Our Team
Advisors, Speakers and Retreat Leaders
Our Retreat Leaders bring the message of stewardship to life through parish missions, conferences, and retreats. With deep pastoral experience and their own commitment to stewardship as a way of life, they help parishes grow in prayer, hospitality, service, and generosity.
Katie Connor
Retreat Leader/Conference Speaker
Katie Conner is a wife, mother of nine, attorney, and retreat leader with Catholic Stewardship Consultants. She began working with CSC more than 10 years ago as a writer and now serves as a conference speaker and parish retreat leader, sharing her testimony of how stewardship has shaped her life and family. Katie and her husband, Steve, discovered stewardship many years ago, and the spirituality of gratitude and generosity has transformed their faith, their family life, and their parish involvement. She finds joy in helping others see how God works through everyday discipleship and encouraging families and parish communities to embrace stewardship as a path to holiness. Alongside her work with CSC, Katie has a distinguished legal career in Augusta, Ga. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and her law degree from The Catholic University of America. In her practice, she represents abused and neglected children in the Georgia foster care system and serves as legal counsel to I-Care, a nonprofit serving victims of human trafficking and their children. Katie and her family are active members of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church in Augusta.
Rev. Konelio (Lio) Faletoi
Pastor, St. Michael’s Church in Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Fr. Lio was born and raised on a Central Oahu pineapple plantation, where he grew up in a close-knit Catholic family. He received a Bachelor of Arts in humanities from St. Joseph’s College Seminary in Mountain View, Calif., and completed the Master of Divinity program at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, Calif. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Honolulu 25 years ago. Over the years, Fr. Lio has faithfully served in a variety of pastoral roles, including the building and dedication of two churches. He currently serves as the President of the Presbyteral Council, Vicar for the West Hawaii Island Vicariate, and pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, which also includes three vibrant mission churches. His deep love for the Church, commitment to servant leadership, and joy in parish life have guided his ministry. Under his leadership, the parish has been embracing the stewardship spirituality for over five years with the help of Catholic Stewardship Consultants, transforming parish life through the intentional sharing of time, talent, and treasure.
Most Rev. James R. Golka
Archbishop of Denver
Archbishop James R. Golka was appointed Archbishop of Denver by Pope Francis and installed in March 2026. He previously served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, having been appointed on April 30, 2021, and ordained and installed on June 29 of that year. A native of Grand Island, Neb., he is one of 10 children and was raised in a devout Catholic family that was deeply engaged in parish life and Catholic education. His vocation to the priesthood was shaped by the strong witness of faith he experienced at home, in school, and in his parish. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 after completing seminary studies at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Over the course of more than 30 years of priestly ministry, Archbishop Golka has served in a variety of pastoral and diocesan roles, including parochial vicar, vocations director, and pastor of several parishes, as well as rector of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Grand Island. Archbishop Golka began working with Catholic Stewardship Consultants nearly 20 years ago and was one of the early adopters of stewardship as a way of life in the Diocese of Grand Island. He witnessed firsthand the spiritual growth and parish transformation that come from a commitment to stewardship. As bishop, he brought that same commitment to the Diocese of Colorado Springs, where more than 20 parishes are now embracing stewardship with support from Catholic Stewardship Consultants. Archbishop Golka regularly speaks at stewardship conferences and parish missions around the country and is a strong advocate for the role of stewardship in fostering discipleship and spiritual renewal in parish life.
Very Rev. Gary Kastl
Vicar General, Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Fr. Kastl was ordained in 2007 for the Diocese of Tulsa. Since that time, Fr. Kastl has served the diocese in several leadership capacities, including Chair of the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee, Director for Continuing Education of the Diocesan Clergy, and Coordinator of Priests’ Retreats and Days of Recollection. He also worked for the Catholic Leadership Institute as the Ministry Development Manager, helping to implement their programs for ongoing priestly leadership formation in dioceses across the country. He is currently a Leadership Consultant for CLI, where he continues to support and mentor clergy nationwide. Stewardship has been an integral part of Fr. Kastl’s life and ministry, and he has been highly successful in developing stewardship as a way of life in four different parishes, most recently as rector of Holy Family Cathedral. His thoughtful leadership, focus on mission, and commitment to forming intentional disciples have helped renew parish life wherever he has served. In addition to his role as Vicar General, he also serves on the board for Bishop Kelley High School and St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
Very Rev. John Lanzrath
Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, El Dorado, Kansas
A native of Wichita, Kan., Fr. John earned a degree in mathematics and worked as a civilian in military intelligence at Boeing Military Airplane Company before resigning to enter the seminary. He studied at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and later at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has served the Diocese of Wichita in many capacities since his ordination in 1988—associate pastor, Vice-Chancellor, Moderator of the Curia, Director of the Spiritual Life Center, Director of Stewardship, Vicar for Priests, and Chancellor of the Diocese. A gifted teacher and spiritual leader, Fr. John worked closely with Msgr. Thomas McGread in spreading the message of stewardship throughout the diocese and across the nation. His leadership and vision were instrumental in the development of the diocesan manual The Pillars of Parish Stewardship, which has guided countless parishes in embracing stewardship as a way of life. He continues to serve as a trusted voice in the ongoing formation of priests and laity alike.
