Over the course of the weekend, our presenters will be speaking on themes of Hope, Openness, Mentorship, and Evangelization.
See below to learn a little more about our presenters!
See below to learn a little more about our presenters!
Deacon Joe Lang
Joe and his amazing grace-filled wife, Rae-Lynn, have been married over 25 years and are proud parents of four unbelievably gifted and spiritually wild children: Paul, Michaela, Janaia, and Ben. Joe and his family reside in Regina.
Ordained in 1999 as a Permanent Deacon, Joe currently works full time for the Regina Catholic School Division as the Catholic Connections Consultant and also does some communications work with the provincial Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association. Joe's ministry is at Campion College (and he assists at his family parish of Resurrection) where he works at being present to Indigenous, international, and LGBT students and communities.
Joe has worked as a parish pastoral assistant and a teacher and his ministry has taken him into various other areas including but not limited to RCIA, parish liturgy planning, hospital care, corrections ministry, curriculum faith permeation, youth ministry, vocations, music ministry, ecumenism, reverence for life, and he also plays in a great praise and worship band: Vision.
Joe and his amazing grace-filled wife, Rae-Lynn, have been married over 25 years and are proud parents of four unbelievably gifted and spiritually wild children: Paul, Michaela, Janaia, and Ben. Joe and his family reside in Regina.
Ordained in 1999 as a Permanent Deacon, Joe currently works full time for the Regina Catholic School Division as the Catholic Connections Consultant and also does some communications work with the provincial Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association. Joe's ministry is at Campion College (and he assists at his family parish of Resurrection) where he works at being present to Indigenous, international, and LGBT students and communities.
Joe has worked as a parish pastoral assistant and a teacher and his ministry has taken him into various other areas including but not limited to RCIA, parish liturgy planning, hospital care, corrections ministry, curriculum faith permeation, youth ministry, vocations, music ministry, ecumenism, reverence for life, and he also plays in a great praise and worship band: Vision.
Eric Gurash
Eric Is a former radio personality and a convert to the Catholic faith who holds a B. Th from Newman Theological College in Edmonton, AB. He has been involved in full-time parish ministry for more than 15 years and has most recently taken over as Coordinator of Lay Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Regina. He is a certified spiritual director as well as a popular speaker, retreat leader, and storyteller and has worked as a freelance writer for Loyola Press in Chicago, IL. Eric has entered his 4th and final year of formation for the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Regina this fall and hopes to be Ordained in June of 2018
Eric Is a former radio personality and a convert to the Catholic faith who holds a B. Th from Newman Theological College in Edmonton, AB. He has been involved in full-time parish ministry for more than 15 years and has most recently taken over as Coordinator of Lay Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Regina. He is a certified spiritual director as well as a popular speaker, retreat leader, and storyteller and has worked as a freelance writer for Loyola Press in Chicago, IL. Eric has entered his 4th and final year of formation for the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Regina this fall and hopes to be Ordained in June of 2018
Parker Love
Parker Love is a fifth-year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Regina. Before that, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Honours English at the University of Regina. As a seminarian, he has studied Philosophy and Theology. This year, Parker's formation has placed him at Resurrection Parish, the busiest Parish in the Archdiocese, as a Pastoral Intern. There, he works in as many diverse opportunities as are available to him, including youth events, liturgical functions, and the daily administration of the Parish. He looks forward to a potential ordination to the Deaconate in the summer of 2018 and a potential ordination to the Priesthood in the summer of 2019.
Parker Love is a fifth-year seminarian for the Archdiocese of Regina. Before that, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Honours English at the University of Regina. As a seminarian, he has studied Philosophy and Theology. This year, Parker's formation has placed him at Resurrection Parish, the busiest Parish in the Archdiocese, as a Pastoral Intern. There, he works in as many diverse opportunities as are available to him, including youth events, liturgical functions, and the daily administration of the Parish. He looks forward to a potential ordination to the Deaconate in the summer of 2018 and a potential ordination to the Priesthood in the summer of 2019.
Father Warren Dungen
Fr. Warren Dungen, born in Edmonton, but spent most of his childhood in Calgary. He is no stranger to Youth Ministry, in fact, his beginnings flowed a transformative experience within the SEARCH retreat program during his teenage years. Soon after making his very first retreat, he became the overall retreat leader of the program in Calgary. During this time, he felt the call to priesthood, and discerned religious life with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). He attended Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, BC, and had his novitiate in Godfry, IL. After five years, and leaving his discernment with the OMI's, he returned to his initial passion of Youth Ministry. Warren assisted in the starting of LifeTeen at St. Michael's Parish, and the creation of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Council in Calgary. Soon after, in the early 90's, Warren started his Youth Ministry training, at Rocky Mountain College, with LifeTeen, the Center for Ministry Development, and was part of the formative years of WCACYM.
