BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Renewal Ministries is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization established in the United States and Canada that is overseen by two separate boards of directors.

United States Board

Episcopal Adviser: Archbishop Robert Carlson

St. Louis, Missouri

Chairman: Deacon Daniel Foley

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ralph Martin

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Sharon Doran

Omaha, Nebraska

Tim Holian

Richmond, Illinois

Laurie Watson Manhardt

Spring Lake, New Jersey

Tom O’Brien

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Deacon Larry Oney

New Orleans, Louisiana

Shann Patton

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Fr. Dave Pivonka

Steubenville, Ohio

Nancy Timmis

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Robert Van Norden

Glen Head, New York

CANADIAN BOARD

Episcopal Advisor: Cardinal Thomas Collins

Toronto, Ontario

Chairman: Msgr. Gregory Smith

Vancouver, British Columbia

Ralph Martin

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Jim Cavnar

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Domenic Inneo

Niagara, Ontario

Fr. James Mallon

Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Bishop Scott McCaig

Kamloops, British Columbia

Vernon Robertson

Pitt Meadows, British Columbia

Robert Shiley

Toronto, Ontario

Deacon Tom Welsh

North York, Ontario

Miriam Wright

Burlington, Ontario

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Episcopal Adviser:
Archbishop Robert Carlson

St. Louis, Missouri

The Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson, a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, received a master’s degree in divinity from St. Paul Seminary and a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America. Ordained as an auxiliary bishop for his home archdiocese, he went on to serve as Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and the bishop of Saginaw, Michigan.

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson was installed as archbishop of St. Louis in 2009. Archbishop Carlson’s passion for education, vocations, youth ministry, and priestly formation have contributed to the growth and vitality of all the dioceses he has served. Archbishop Carlson serves on several committees. He previously served as chair of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations and co-chair of the Mission Advisory Committee for the Institute for Priestly Formation.

Archbishop Carlson received the Interfaith Partnership Award, the Joseph Cardinal Ritter Award, the Sister Mary Ann Eckhoff Leadership Award, the Service to the Community Award from the Ecumenical Leadership Council, the Order of Saint Louis King Award, and the Luminary Award for Criminal Justice.

Chairman: Deacon Daniel Foley

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Deacon Dan is a retired executive and attorney who held positions at Masco Corporation, Domino’s Pizza, and TSM Computing Group, among others. He serves as a deacon at Christ the King Catholic Church and is active in their Upper Room ministry. Deacon Dan has served on a variety of charitable and professional boards and is currently chairman of the board of both Renewal Ministries and Hope Clinic in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ralph Martin

President of Renewal Ministries

[email protected]

Ralph Martin is the president of Renewal Ministries, 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, and engages in a wide variety of mission work in more than thirty countries.

Ralph is also the director of Graduate Theology Programs in Evangelization and a professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit (www.shms.edu). He holds a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum University in Rome.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Ralph as a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, and he continues to serve in this capacity. Ralph also was appointed as a theological expert for the Synod on the New Evangelization.

He is the author of the widely read The Fulfillment of All Desire: A Guidebook for the Journey to God Based on the Wisdom of the Saints, and many books on spirituality and evangelization, such as Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization, and The Urgency of the New Evangelization, as well as many articles in scholarly and popular publications.

Ralph and his wife, Anne, reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have six children and nineteen grandchildren.

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Sharon Doran

Omaha, Nebraska

Sharon Doran serves as the teaching director of Seeking Truth Catholic Bible Study. She has a Masters of Arts degree in Education and has taught at both the high school and university levels. She holds a second Master’s Degree in Pastoral Theology with an emphasis in Sacred Scripture from the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado. She is frequently invited to speak at church events, city-wide venues, and regional seminars and conferences.

Sharon is married to Dr. Stephen Doran and is the mother of five sons. She has endured several cancer surgeries for more than a decade, but the blessing has been a deeper walk with Him and urgency to share the Gospel. The Doran family attends St. Margaret Mary’s parish. Sharon was invited by the Archdiocese of Omaha’s Adult Faith Formation Office to start a new Catholic Bible Study for men and women in the Omaha area.

