Sister Maria Patricia Gonzalez was born in Guanajuato, in a small rural town called Ojo de Agua de Calvillo.

She is the second of seven siblings; there are four sisters and three brothers.

She joined the Congregation of the Guadalupana Catechist Sisters in 2001. Sister Patricia has been involved in catechesis and evangelization in various places, including Saltillo, Mexico; Oklahoma City; Fort Worth; and currently here in San Antonio.

In 2024, she completed the Lay Ecclesial Ministry program, which she describes as a very enriching experience.

She is currently the faith formation coordinator at Our Lady of the Angels Parish, San Antonio, Texas.

Lorena is a Family Counselor, Specialist in Overcoming Losses, and Emotional Intelligence. She has a bachelor's degree in Institutional Management and two master's degrees in Family Education. She is a specialist and teaches the program for Overcoming Emotional Losses offered by the Grief Recovery Institute. She is certified as a Professional Life Coach by the Life Coaching Institute of America and as an Expert in Emotional Intelligence by the International University of La Rioja. She has specialized in Logotherapy, Thanatology, and Emotion-Centered Therapy. Lorena is married and a mother of five children. She has collaborated in her parish, Holy Trinity, giving conferences to couples, training ACTS retreat servers, and as a spiritual counselor. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.

Melissa Waldon is the Director of the Office for Persons with Disabilities for the Catholic Diocese of Dallas and has been employed with the Diocese for 14 years. She has 29 years of combined lived experience as a parent advocate, former special education teacher, school counselor and catechist. She has a master’s in counseling and Pastoral Theology and is a certified School Counselor, Special Education Teacher and Life Coach. She has been married for 32 years and has 4 young -adult children, 3 grandbabies, 2 pups and enjoys camping, cooking, and reading all things church related.

Fr. Marcin Czyz was born in Trzebnica, Poland. In 2009 he was ordained to the priesthood. Following his ordination, Fr. Martin served in Mexico, from 2009 to 2016. Then in Scotland, and Poland. In 2018, he arrived in the United States and was assigned as Parochial Vicar at St. Monica Catholic Church in Converse, Texas. The following year, he was appointed Administrator of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Sabinal, along with St. Joseph Mission in Knippa, and St. Mary Mission in Vanderpool. In 2020, he was named Pastor of these parishes. In November 2021, Fr. Martin was assigned to St. Helena Catholic Church in San Antonio, where he currently serves as Pastor. On October 17, 2022, Most Rev. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, M.Sp.S., formally incardinated him into the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Fr. Marcin holds master’s degrees in both psychology and economics and business administration. Passionate about meeting new people and experiencing different cultures, he is fluent in Polish, Spanish, and English. Beyond his priestly ministry, Fr. Marcin enjoys movies, music, and traveling. He has a strong appreciation for new technology.

Fr. Will Combs is a convert to the Catholic faith during his college years abroad in Quito, Ecuador. He received a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at Bowdoin College in Maine, a Master of Arts in Theology at St. Mary’s University, and a Master of Divinity at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. Fr. Will is a member of the Brothers of the Beloved Disciple, a Marian, charismatic religious community under the Archdiocese of San Antonio. He has been serving as a priest at St. Mary Magdalen Parish for the past 22 years. St. Mary Magdalen Parish School has over 400 students from 3 years old to 8th grade. It is a bilingual English-Spanish school with a weekly bilingual mass. Fr. Will enjoys teaching the children Spanish and English songs and expanding their hunger for the Holy Host and for Heaven.

Father Praveen Lakkisetti, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Hyderabad, India, currently

serves as the parochial vicar at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Antonio. Ordained as a

priest on May 20, 2017, for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Father Praveen possesses a

comprehensive academic background. This includes a Master’s degree in Communications and

Journalism from Manipal University, India, and Master’s degrees in Divinity and Theology (with

a comparative study on the Beatitudes and Hinduism) from the Oblate School of Theology in

San Antonio, in addition to a Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology degree (Summa cum Laude)

from Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada.

Father Praveen is a consistent contributor to the “Today’s Catholic” newspaper of the

Archdiocese of San Antonio, and he authors Gospel reflections in both Telugu and English for

the Bible Diaries, an annual publication of the Telugu Catholic Bishop’s Conference.

Furthermore, he maintains a weekly presence on YouTube and Facebook, sharing Sunday

homilies under the title “Word on Sunday”, along with seasonal video content such as “Advent Alert” and &” Lessons for Lent”.

Dr. Dolores Martinez recently retired from serving as director of the Office for Worship in the Archdiocese of San Antonio (from 1993-2066, and 2021-2024). In addition to preparing and executing episcopal liturgies in the Archdiocese, Dolores was also responsible for formation and training of liturgical ministers at the deanery and parish level. She also directed the Archdiocesan Choir. Dolores is a former adjunct professor at MACC having taught Introduction to Sacred and liturgical music course, particularly to seminarians in formation. For several years, she directed and taught Liturgical Music for Hispanic Choirs. Dolores received a doctorate in Fine Arts from Texas Tech university in Lubbock, TX in 1990. Her principal instrument is piano, and she also has directed choirs, and served as cantor and psalmist. Her music has been published by Oregon Catholic Press (OCP).