A couple of years later, Warren married Lori-Lou and together they moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he became the Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry and the Conference Coordinator for Steubenville South, a high-school-age youth conference which grew to almost 4000 participants and 350 volunteers. After the birth of their first son, Peter, they moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where Warren became the Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile, and chair of Region 5 directors (LA, MS, AL, TN, KY). Here Warren became very active with the NFCYM and its two conferences for youth and adults (NCYC and NCCYM), was a founding member of NCAMYL, and their training experience for diocesan directors, NDDI.
Following the birth of their second son, Andrew, they returned to Canada, where Warren accepted a position as Director of Youth Minsitry for the Diocese of Prince Albert, SK, where he remained for 11 years, and had two more sons (James and John). During his more than 20 years of cumulative Youth Ministry experience, he has organized and lead innumerable retreats, conferences, trainings, workshops, service projects, mission trips, pilgrimages, and liturgical celebrations. Warren became one of the more experienced Diocesan Directors of Youth Ministry in Canada, and co-founded the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network (CCYMN) with his Canadian peers.
In 2012, Warren continued his discernment and switched his ascription (rite) to the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, although his attraction to Byzantine spirituality happened 20 years earlier. Warren's wife, Lori-Lou, was Ukrainian Catholic, and together they made a permanent switch to the UGCC. They both completed the Eparchial Lay Formation program in Saskatchewan over the two year period. Warren began taking classes in 2012 through the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa, and in 2014 left his position in Prince Albert, moving his family to Ottawa, and began full-time studies through Holy Spiritual Ukrainian Catholic Seminary. Warren Completed his Masters of Divinity degree in Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University, was ordained a deacon in January 2017, and a priest in July 2017. Fr. Warren now lives in Kamsack, SK, and serves the parish located in Kamsack, Norquay, Wadena, Vesna, Benito, and Swan River.
Fr. Warren Dungen, born in Edmonton, but spent most of his childhood in Calgary. He is no stranger to Youth Ministry, in fact, his beginnings flowed a transformative experience within the SEARCH retreat program during his teenage years. Soon after making his very first retreat, he became the overall retreat leader of the program in Calgary. During this time, he felt the call to priesthood, and discerned religious life with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). He attended Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, BC, and had his novitiate in Godfry, IL. After five years, and leaving his discernment with the OMI's, he returned to his initial passion of Youth Ministry. Warren assisted in the starting of LifeTeen at St. Michael's Parish, and the creation of the Diocesan Youth Ministry Council in Calgary. Soon after, in the early 90's, Warren started his Youth Ministry training, at Rocky Mountain College, with LifeTeen, the Center for Ministry Development, and was part of the formative years of WCACYM.
A couple of years later, Warren married Lori-Lou and together they moved to Alexandria, Louisiana, where he became the Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry and the Conference Coordinator for Steubenville South, a high-school-age youth conference which grew to almost 4000 participants and 350 volunteers. After the birth of their first son, Peter, they moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where Warren became the Director of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile, and chair of Region 5 directors (LA, MS, AL, TN, KY). Here Warren became very active with the NFCYM and its two conferences for youth and adults (NCYC and NCCYM), was a founding member of NCAMYL, and their training experience for diocesan directors, NDDI.
Following the birth of their second son, Andrew, they returned to Canada, where Warren accepted a position as Director of Youth Minsitry for the Diocese of Prince Albert, SK, where he remained for 11 years, and had two more sons (James and John). During his more than 20 years of cumulative Youth Ministry experience, he has organized and lead innumerable retreats, conferences, trainings, workshops, service projects, mission trips, pilgrimages, and liturgical celebrations. Warren became one of the more experienced Diocesan Directors of Youth Ministry in Canada, and co-founded the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network (CCYMN) with his Canadian peers.
In 2012, Warren continued his discernment and switched his ascription (rite) to the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church, although his attraction to Byzantine spirituality happened 20 years earlier. Warren's wife, Lori-Lou, was Ukrainian Catholic, and together they made a permanent switch to the UGCC. They both completed the Eparchial Lay Formation program in Saskatchewan over the two year period. Warren began taking classes in 2012 through the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute in Ottawa, and in 2014 left his position in Prince Albert, moving his family to Ottawa, and began full-time studies through Holy Spiritual Ukrainian Catholic Seminary. Warren Completed his Masters of Divinity degree in Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University, was ordained a deacon in January 2017, and a priest in July 2017. Fr. Warren now lives in Kamsack, SK, and serves the parish located in Kamsack, Norquay, Wadena, Vesna, Benito, and Swan River.