Tim Holian

Illinois

Tim Holian lives in northern Illinois with his wife, Amanda. They have five children and one grandchild. Tim looks for opportunities to share his faith and draw people closer to the Lord.

Laurie Watson Manhardt

Spring Lake, New Jersey

Laurie Watson Manhardt, PhD, is a Catholic wife, mother, and grandmother. After teaching at Huron Valley School in Michigan, she taught second grade catechism for several years in New Jersey, preparing children to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist.

After teaching an inter-faith Bible Study for ten years, Laurie recognized the need for orthodox, layperson-friendly Catholic Bible study materials that could present the finest of Catholic Biblical scholarship available. Together with three Biblical scholars, she developed the Come and See Catholic Bible Study Series for adults and children.

Presently, Laurie and her husband Jim host a home Bible study for couples in mixed marriages. She also serves in a weekly Bible study for teenagers in her parish in Vero Beach, Florida. She is particularly interested in helping people who feel called to start a Catholic Bible study in their home or parish.

Tom O’Brien

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tom O’Brien lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and serves on the Renewal Ministries’ Board of Directors.

Deacon Larry Oney

New Orleans, Louisiana

Deacon Larry Oney serves the Archdiocese of New Orleans at Divine Mercy Parish in Kenner, Louisiana. He is the chairman of HGI Global—a third-party administration and project management firm.

Deacon Oney lives in New Orleans with his wife, Andi. He has five children. Deacon Oney is a member of the New Orleans Chapter of Legatus and the founder and president of Hope and Purpose Ministries.

Deacon Oney has spoken at hundreds of events across the globe and appeared on many EWTN shows. He has also been a guest on FOCUS TV, Franciscan Radio, Ave Maria Radio, Relevant Radio, Redeemer Radio, and more. Deacon Oney hosts the radio show “Discovering Your Hope and Purpose” on Radio Maria. Deacon Oney has authored several books: Amazed by God’s Grace, Divine Mission: Discovering Your Hope and Purpose, Reflections on the Kingdom of God, and UP FAITH! God loves a faith that is always looking up! He also co-authored a book with Fr. William Maestri—Preaching Jesus in the Time of the New Evangelization for priests and deacons.

Shann Patton

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Shann Patton is the founder of ArborWoman, the first pro-life medical resource center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she currently serves as the board president. Additionally, she serves on the board of Ave Maria Radio and The Daniel Coalition. She is an active member of St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and most notably is a wife, mother of six, and a grandmother of eight.

Fr. Dave Pivonka

Steubenville, Ohio

Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, is the president of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He also is a well-known and popular speaker. He is the author of several books, including Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus and Breath of God: Living a Life Led by the Holy Spirit. He also produced The Wild Goose, a video series on the Holy Spirit.

Nancy Timmis

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Nancy Timmis has been married for fifty-seven years to Michael Timmis, lawyer and businessman, and is a mother of two and a grandmother of five. She has served on Renewal Ministries’ Board of Directors for over twenty-five years. She has traveled the world with her husband in his role as chairman of Prison Fellowship International, entering prisons and witnessing to Jesus. Nancy is also active in the Timmis Family Foundation, which currently is serving more than two-thousand young people in schools and homes throughout East. Nancy also has served in Alpha and many other evangelistic causes. Nancy is a graduate of Wayne State University. Prior to becoming a mother, she was a high school English teacher.

Robert Van Norden

Glen Head, New York

Bob was born in 1949 and is a native New Yorker. He received his BA from Colgate University and MA from Columbia University. After serving five years as a broker and office manager in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York, he worked as a member on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for twenty-five years.

Bob has been married to his wife, Donna, for thirty-five years, and they have two sons and one grandchild. He has served on the Renewal Ministries’ Board of Directors for twenty-five years; he also served for ten years on the advisory council for the Sisters of Life and has organized fund-raising events for both apostolates, as well as for Good Council Homes in the New York metropolitan area.

Upon retiring from Wall Street some twelve years ago, Bob moved his family to the rapidly growing city of Greenville, South Carolina, where he presently serves as the finance chairman for his local parish, with Fr. Dwight Longenecker.