Most Rev. Godfrey Mullen, OSB
Bishop of Belleville, Illinois; Rector, Cathedral of St. Peter, Belleville
Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB, was appointed Bishop of Belleville by Pope Leo XIV and installed on May 1, 2026. He continues to serve as rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville, Ill. Since May 2025, he has also served as administrator for the Diocese of Belleville following the installation of former Bishop Michael McGovern as Archbishop of Omaha. Professed as a monk of St. Meinrad Archabbey in 1989, he was ordained a priest in 1994. After returning to the abbey in 2001, he earned a PhD in Liturgical Studies from The Catholic University of America in 2003. He then taught seminarians, lay students, and deacon candidates for 12 years and held several administrative posts at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology. In 2012, he became pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Huntingburg, Ind., in the Diocese of Evansville, and in 2013 was reassigned as rector of St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville. In 2022, he was appointed rector of the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville and was also assigned pastoral responsibility for Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady Queen of Peace. Across these assignments, he has successfully developed stewardship as a way of life, shaping his pastoral leadership in the parishes entrusted to his care. Also, for more than a decade, Bishop Godfrey has led parish and diocesan retreats and gives presentations on stewardship at parishes across the country.
Very Rev. Brian O’Brien
Rector, Holy Family Cathedral, Tulsa, Oklahoma
After graduating from Boston College in 1998, Fr. O’Brien began teaching at Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Okla., while earning a master’s in education from the University of Notre Dame in 2000. Through prayer and reflection, Fr. O’Brien entered St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana in 2002 and earned his master’s in Catholic Social Thought and Life and a Master of Divinity in 2007. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Tulsa that same year, Fr. O’Brien served as associate pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church and as chaplain of Bishop Kelley High School. In 2009 he became the president of Bishop Kelley High School, a role he held for 10 years. Afterward, Fr. O’Brien was assigned to be pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Stillwater, Okla., where he oversaw the merger of two parishes and successfully implemented stewardship as an expression of discipleship. In July 2024, he began his current assignment as rector of Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, which has been actively developing stewardship as a way of life for nearly a decade.
Rev. Joel Sember
Pastor, Antigo Area Catholic Churches, Antigo, Wisconsin
Fr. Sember was ordained a priest in 2007 for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisc. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas, a Bachelor in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, and a License in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University Santa Croce in Rome. Deeply committed to spiritual renewal and formation, he made a 30-day Ignatian silent retreat and later completed the Spiritual Direction Training Program through the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, Neb. Fr. Sember is the author of Oriens: A Pilgrimage Through Advent and Christmas, a popular devotional that guides readers in deepening their prayer lives during the liturgical season. In his pastoral ministry, he brings a love for Scripture, a heart for evangelization, and a desire to accompany the faithful on their journey of discipleship and stewardship. He currently serves as pastor of the Antigo Area Catholic Churches, where he continues to foster vibrant parish life rooted in prayer and mission.
Rev. Msgr. Terrence A. M. Watanabe
Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
Ordained in August 1977, Fr. Terry began his priestly service at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church on Oahu, and for over 40 years has served the Catholic communities of Oahu and Maui with dedication and pastoral care. Fr. Terry has overseen key discipleship efforts on the parish, diocesan, and state levels—he served as Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry Services between 1985 and 1990, and in 2008, he participated in the Clinical Pastoral Education program with Pacific Ministry and served in the Office for Affordable Housing for the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Hawaii. As a devoted steward, Fr. Terry has worked closely with many community and Church organizations, always encouraging parishioners to live their faith through action, service, and shared responsibility. He has served as the Vicar Forane for the Maui/Lanai Vicariate since 2012, providing pastoral leadership and support to priests and parishes in the region. Assigned pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in 2021, Msgr. Terry brings a deep love for the Church, a spirit of aloha, and a lifetime of experience in building vibrant, stewardship-driven communities.