Father Neil Vaney SM     Neil Vaney is a Marist priest who taught Christian ethics, including a course on bioethics, at the Marist seminary in Hawkes Bay then at Good Shepherd College in Auckland 1987-2009. He has a doctorate in environmental ethics and the theology of nature. He presently is pastoral director of the Catholic Enquiry Centre in Wellington.  He is a son of post WWII Wellington and was ordained in St Theresa’s Karori July 1969. He has been a secondary school teacher, University chaplain Christchurch 1974-78, member of a retreat team offering 30-day retreats, a lecturer in moral
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Father Roger Landry      Father Roger Landry works for the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1999, he has served as a high school chaplain, the pastor of two parishes, and the former executive editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River (2005-2012).  He is an alumnus of Harvard College and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was an on-site commentator for EWTN’s coverage of the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis, appears often on
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Professor Tom O’Loughlin     Thomas O’Loughlin is Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham. He earned a BA, MPhil, PhD, STB and DD hon.c. Tom studied for his BA in Philosophy and Medieval History in UCD, before going to Maynooth College for his BD, before moving on to do a M.Phi in University College Dublin. He holds a Diploma in Theology from Mater Dei in Dublin, and Diploma in Pastoral Theology from All Hallows College, Dublin. He began his career as a teacher in the University College Dublin, he also taught at the Dominican Studium, Tallaght and the Milltown Institute of Theology
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Stephen Eguino Bio: I was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Music and faith was always a part of my family and I was encouraged to use my gifts and not keep them to myself. I started playing the Saxophone in the 2nd grade and ever since then I’ve been playing and performing music. I transitioned to rap music and beat making, along with playing the guitar for praise and worship when I entered formation with the Salesians of Don Bosco in 2010. Throughout my time in formation, I was able to use my musical gifts and really
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Fr Brian Johnstone, C.Ss.R Fr Brian Johnstone hails from Brighton, Australia. He attended the Redemptorist Seminary, St. Mary’s, Ballarat, Australia, 1958-1965, and then studied at the Pontif. Atheneum, St. Anselmo where he gained his Licentiate in Theology, (S.T.L.) in 1968 . He studied Moral Theology at the Katholisch-Theologische Fakultaet der Universitaet, Bonn, 1968-1970, and Fachbereich Kath. Theologie der Universitaet, Tuebingen, 1970, and Moral Theology at the Katholieke Universitaet, Leuven, 1971-1972, where he obtained the doctorate in moral theology (1976) Fr Brian has held many prestigious posts, among them; Academic Posts and Teaching at the Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, Australia,
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Have you ever wondered how God looks at His world? Astronauts looking back at the earth from space see the majesty of creation from a perspective not many people have experienced. Michael S. Hopkins is one such astronaut, and he’s coming to our 2018 Eucharistic Convention to tell us all about it. NASA astronauts, engineers and scientists are exploring the wonders of space as in no other time before ours. The opportunities are limitless, the challenges immense and the discoveries exceptional. Astronaut Mike will talk on Sunday at our convention, check our programme for details. Don’t miss this opportunity, put the
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Bishop Patrick Dunn was born in London and raised in Auckland, and entered Holy Cross College in Mosgiel after study at Auckland University. He was ordained for Auckland diocese on April 24, 1976. After various parish appointments, further study and time spent as an assistant to Bishop Denis Browne, Bishop Patrick was named an auxiliary bishop for Auckland diocese in 1994. Later that year, on Christmas Eve, he was appointed the 11th Bishop of Auckland, taking over as head of the diocese on March 29, 1995. Bishop Patrick will deliver the homily at the opening Mass of the 2018 Eucharistic Convention. 
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Ministry to the Elderly, Sick and Housebound   Gerry and Margaret have been part of the Eucharistic Convention team right from its inception. Not only that, they were at the forefront of many other Catholic lay activities long before this convention was even heard of. Before the days of the internet (yes, that’s how far we go back), all communications were done by mail. Newsletters were compiled and mailed out from my downtown office by a band of willing helpers which always included Gerry and Margaret Smy. This convention owes them, and the other generous individuals who dedicated themselves to this
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Aurora Zacarias from Mexico will share her incredible life story at the Eucharistic convention this year. NPH (Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos) is a Catholic organisation which helps abandoned, orphaned and other vulnerable children throughout Latin America. Aurora is one of these children. She has now grown into a successful businesswoman and ambassador for NPH. Tragedy struck when Aurora was only 10 years old in Mexico City. While her childhood has been challenging, Aurora contributes her success as an adult to the loving care and education she received thanks to the charity, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. (NPH, Our Little Brothers and Sisters), founded by Father William Wasson in
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Mother Mary Assumpta Long, O.P., is the Prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She holds a S.T.L. in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and has taught at the elementary, secondary and junior college levels. Mother Assumpta is a former President of the Forum of Major Superiors and has served on the boards of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the early 1990’s she was invited by John Cardinal O’Connor to assist with the initial formation of
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