A gifted and captivating speaker, preacher and retreat master, Fr. Larry Richards holds the answer to some of life's most profound questions. He speaks from experience as a pastor of an inner city parish, a high school chaplain, a counselor and evangelist. Fr. Larry Richards has directed hundreds of retreats, parish missions, and conferences for young and old alike. His inspirational talks and presentations, always authentic and enthusiastic, have changed the hearts, minds and lives of millions of listeners worldwide.

Father Larry Richards was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After high school, he attended the college seminary at Gannon University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling in 1983. Father Larry Richards continued his studies at the major seminary at St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and received his Masters of Divinity degree in 1987. He will soon conclude his studies at the University of Notre Dame and be awarded a Master of Arts degree in Liturgy. Ordained to the priesthood in 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Fr. Larry Richards serves as pastor of St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community in Erie. He is also the Spiritual Director of the TEC (To Encounter Christ) Retreat Program for the Diocese of Erie.

Fr. Larry Richards is the founder and president of The Reason for our Hope Foundation, a non- profit organization dedicated to ‘spreading the Good News’ by educating others about Jesus Christ. For more information on the foundation, go to: www.TheReasonForOurHope.org.

Fr. Larry Richards hosts a nightly radio show called “Changed Forever with Father Larry Richards.” It can be heard nationwide on Relevant Radio daily at 8 pm ET/ 7pm CT, Sunday at 7 am ET/ 6 am CT. For more information, or to listen on-line, go to: www.relevantradio.com

Ralph Martin has been a leader in renewal movements in the Catholic Church for many years. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, he did graduate work in philosophy at Princeton University and holds an MA in Theology, from Sacred Heart School of Theology in the Archdiocese of  Detroit. He was the founding editor of New Covenant  Magazine, as well as the founding director of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office, currently located in Rome. Ralph is the Director of Graduate Theology Programs in Evangelization and an assistant professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Ralph is also president of Renewal Ministries (www.renewalministries.net), an organization devoted to Catholic renewal and evangelization. Renewal Ministries is the sponsor of “The Choices We Face” a widely viewed weekly Catholic television and radio program distributed throughout the world. Renewal Ministries is also actively involved in assisting the Church in Eastern Europe, Africa, and various other places through leadership training, evangelistic conferences and retreats, and the publication and distribution of literature.

He is the author of a number of books the most recent of which is The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints. He  has also developed a number of  CD audio albums making accessible the teaching of Doctors of the Church in the area of growth in union with God. He and his wife Anne are parents of six children and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Appointed fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown by Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop Murry holds a Master’s of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, CA, as well as a Master’s and a Ph.D. in American Cultural history from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. A member of the United States Conference of Bishops he serves on the education and domestic policy committees as well as the board of Catholic Relief Services. In November, 2007 Bishop Murry was elected secretary of the USCCB.