An avid golfer, Bob also formerly served as the golf coach for Greenville’s local Catholic high school.

Episcopal Advisor:
Cardinal Thomas Collins

Toronto, Ontario

His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. He earned Bachelor of Arts from St. Jerome College in Waterloo, a Master of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Theology from St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ontario. He received his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Bible Institute and a Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian University.

He was named bishop of Saint-Paul in 1997. In 1999, he was installed as Archbishop of Edmonton. He also has served as apostolic administrator of Saint-Paul, and served as Archbishop of Edmonton and Apostolic Administrator of Saint-Paul until he was named Archbishop of Toronto in 2006.

In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI elevated Archbishop Collins to the College of Cardinals. He is the fourth Cardinal in the history of the Archdiocese of Toronto and the sixteenth in the history of Canada.

Cardinal Collins holds many offices and has served the Holy Father in a wide variety of capacities.

Chairman: Msgr. Gregory Smith

Vancouver, British Columbia

Msgr. Gregory Smith is pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish in West Vancouver and the director of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s first formation program for permanent deacons. He studied canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, from which he graduated with a licentiate, and in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, from which he received a doctorate degree. His doctoral thesis was published by the Tesi Gregoriana in 2008. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and has served as its chancellor, episcopal vicar, and moderator of the Curia. In 1992, he was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, and he was named the Prelate of Honour of His Holiness in 1995.

Jim Cavnar

A deeply committed Catholic, Jim Cavnar cofounded Cross Catholic Outreach to follow Christ’s command to care for the poorest of the poor. Jim’s career spans more than four decades in ministry management and leadership. He has traveled around the globe to speak at conferences and parishes, and has been called upon to minister to church-based humanitarian programs. Representing Cross Catholic Outreach, Jim has traveled to the Vatican on numerous occasions, meeting St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.

Domenic Inneo

Niagara, Ontario

Domenic Inneo is the founder and president of Jads Inc., an Information Technology firm specializing in IT project management of complex multi-million initiatives for large Canadian financial institutions. Jads Inc. has recently successfully completed the IT leadership of a $110M claims system deployment for the Royal Sun Alliance companies in Canada.

Domenic is also the creator of the getIntact emotional intelligence and coaching app. Available in IOS and Android, the getIntact app has helped bring inner healing and spiritual direction to many. As well, Domenic is the co-founder (along with his wife, Jenny) and director of the SOULED OUT youth ministry, which has served three parishes, including his current parish in Niagara.

Domenic has completed his class work for a Master of Arts in Theology at Christ the King Seminary in Buffalo, and frequently speaks at churches and high schools on learning and growing in personal prayer and freedom of heart.

Domenic and his wife, Jenny, have two daughters and a son-in-law, all of whom live in Niagara, Canada.

Fr. James Mallon

Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Fr. James Mallon is the part-time Episcopal Vicar for Parish Renewal and Leadership Support for the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. Although he is now the former pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Halifax, he is still very much a part of that faith community.

Fr. James is the author of the best-selling book Divine Renovation: From Maintenance to Missional Parish. He also authored the Divine Renovation Guidebook.

The message of Divine Renovation has resonated in the hearts of tens of thousands of pastors and laity around the world. It has inspired and motivated them to act and seek help in transforming their own faith communities. To answer their needs, the Divine Renovation Ministry was created. Fr. James serves both the archdiocese and the Divine Renovation Ministry.

Born in Scotland, Fr. James and his family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1982. After studying at Christ the King Seminary in British Columbia and St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, Fr. was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1997.

Bishop Scott McCaig

Ottawa

Bishop Scott McCaig CC, is from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. He entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in 1987, served with NET Catholic Youth Ministries USA, and then joined the Companions of the Cross in 1989. He obtained an undergraduate degree in history from Carleton University, a Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Paul, and a Masters of Divinity Degree from the University of Toronto (Toronto School of Theology). He was ordained to the priesthood in 1995 by Archbishop Marcel Gervais. He served as an associate pastor, parish administrator, hospital chaplain, and director of formation for the Companions of the Cross from 2000 to 2006. He served two terms as general superior of the society from 2006 to 2016.

