By Tommy Turek -
The Star of the North Eucharistic Congress in Bemidji at the Sanford Center takes place May 17-18. The speakers and musicians appearing include Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens, Bishop Daniel J. Felton, Bishop Robert E. Barron, Father Mike Schmitz, Sister Jude Andrew Link, Aly Aleigha, and Tanner Kalina.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, a graduate of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, served as a missionary for young people with both Twin Cities-based NET Ministries and the national college ministry Saint Paul's Outreach before entering seminary.
Bishop Cozzens was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 1997 and after serving in two parishes was sent to Rome for doctoral studies, where he completed a doctorate degree in sacramental theology. After teaching in seminary formation for eight years, Bishop Cozzens was ordained to the episcopacy in 2013 as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
On Dec. 6, 2021, Bishop Cozzens was installed as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Crookston. He completed chairmanship for the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis in November 2023.
Bishop Cozzens was tasked by the bishops to lead a three-year National Eucharistic Revival which seeks to impact the United States Church at every level, strengthening Eucharistic belief and practice. As part of the Eucharistic Revival, at the direction of the bishops, Bishop Cozzens has founded and is the first President of the National Eucharistic Congress Corporation and is overseeing the organization of the first National Eucharistic Congress in the United States in almost 50 years.
Bishop Daniel J. Felton
Bishop Daniel J. Felton is the 10th Bishop of Duluth. He attended St. Edward School in Mackville, Wisconsin, and Appleton West in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Bishop Felton holds a bachelor's degree in religious studies and psychology from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin; a master’s degree in theology from St. John University, Collegeville; and a licentiate of sacred theology and a master’s degree in social communications from the Gregorian University in Rome. Bishop Felton was ordained a priest on June 13, 1981, by Bishop Aloysius Wycislo for the Diocese of Green Bay. Bishop Felton’s parish assignments in the Diocese of Green Bay included Holy Innocents, Manitowoc; St. Raphael the Archangel, Oshkosh; and St. Francis of Assisi, Manitowoc.
Bishop Felton was also the director of affiliate affairs for the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America and he served in Green Bay as a member of the diocesan College of Consultors, Presbyteral Council, Bishop Advisory Council, Personnel Board, Diocesan Finance Council, St. Norbert Board of Trustees, and Silver Lake College Board of Directors. Bishop Felton was also a member of the National Advisory Council of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
At the time of his appointment as Bishop of Duluth in 2021, he had been serving the Green Bay Diocese as vicar general and moderator of the curia since 2014. Bishop Felton was ordained May 20, 2021, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth.
The principal co-consecrator was Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and his co-consecrators were Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay and Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. As bishop, he serves as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Child and Youth Protection Committee.
Bishop Robert Barron
Bishop Robert Barron is the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. He is the host of “Catholicism,” a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith, which aired on PBS.
Bishop Barron’s more recent film series, “Catholicism: The Pivotal Prayers,” won an Emmy award and has been syndicated for national television.
A bestselling author, Bishop Barron has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He was a religion correspondent for NBC and has also appeared on FOX News, CNN, and EWTN.
Bishop Barron’s website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year, and he is one of the world’s most followed Catholics on social media. His YouTube videos have been viewed over 131 million times, and he has over 3 million followers on Facebook.
Bishop Barron has engaged in dialogue with Dr. Jordan Peterson, Lex Fridman, Dave Rubin, Ben Shapiro, and William Lane Craig, among other influencers and thought leaders, and he has been invited to speak about religion at the headquarters of Facebook, Google, and Amazon. As a keynote speaker, Bishop Barron has attended conferences and events all over the world, including the 2016 World Youth Day in Kraków and the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which marked Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States.
Father Mike Schmitz
Father Mike Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth as well as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The UMD Newman Center focuses on young Catholics being fed through the sacraments as well as providing study and knowledge of the Church and has thrived under his humble and Spirit-filled guidance.
Father Schmitz has preached to thousands locally and nationally. He is the host of the widely popular podcasts, “Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year” produced by Ascension. Father Schmitz also offers weekly homilies on iTunes and bulldogCatholic.org and has appeared in programs for youth and young adults through Ascension Press, as well as through regular short video messages on Ascension Presents.
Sister Jude Andrew Link, OP
Sister Jude Andrew Link, OP, grew up outside Portland, Oregon, and entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in 2003. She has a master’s in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is pursuing a master’s in catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Sister Jude Andrew has worked with her community’s apostolate — Openlight Media — to develop catechetical and educational resources. She loves teaching and has spent almost 15 years teaching theology in middle school and high school classrooms.
Aly Aleigha
Aly Aleigha is an indie-folk singer/songwriter and recording artist from Duluth. In 2015, she released her debut album and graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, with degrees in theology and catechetics.
Aly currently serves as the recurring worship leader for Jeff Cavins’ pilgrimages to the Holy Land and the ministry of Father Mike Schmitz in the Diocese of Duluth.
When she is not leading worship or touring with her original music, Aly spends her days rock climbing the cliffs that plunge into beautiful Lake Superior or adventuring in some way. Her adventurous spirit, her experiences traveling, and her faith greatly influence her songwriting.
Tanner Kalina, Saints Alive
Since its debut in 2021, the Saints Alive Podcast has quickly become one of the top podcasts in the world and go-to resources for quality Catholic content. Telling the stories of the saints in radio-drama fashion, Saints Alive aims to inspire and empower the next generation of saints.
In a world with an endless amount of content but little that families can trust, Saints Alive has entertained families all across the world while also calling them to holiness. Founders Alex Dee and Tanner Kalina will share a special, live Saints Alive interactive program with youth and families during the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress.
For more information and to register for the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress visit CrookstonEucharist.org.