Speakers

Mykola Cardinal Bychok CSsR

In December 2024, at age 44, Cardinal Bychok was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, making him the youngest Cardinal in the world and also the youngest elector in the 2025 Papal Conclave which elected Pope Leo XIV.

Cardinal Bychok was born in Ukraine, where he first heard the call to be a priest at the age of 15, going on to join the Redemptorists at age 17. Before moving to Melbourne in 2020 to take up his appointment by Pope Francis as the Bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, he studied and served as a priest and missionary in Ukraine, Poland, Russia and the United States.

For more info, visit the Eparchy’s website here.

Katie Prejean McGrady

Katie Prejean McGrady is an award-winning author, international speaker, podcaster and daily radio show host. After working in youth ministry and high school education for a number of years, Katie began speaking full time in 2017 and now averages over 150,000 kms of travel each year with her speaking engagements.

Katie is the author of four books with Ave Maria Press and writes regularly for Blessed is She, Our Sunday Visitor and Aleteia. She appears as a Catholic commentator on CNN and is a consultant for the USCCB working group on youth and young adult ministry. In March 2021, Katie began hosting The Katie McGrady Show, a daily radio program covering pop culture, current events, Catholic news, how to live a life of abundant joy, and introduces listeners to a variety of engaging, dynamic and inspiring guests. Katie lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Tommy and daughters, Rose and Clare.

For more info visit Katie’s website or follow her on social media via @katiepmcgrady.

Fr Rob Galea

Fr Rob Galea is a Catholic priest serving in the Sandhurst Diocese after moving to Australia from Malta as a seminarian. He is the founder and executive director of ICON Ministry, a charity organisation that ministers to over 2 million people each year across the globe.

Fr Rob is an internationally acclaimed author, singer and songwriter with eight album releases and a debut book (Breakthrough). Fr Rob was selected to write and sing the English and international versions of the official 2008, 2016 and 2019 World Youth Day songs and has performed before an estimated single live audience of 1.2 million people. He was a contestant in Australia’s The X Factor in 2015. As well as a talented performer, Fr Galea has a significant evangelistic and outreach ministry, speaking to audiences locally and all around the world.

For more info visit his website or check him out on Spotify or Apple Music.

Sr Mary Grace S.V.

Sr Mary Grace, S.V. grew up in Sydney, graduating from the University of Notre Dame Australia with a degree in Theology. Captivated by the beauty of every human life, she worked in campus ministry and then entered the Sisters of Life – a relatively new religious order that began in New York, and now has Sisters all over the world. In 2023, Sr Mary Grace professed her final vows with the Sisters.

She first worked in Toronto, Canada, serving vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children. Sr Mary Grace then served in the Evangelisation Mission in the Bronx and in Denver, where she currently resides. She is the co-host of the Sisters of Life Podcast Let Love and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology.

For more info, visit the Sisters of Life website or listen to the Let Love podcast here.

Bishop Mark Edwards OMI

Bishop Mark Edwards OMI was appointed the Bishop of Wagga Wagga by Pope Francis in 2020. Prior to this, he served as an Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne, with key roles in the areas of Tertiary Education and Youth. Bishop Edwards is a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986.

Bishop Edwards has taught and served in leadership roles at a local and national level over several years and has a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Letters and a PhD in philosophy.

He loves sport with a particular focus on international cricket – as his nephew, Scott Edwards is the captain and keeper for the Netherlands. Bishop Edwards is also a great fan of the mighty Hawks and Melbourne Storm, enjoys playing competitive cards and loves to walk along the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.

Joshua Angrisano

Joshua Angrisano is a gifted poet, lyricist, singer, hip-hop artist and entertainer who has been working in the online space for nearly a decade. With his signature flair for storytelling and strategy, he produces content across media that focusses on creativity and impact.

Born in Dallas, U.S., Joshua first travelled to Melbourne to do a year of mission work. Meeting his now wife Emily during this year, led to his decision to call Australia home.

Maggie Craig

Maggie Craig hails from the U.S. and currently resides in Southern California. Equipped with an M.A. in Theology, a B.A. in Catechetics and a gift for humor and storytelling, Maggie travels the world as a speaker.

Her first book, Friendship Reset: Ditch the Drama and Find Your Crew, A Practical Guide for Christians was published in February 2025 by Ave Maria Press. In her spare time, Maggie enjoys watching NBA basketball, trail running and eating breakfast foods – something Australians can well relate to.

For more info, visit Maggie’s website or find her on social media via: @Maggie Craig Catholic Speaker.

Fr Chris Ryan MGL

Fr Chris Ryan has been involved in youth ministry in parishes, schools and new communities across many years and is the founder and director of the Arete Centre for Missionary Leadership, which seeks to form leaders in the Church’s mission.

Fr Chris is a priest of the Missionaries of God’s Love and is currently the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Fatima, Peakhurst and St Declan’s, Penshurst in NSW. In 2007-2008, he was the coordinator of the pilgrimage of the World Youth Day Cross and Icon as it travelled all across Australia in preparation for World Youth Day 2008. He later wrote his first book about the experience, titled: In the Light of the Cross. He has a PhD in Theology and loves reading, bushwalking and swimming in the surf.

For more info, visit the Arete Centre for Missionary Leadership here.