Our Speakers

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Damien O’Connor an outstanding speaker and Catholic evangelist. He presently is the Vice President of Evangelization & Faith Formation for the Knights of Columbus responsible for developing and implementing leadership training, faith formation, and catechesis.  He works untiringly to empower men to be evangelizers in their homes and in society. Damien oversaw the development of the Into the Breach video series which seeks to answer the question of what it means to be a man and how to live as a man in today's world.

Damien O’Connor has a MA in Religious Education from Fordham University.  His career has consisted of working for the Church in various capacities over the past 25 years.  Formally a religion teacher and Assistant Headmaster at Iona Preparatory in New Rochelle, NY, Damien learned his love for teaching.  He was also the campus minister for Catholic Evangelization at Villanova University. 

In 2008, Damien was hired to be the Director of Adult Formation for the Diocese of Bridgeport and was subsequently asked by Bishop Lori in 2009 to join his senior staff by directing the Faith Formation office for the Diocese of Bridgeport.  In 2011 Damien was appointed to the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In 2012, he was elected to the Executive Board as Chairperson. 

Damien passionately believes that we all must put our faith into action and that by surrendering our lives completely to God, we will know a joy that cannot be measured.

· Married for 24 years to his wife Monica

· Three children

o Damien, Jr ,Mary Rose, & Ana Theresa 

· Parish: St. Catherine of Siena Church, Trumbull, CT

· Member of K of C Council 5806

· 4th Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus

· Third generation Knight

· Damien enjoys golfing, doing projects around the house and spending time with his family.

Steve Wood is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and Catholic Apologist. A convert to the Catholic Faith. Steve has led youth, campus, evangelistic, prison, and pro-life ministries. Steve brings a strong Catholic message that reaches out to all fathers and families.

Steve Wood is an honors graduate of Southern California College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Steve was an instructor in Calvary Chapel’s Bible College shortly after its launch. In a large Florida congregation, he also founded a lay institute for biblical studies. Steve served as an Evangelical pastor and church planter for a decade before his entire family converted to Catholicism in 1990.

Responding to a challenge from Pope John Paul II to strengthen families, he started the Family Life Center International in 1992. Over the past twenty-one years, the Family Life Center has networked with thousands of families in over one hundred countries.

  Steve is also the founder of St. Joseph’s Covenant Keepers, a movement that seeks to transform society through the transformation of fathers and families. Utilizing his books Christian Fatherhood & Legacy: A Father’s Handbook for Raising Godly Children, CDs, television, radio, and conferences, Steve has reached tens of thousands of men in the USA, Canada and overseas with a message of Christian faith and responsibility. He is the host of the Faith & Family radio broadcasts. He was the host of The Carpenter Shop on EWTN television.

Steve has also written two books: The ABCs of Choosing a Good Husband and The ABCs of Choosing a Good Wife to assist young adults in choosing a lifetime partner and preparing for marriage.

His apologetics interests include: the early church fathers, Catholic sexual ethics and marital teachings, Marian doctrines, biblical inerrancy, biblical prophecy, justification, and the new perspective on St. Paul. His forthcoming apologetics book is entitled, Grace & Justification: An Evangelical’s Guide to Catholic Beliefs.

In 2007, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI bestowed on Steve the Papal Honor: Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, in recognition of his service as founder of St. Joseph’s Covenant Keepers.

Steve and Karen Wood have been married thirty-four years and are the parents of eight children and the grandparents of four.

Bishop of Charleston

Growing up on Long Island, he attended both Catholic grade school and high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from St John's University in Jamaica, NY. Feeling the call to the priesthood, Bishop Guglielmone entered the seminary. He earned a Master of Divinity at Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1977 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on April 8, 1978. He served as a priest in parishes across Long Island.
Bishop Guglielmone is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. He was named a Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George in 1993. He was named a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II in 1996. In January 2009, the Holy Father appointed him the 13th Bishop of Charleston, South Carolina.

Bishop Guglielmone has been actively involved in Catholic Scouting, earning numerous awards. He served on the National Catholic Committee on Scouting and is currently an Executive Board Member. He is the current USCCB Episcopal Liaison for the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS).