Meet The Presenters!
Anthony D'Ambrosio
Anthony did all the right Catholic things: he went to mass every Sunday, he discerned the priesthood as a seminarian, he worked in ministry. But when a chronic illness destroyed his health, he underwent a crisis of faith, and left the church. But when Anthony encountered the story of Saint Maximillian Kolbe, he was shocked by details that he hadn’t heard before, and a journey of recovery began through a new and unlikely friendship with this saint. The meditation on St. Kolbe’s time in the cell led Anthony, a longtime storyteller, to write and direct the feature film, Triumph of the Heart, to share Kolbe’s heroic martyrdom of love with the world
To Love Is to Die, and Also to Live -
Hear Anthony’s witness of the raw, difficult, and vulnerable rediscovery of faith in the depths of chronic illness and grief through meditation on the story of St. Maximillian Kolbe’s passion and death. Anthony shares his encounter with St. Maximilian Kolbe, how St. Maximilian helped him out of the trenches, and his story of creating a feature film to repay his debt to this friend in Heaven.
Rev. Joel Barstad
Father Joel was ordained to the priesthood in 2018 by now-retired Bishop John Pazak. In 2019 he was assigned to the formation staff of the Byzantine Catholic Seminary in Pittsburgh, after many years of teaching at St John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. In July 2022, he returned to Denver to continue his priestly ministry at Holy Protection parish along with the Fort Collins outreach, and Saints Cyril and Methodius Russian Greek Catholic Community. Father Joel and his wife Leslie have raised seven children and take delight in their grandchildren, whose number is steadily growing.
Father Joel received his BA in Classics-History-Politics from Colorado College (1984); an MA in Early Christian Studies from the Catholic University of America (1987); and an MMS (1989) and PhD (1998) from the University of Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute, where studied the divergence of the Latin and Byzantine theological traditions in the post-Patristic, early medieval period.
Fr. Anthony Ariniello
A Colorado native, Fr. Anthony Ariniello followed the Lord's call from Boulder to the University of Notre Dame, to Denver diocesan life (Spirituality Year, St. John Vianney, NAC), and then to the Community of the Beatitudes in Italy, France, and Israel.
Founder of the chaplaincy at the Colorado School of Mines as well as Beatitudes Missions, he spent seven years in the Holy Land and has guided around 30 student and young adult pilgrimages and immersions in Israel, Lebanon, and Europe.
Fr. Anthony Studied Philosophy at Lateran University, Rome and Regis University, in Denver.
Theology in Toulouse, France received his Pontifical License in Christian Anthropology from the Institute of Teresa of Avila in Rome. He has formation in the Hebrew language and Judaism; Byzantine Bi-ritual faculties through the Eparchy of Phoenix. Was the Local Superior of nine priests and brothers at Bethany Center for Retreat and Mission, France and is now the Parochial Vicar at St. Frances Cabrini Parish, Littleton, CO.
Joseph Pearce
A native of England, Joseph Pearce is the internationally acclaimed author of many books, which include bestsellers such as The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. His books have been published and translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Croatian and Polish.
He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN, and has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets, was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa and South America.
He is Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University and Visiting Chair of Catholic Studies at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, New Hampshire). He is editor of the St. Austin Review, series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions, senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative and Crisis Magazine. His personal website is www.jpearce.co.
Dr. Wayne Ambler
Dr. Wayne Ambler is an associate professor emeritus of classical political philosophy who taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of Dallas, where he also served as an academic director and dean of the Rome campus program. He has since retired from classroom teaching and now hosts an educational podcast series and website called "Get Ready for Rome".
Dr. Ambler specialized in ancient political philosophy, focusing his research and publications on the works of Aristotle, Xenophon, and Plato. He is known for his translations of Xenophon's works, including The Education of Cyrus and The Anabasis of Cyrus, both published by Cornell University Press.
His career highlights include:
Teaching for nearly 25 years at the University of Dallas and 15 years at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Serving as the Director of the Herbst Program of Humanities at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Directing the University of Dallas's study abroad program in Rome for a decade, where he also managed the campus villa, vineyard, and olive groves.
Earning a Ph.D. in Political Science and Government from Boston College.
Harold Siegel
Harold Siegel (Harold A. Siegel, III) is the Headmaster of Liberty Tree Academy (LTA), a K-12 charter school in Falcon, Colorado (near Colorado Springs). He leads approximately 600 students and 45 faculty members. Focusing on classical education to cultivate "virtuous, self-governing citizens" and emphasizes character development.He is married and has 5 children, is an avid hiker tackling many of Colorado’s 14ers.
Previously he served as Principal and Assistant Principal of Academics and head coach for varsity boys' soccer at Bishop Machebeuf High School in Denver, Colorado. Earlier in his career he was an assistant professor at Hillsdale College teaching classes on The Western Heritage, The American Heritage, Ancient Christianity, The Mediterranean World of Late Antiquity, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Ancient Worlds, and Western Heritage Revisited: What Do Athens, Rome, Jerusalem, and London Have to Do with Anything.
Cameron Franks
Living in Denver, CO as a missionary for Christ in the City. Cameron graduated from Oklahoma State University with degrees in Philosophy, Psychology, and Spanish and a minor in ethics. Worked as a Health Education and Promotion Specialist and Financial Paraplanner. He enjoys chess, kendama, playing guitar, and fly fishing.
Casey Schaffer
Casey Schaffer is a Filmmaker and Videographer from Colorado. He attended DeSales University and has Directed and Produced many short films:
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Winner of the Grand Prize and Best College Student Film at the 2023 Allentown Film Festival for his experimental short "LISTEN"
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Director of "Hello, It's Me," which won Best Performance at the DeSales University Film Festival.
Fr. Julius Lule
Fr. Julius Lule was born on July 14, 1990 in Uganda. He is the 2nd born of 7 children born to Justine Babirye and Andrew Kivumbi.
He first recognized his calling to the priesthood when he was around 11, having been inspired by a missionary priest from Italy, Fr. Dominic. At the age of 14, he joined a high school seminary in Uganda which is run by Kasana-Luweero diocese.
He did 6 years in the high school seminary (St. Kizito Minor Seminary, Nandere).
He then did college seminary (Uganda Martyrs National Major Seminary- Alokolum) for 3 years. After one year on pastoral experience in Uganda, called an internship, he was sent by his bishop to St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver where he attended for 6 years (August 2015 to May 2021).
He was ordained a deacon in the seminary chapel at SJV on September 16, 2020 by Archbishop Samuel Aquila. Then he travelled back to Uganda to be ordained to the Sacred order of the priesthood on August 21, 2021 by his bishop. He was assigned as curate to Our Lady of Lourdes, Nakasongola Parish- Kasana Luweero Diocese. He has enjoyed that same assignment from October 1, 2021 to June 15, 2025. While there, he has been a chaplain at a Catholic high school of 841 students, a chaplain to the jail of about 1,620 inmates, director of Parish Catechism, and children's ministry chaplain.
In 2025 he was asked to return to Denver and is currently assigned as curate to Christ the King Parish and formation advisor at St. John Vianney Seminary.