Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted

Bishop, Diocese of Phoenix

Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., July 2, 1973. He was installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix December 20, 2003. Prior to his arrival in Phoenix he served as Bishop of Wichita, Kansas, after being ordained Coadjutor Bishop on April 20, 1999. Before serving in Wichita, he served as the Rector / President of the Pontifical College Josephinum, a Catholic Seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

Since 1974, Bishop Olmsted has been a member of the Jesus Caritas fraternity of priests, and thus has been deeply influenced by the witness and wisdom of Charles de Foucauld and by the prayers and encouragement of many brother priests.

Read more about Bishop Thomas Olmsted >

The Catholic Man Show

Adam Minihan and David Niles, life-long best friends, started The Catholic Man Show after launching a Catholic radio station in Tulsa, OK.

The Catholic Man Show is a real, relatable, and often comical conversation promoting virtue and the role men have in their vocation.

“They say the Catholic Church is ‘both/and’. Adam and Dave have both style and substance, humor and depth. TCMS is a must listen for any man wanting to grow in their spiritual life.” - Fr. Brian O’Brien - Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma

To find out more about TCMS, visit www.thecatholicmanshow.com >

Alexandre Havard

Alexandre Havard is a successful author and entrepreneur from Moscow, Russia. He was born and raised in Paris, and is a graduate of one of France’s leading law schools, Paris Descartes University.

He worked as a lawyer in Europe for many years before discovering his mission to ignite hearts for greatness and work to raise up a new generation of virtuous leaders. His books “Virtuous Leadership”, “Created for Greatness” and “From Temperament to Character” have been translated into 20 languages and lay the foundation for the Virtuous Leadership system that he has created.

He has also founded several institutes directed towards this mission of leadership around the world, which serve to promote classical virtues as the basis of achieving greatness.

Carl A. Anderson

As the current supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson is the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the world's largest Catholic family fraternal service organization. Mr. Anderson is also a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Sylvester, a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He has made significant contributions to all of these organizations during his time of service.

Mr. Anderson has had a distinguished career as a public servant and educator. He holds degrees in philosophy from Seattle University and in law from the University of Denver. He has served in various positions of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, including special assistant to the President and acting director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. Following his service at the White House, Mr. Anderson served for nearly a decade as a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

Mr. Anderson has taught as a visiting professor of family law at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and he became the founding vice president and first dean at the graduate school of theology at The Catholic University of America. He is also the author of numerous bestselling books on theology and politics.

He has been appointed by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to serve as a member on numerous councils for laity in the Catholic Church throughout his career. In addition, he has served as a consultant to the Pro-Life Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) since 2002.

Mr. Anderson currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He has received many honors and awards from numerous, leading Catholic institutions throughout his professional career. He and his wife, Dorian, are the parents of five children. We are very privileged to have him here with us today.

Fr. Paul Sullivan

Chaplain to Men and Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Phoenix. Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish Phoenix

Fr. Paul Sullivan was or ordained a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix in 2007. Since then he has served in as a parochial vicar, director of a retreat center, high school chaplain and pastor. He currently serves as Director of Vocations for the diocese and as Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Phoenix.

Fr. Sullivan grew up in New York blessed by the love of a faithful father and mother and seven siblings. He attended SUNY Albany for college where he earned a degree in accounting. After 3 years of work as a CPA, he entered Saint Meinrad Seminary for philosophy and theology studies prior to ordination. He has also completed the spiritual direction training through the Institute for Priestly Formation.

Fr. John Parks

Vicar of Evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix

Fr. John Parks was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix on June 5, 2010 and has served as parochial vicar of St. Daniel the Prophet and St. Timothy parishes. He has also served as the chaplain of Notre Dame Preparatory.

He received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Arizona State University, a Master of Arts in Catholic Thought and Life and a Master of Divinity from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. Fr. Parks is currently pursuing a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.

On December of 2016, Fr. Parks was appointed by Bishop Olmsted as the new Vicar for Evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix. The Vicar for Evangelization is a new position in the Diocese of Phoenix that will provide counsel, advice and assistance to the bishop in the Church’s mission of evangelization. The Division of Evangelization includes the Catholic Schools Office, Parish Catechetical Departments (English and Spanish), Marriage and Respect Life, Kino Catechetical Institute and the Safe Environment Training Office.