Bishop Scott has participated in missionary outreach to over fifteen countries. He also serves on the board of Catholic Christian Outreach and is involved in members’ spiritual formation. He assists with training missionaries with NET Ministries of Canada and is a co-chaplain to Ottawa’s Spiritual Motherhood of Priests Apostolate.

Vernon Robertson

Pitt Meadows, British Columbia

Vernon is a convert to the Catholic faith. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1966. He and his wife, Maureen, have been married forty-seven years and have three children and eleven grandchildren. They reside in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, where they are members of St. Luke’s Parish.

In 1994, Vernon founded Catholic Evangelization Training Ministries in Vancouver, British Columbia. The ministry conducted training programs and evangelization conferences for many years, and brought the Alpha course to parishes across Vancouver.

Vernon developed the Seminar of Hope: How to Pray for your Sons & Daughters & Loved Ones based on his experience praying for his teenager children through some challenging years.

Vernon is currently a board member of Catholic Renewal Ministries of Canada. Previously, Vernon was National Catholic Advisor to the Alpha Board of Directors of Canada and served on the Vancouver Archdiocesan Pastoral Council.

In October 2010, Vernon was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For Church and Pope) Cross by Pope Benedict the XVI. It is the highest medal that can be awarded to the laity by the pope. It was presented to him for his work and leadership in the New Evangelization.

Robert Shiley

Toronto

A “cradle Catholic,” Bob grew up in downstate Illinois before moving to Chicago, and ultimately, to Toronto. He attended the University of Toronto for his undergraduate degree and received his MBA from the University of Chicago.

His walk with the Lord deepened immensely after hearing Ralph Martin at the 1972 Charismatic Conference at Notre Dame; and he and his wife, Anne, were extremely blessed to join FIRE IN ROME pilgrimage in 1995.

He has been involved in the planning for the annual Lift Jesus Higher Rally since 2006, and is an active parishioner at St. Gregory’s Church in Toronto where, along with Anne, he is a lector, lay Eucharistic minister, and heads up the parish’s outreach to the Good Shepherd Refuge.

He was a production planning manager at Baxter and at National Rubber with two terms at each company. Since 1990, he has been an executive recruiter at Brethet, Barnum and Associates focusing on life sciences sales and marketing opportunities.

He joined the Canadian Renewal Ministries Board in January of 2019.

Deacon Tom Welsh

North York, Ontario

Deacon Tom Welsh serves at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in North York, Ontario, Canada. He is a member of Catholic Renewal Ministries’ Board of Directors.

Miriam Wright

Miriam Wright has served on mission with Renewal Ministries, most recently in Cameroon. She also works extensively helping people find freedom through Unbound. She is a member of the Catholic Renewal Ministries’ Board of Directors, and spoke at the Lift Jesus Higher Rally in Toronto in 2019.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

United States Board

CANADIAN BOARD

Stay in Touch

Support Our Work

Donation Options

Want More From Us?

Available in App Stores

Episcopal Adviser:Archbishop Robert Carlson

St. Louis, Missouri

Chairman: Deacon Daniel Foley

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ralph Martin

President of Renewal Ministries

Sharon Doran

Omaha, Nebraska

Tim Holian

Illinois

Laurie Watson Manhardt

Spring Lake, New Jersey

Tom O’Brien

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Deacon Larry Oney

New Orleans, Louisiana

Shann Patton

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Fr. Dave Pivonka

Steubenville, Ohio

Nancy Timmis

Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan

Robert Van Norden

Glen Head, New York

Episcopal Advisor:Cardinal Thomas Collins

Toronto, Ontario

Chairman: Msgr. Gregory Smith

Vancouver, British Columbia

Jim Cavnar

Domenic Inneo

Niagara, Ontario

Fr. James Mallon

Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Bishop Scott McCaig

Ottawa

Vernon Robertson

Pitt Meadows, British Columbia

Robert Shiley

Toronto

Deacon Tom Welsh

North York, Ontario

Miriam Wright

Episcopal Adviser:
Archbishop Robert Carlson

Episcopal Advisor:
Cardinal Thomas Collins