper went on to produce Spehar’s third album, “All Is Gift” in 2015. Following the release, Luke married his wife Elizabeth and together, as newlyweds, they toured the country. This adventure was the catalyst for Spehar’s fourth release, “The Pilgrim” (2018). Produced by Matt Patrick at the Library Recording Studio in Minneapolis, Minn., “The Pilgrim” celebrates the beauty and adventure of music, marriage and fatherhood. Together, with their three young daughters, Luke and Elizabeth live in St. Paul, Minn.

Luke and his band will be providing the music for Mass and adoration, as well as an inspiring concert focused on pilgrimage.

Father Justin Kizewski is a priest for the Diocese of La Crosse. He was born in Wisconsin Rapids
and graduated from Assumption High School. He has three younger sisters and 12 nieces and nephews. He currently serves as the director of intellectual formation at St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee. He is one of the National Eucharistic Preachers and has preached about the Eucharist in South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Virginia. He has studied philosophy, theology and bioethics. He taught high school and lay formation, undergraduates from Christendom College, master students at Saint Paul Seminary and seminarians at the Gregorian University in Rome and now as adjunct professor at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology.

Raised in the Diocese of La Crosse, Braedon and Kayla Hoecherl played music together for a number of years
before they were married in 2023. They have recently decided to take music on as a duo, calling themselves
Little Way in honor of St. Therese. They view their country style as a way to invite listeners into a Christ-centered life
and morality in simple and subtle ways.

They live and work at CrossWoods Adventure Camp, where they lead the worship band in between taking care of the property and guiding outdoor adventures like rock climbing and river kayaking. Braedon learned to lead worship as a missionary with NET Ministries in 2019. They perform locally and have original music on YouTube and Spotify and are working on new music in their home studio.

Pat Millea is a life-long, Catholic blessed with a vocation of ministry to youth and families. He is a dynamic speaker, a gifted musician and a faith-filled youth ministry leader. He has invited thousands of youth across the country to reflect on their relationship with God and take the next step in faith.

Holding bachelor and master’s degrees in theology from the University of Notre Dame, Pat has worked in youth ministry at Catholic parishes in Indiana and Minnesota and is currently blessed to serve the youth and families of his home parish in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. Countless youth and adults have been inspired by Pat’s presentations at events like Notre Dame Vision, the National Catholic Youth Conference, and various parish and diocesan retreats, conferences and rallies around the country. Pat currently prays and plays with his bride, Kenna, and their seven wonderful children in West St. Paul, Minn.