Fr. Parks is also a frequent speaker at Steubenville Youth Conferences and is a regular contributor to catholicbreakfast.com, an online apostolate which seeks to engage and re-engage millennial Catholics.

Cristofer Pereyra

Cristofer Pereyra is in transition from his role as director of the Hispanic Mission Office for the Diocese of Phoenix, and now also the CEO for Tepeyac Leadership, a non-profit organization dedicated to civic leadership development for lay Catholic professionals. Through its signature program TLI, Tepeyac Leadership provides a catalyst development experience which equips professionals to become virtuous leaders, influencing the culture and serving the common good.

Pereyra is a native of Peru, where he lived until the age of 15. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Arizona State University and a Master of Business Administration from Grand Canyon University.

Pereyra’s professional career started in media, in the year 1999 when he worked for Univision Communications. For five years he was a television news reporter for Univision’s station KTVW Channel 33 in Phoenix, Arizona. He then left media to go into business for himself. Pereyra successfully ran a real estate brokerage and insurance firm for a period of 14 years.

In 2014, Pereyra was asked by Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix to direct the Hispanic Mission Office, position that as he puts it “is the job I never knew I always wanted.”

Pereyra has travelled extensively through Latin America and is a consultant for many organizations on how to best engage the Hispanic community, understanding its history, values, hopes and challenges.

For 6 years, Pereyra was a radio show host for En Familia radio in Phoenix, a Spanish Catholic radio station focused on family values, faith and community. He still serves on the board for En Familia radio, as well as the board for Great Hearts and Tepeyac Leadership. In Pereyra’s words God has given him a mission “to transform lives, building up the community and the Church by investing in tomorrow’s lay Catholic leaders.”

Darren Handy

Every day Darren Handy strives to be a holy man of God. With Jesus as his guide, Darren is a leader in his family, his Church and his community. A graduate of Arizona State University with a degree in Psychology, Darren is an ardent defender of the Catholic Faith. Part of growing in his Faith includes formal continuing education. Darren completed the certification program for Adult Faith Formation and Parish Leadership through the Kino Catechetical Institute in Phoenix. He is entering his third year of formation for the Diaconate with the Diocese of Phoenix.

Darren has been actively serving the Lord and His people through ministry and community outreach for the past twenty years. His work has included service to the poor through Paz de Cristo, supporting the growth and expansion of Christians in Commerce in Arizona, disciplining men and providing all parishioners opportunities to encounter our Lord Jesus through Parish Ministry at his home Parish, St. Timothy Catholic Church in Mesa, AZ. At present, he is the Director of Stewardship at St. Timothy.

Married for 30 years, Darren and Mayen are blessed to be the parents of seven children and two grandchildren. The family walks to the tune of St. Therese of Lisieux, performing even the smallest of their daily actions out of love. Together they are learning that holiness applies in all walks of life—from the classroom to the altar to the boardroom.

In addition to speaking at parishes throughout Arizona and California, Darren has an active life-coaching practice called ZOE, Greek for living a devoted and zealous life of God. His mission is to lead others to Christ, especially men who are seeking brotherhood and solidarity: “As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man” (Proverbs 27:17).

Fr. John Hollowell

Ordained a priest in 2009 for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.  Father Hollowell has served as a high school chaplain, theology teacher and football coach at Cardinal Ritter High School, and currently serves as the pastor of two parishes in rural Indiana (Annunciation in Brazil, IN and St. Paul's in Greencastle, IN), while serving as a prison chaplain and Catholic ministry at DePauw University.

Herm Edwards

Former NFL head coach and ESPN Analyst Herm Edwards was named the 24th head coach of Sun Devil Football on December 3, 2017.

 Edwards arrived in Tempe with a football legacy that has impacted thousands, whether as a player, coach, analyst, motivational speaker and author, or community advocate and philanthropist.



