Applied Biblical Studies Conference

John Paul Von Arx

John Paul Von Arx seeks to share his faith and love for country music in venues all across America and has been performing professionally for the last 12 years. Since the release of his debut solo album in 2018, John Paul has been known for his advocacy work for people with Down Syndrome and their families. Additionally, in 2020, he began working as a staff member at Franciscan University where he currently oversees Men’s and Women’s Ministry. When not performing or giving talks, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters outdoors.

Dr. Scott Hahn

Dr. Scott Hahn is the "Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor for Biblical Theology at Franciscan University". He is the founder and president of the St. Paul Center, an apostolate dedicated to teaching Catholics to read Scripture from the heart of the Church. Dr. Hahn has been married to Kimberly for 44 years. They have 6 children and 22 grandchildren. They also have one son ordained to the Diocese of Steubenville, Fr. Jeremiah Hahn. The author and editor of over 50 popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn's works include bestselling titles: Rome Sweet Home and The Lamb's Supper. His most recent title is Catholics in Exile; Biblical Wisdom for our Journey Home (Emmaus Road, 2023).

Kimberly Hahn

Kimberly Hahn wed Scott in 1979. They met at Grove City College, where she earned a B.A. in Communication Arts. While Scott studied to be a pastor, Kimberly earned an MA in Theological Studies in 1982. They have 6 children and 22 grandchildren. Kimberly became a Catholic in 1990 in Joliet, Illinois, after a difficult struggle during the four years following Scott’s entrance into the Catholic Church. Together they wrote Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism. Kimberly also wrote Life-Giving Love: Embracing God’s Beautiful Design for Marriage, and a four-volume series on marriage and family life: Chosen and Cherished, Graced and Gifted, Beloved and Blessed, and Legacy of Love. Her podcast “Beloved and Blessed” reaches tens of thousands weekly.

Dr. John Bergsma

Dr. John Bergsma is Professor of Theology at Franciscan University and served as a Protestant pastor for four years before entering the Catholic Church in 2001. Dr. Bergsma holds a PhD in theology from the University of Notre Dame, where he specialized in the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has authored over twenty books on Scripture and the Catholic faith, including Bible Basics for Catholics, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and A Catholic Introduction to the Bible . He speaks regularly on Catholic radio and at conferences and parishes nationally and internationally. He and his wife, Dawn, reside with their children in the Steubenville area.

Jeff Morrow

Dr. Jeffrey Morrow, a Jewish convert to Catholicism, is a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of a number of books including The Catholic Guide to the New Testament (with Jeff Cavins); Murmuring Against Moses (with John Bergsma); and Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (with Scott Hahn).

Shane Owens

Dr. Shane Owens is assistant professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and director of three master's programs in theology. Owens is a theologian with the St. Paul Center and host of Bible Across America. An alumnus of Franciscan, he earned his PhD at The Catholic University of America, specializing in the theology of St. Augustine, the reception of the Bible, and the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. He previously taught at The Catholic University of America, the Dominican House of Studies, and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University. He is author of Return to the Heart: The Biblical Spirituality of St. Augustine’s Confessions. He and his bride, Esther, raise their three children in Steubenville, Ohio.

Dr. Andrew Swafford

Father Roger Landry

Msgr. Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, is national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. A graduate of Harvard College and the North American College in Rome, he served as attaché to the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the UN in New York City, Catholic chaplain at Columbia University, ecclesiastical assistant to ACN-USA, and has been a pastor, newspaper editor, and high school chaplain. He served as onsite commentator for EWTN’s coverage of the papal conclaves that elected Pope Francis and Pope Leo as well as the funerals of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. His homilies, articles, retreats, conferences, and other offerings are available for free at catholicpreaching.com.

Curtis Mitch

Curtis Mitch is Bible Projects managing editor and a concurrent associate professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute. He is coeditor of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (Ignatius Press), a co-author of commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Romans (Baker Academic), and a contributor of several book chapters in the Catholic for a Reason apologetics series (Emmaus Road). He earned a BA in religious studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an MA in theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Curtis resides with his wife, Stacy, and their children in Ohio.