Edwards spent eight years as an NFL head coach with the New York Jets (2001-05) and Kansas City Chiefs (2006-08).  He led his teams to four playoff appearances, including 2004 when his Jets squad finished with a 10-6 regular season record and advanced to the AFC Divisional Playoffs.  Edwards, who also guided the Chiefs to a Wild Card berth in 2006, is one of only four NFL coaches to lead two different teams to the playoffs in his first season as head coach with those teams.


Edwards served as an NFL analyst for ESPN since 2009 where he appeared primarily on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and the network's coverage of Super Bowl week. He spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a cornerback between the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams, followed by another 18 years as a scout, position coach, assistant and head coach between the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets. He made the playoffs four times as an NFL head coach.



Edwards played cornerback for the University of California in 1972 and 1974 before he ended his collegiate career at San Diego State in 1975. An undrafted free agent who went on to have a 10-year NFL career, he never missed a game in his nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1977 to 1985 and started all 16 games in seven of his nine seasons with the team. Over the course of his nine years in Philadelphia, Edwards totaled 38 interceptions -- with seven during his sophomore NFL season – which is just one short of the franchise record. He earned second-team All-NFC honors in 1980 to help lead the Eagles to Super Bowl XV.

It is said the victory formation, which was implemented by the Eagles, came in part to a play made by Edwards late in the 1978 season. Trailing 17-12 to the New York Giants with seconds remaining, Giants' quarterback Joe Pisarcik fumbled the handoff and Edwards picked it up for the scoop and score and the 19-17 victory. The play became known in Philadelphia as "The Miracle at the Meadowlands".


In 1990, Edwards transitioned back into the NFL as a scout and defensive backs coach with the Chiefs from 1990 to 1995 under legendary head coach Marty Schottenheimer. He then served under Tony Dungy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2000 before being hired as the head coach for the New York Jets in January 2001.



Over the course of five seasons Edwards led the Jets to three playoff berths, five postseason contests and a pair of 10-win seasons. His 35 victories with the team from 2001-04 is tied with Joe Walton (1983-86) for the most regular season wins by a coach in his first four years with the team.

He started his second tour with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 and became the first coach in franchise history to lead the team to the playoffs in his initial season.
 A native of Seaside, Calif., Edwards graduated from Monterey High School, attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, with a stint at Monterey Peninsula College, before graduating from San Diego State University with a degree in Criminal Justice. Herm was inducted into the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
 


He was appointed a charter member of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, named a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance’s National Advisory Committee in 2003 and sits on the Santa Catalina School Board of Trustees.  Edwards also remains active in numerous charitable and philanthropic endeavors, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) along with his wife, Lia, who lives with Type I diabetes. He also created the Herman L. Edwards Family Youth Foundation in 1985 with the goal of making a direct impact on the lives of children on the Monterey Peninsula.


Edwards has been recognized by multiple organizations for his work in the community. He received the 2012 Walter Camp Foundation Man of the Year Award for his longtime contributions to the game of football; he was honored with Team ESPN’s Commentator of the Year Award in 2013; and in 2015 he received the prestigious Shell Legacy Award from the Shell Oil Company. Edwards was the recipient of the inaugural Voices Leadership Award in 2017. Voices is an organization that provides a wide range of support services for 9/11 families, responders and survivors.


Known for his dynamic motivational speaking, Edwards regularly addresses football players of all ages, as well as corporate groups. He spoke to incoming players at the NFL Players Association’s Rookie Premier in 2011, and coached teams at both the Under Armour All-America High School Football game (Head Coach 2011-16) and has also coached the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl college all-star game.


Edwards co-authored the book You Play to Win the Game – Leadership Lessons for Success On and Off the Field with ESPN’s Shelley Smith, and he was involved in longtime NFL referee Jim Tunney’s book, It’s the Will, Not the Skill – Principles and Philosophies of Success as Seen Through the Eyes, Mind and Heart of Herm Edwards.


A passionate golfer, Edwards appeared in Golf Channel’s original series “The Haney Project” with professional instructor Hank Haney in December 2011. Edwards has also played a number of high-profile celebrity tournaments in the past, including the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe, the latter of which he takes part in every year.


Edwards and his wife Lia are the proud parents of three children:  Marcus, Gabrielle and Vivian.