Speakers

Dr. Monique Ruberu

Dr. Monique Ruberu is a daughter of The King, a wife to an amazing husband and a mother to five adorable kiddos (2 in heaven).

Dr. Ruberu is a convinced Catholic and a Napro Technology trained Pro Life Ob/Gyn who owns and operates “Natural Women’s Health”- a private gynecology practice (naturalwomenshealth.com). She provides international online health and fertility coaching through her practice.

Dr. Ruberu speaks internationally and accepts speaking engagements through drruberu4life.com. She loves speaking about her conversion story, pro life issues, chastity, and the importance of faith.

Dr. Ruberu is the author of “Rising with Roses.” A book about her faith journey which brought her from a broken marriage to an amazing and precious relationship God.

Dr. Ruberu co-leads two 40 days for life – 365 campaigns in downtown Philadelphia. She serves on the national 40 days for life board. In addition she is a pro life advocate and trained sidewalk counsellor. She loves to salsa dance, spend time with her Lord in mass and adoration, scuba dive, travel and love on her family.

Marlene Downing

Marlene Downing is is a mother of two, author, public speaker, former director of HOPE Pregnancy Center, Deputy State Director at Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America and a board member of Philadelphia Pro Life Union.

Marlene is a dedicated community leader who brings awareness to tough issues facing society. Her desire is to create opportunity for organic conversations, wholeness and healing. Her wisdom in these areas is based on her own personal experience

Dr. Joe Zalot

Dr. Joe Zalot joined the National Catholic Bioethics Center as a Staff Ethicist in July 2017. Among his other duties, he produces and hosts the NCBC’s Bioethics on Air podcast, compiles its bi-monthly Bioethics Public Policy Report, and responds to approximately 400 ethics consultations per year. He also lectures for the NCBC and has authored multiple statements, guides, and book chapters for NCBC publications.

Prior to coming to the NCBC, Joe served from 2015-2017 as the Regional Director of Ethics and Spiritual Care for Mercy Health-Cincinnati. In this role he chaired the regional ethics committee, reviewed and drafted ethics and spiritual care policies, and initiated a nurse ethics education program. During this time, he also served as a Lecturer at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary where he taught courses in Medical Ethics and Morality and Justice in Catholic Life. From 2004-2009, he was an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Ethics at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, and from 2009-2015 an Associate Professor with tenure. At Mount St. Joseph, he taught courses in Health Care Ethics, Business Ethics, Sexual Ethics, and Christian Marriage. He also taught student travel courses to Rome that integrated the Catholic faith with history and art. Joe earned a Ph.D. from Marquette University in 2002, an M.Ed. from Boston College in 1997, an M.Ed. from Springfield College in 1991, and a BA from St. Anselm College in 1989. He has authored two books along with numerous articles, and he has presented at academic conferences both domestically and internationally.

Joe is the founder and President of Dr. Z Travel, LLC, a faith-based travel company that offers educational and parish pilgrimage trips to Europe. He is married to his wife Susan (1994) and they have a daughter, Maria.

Dr. Joe Downey

Dr. Joseph B. Downey is an educator, achieving the nation’s most prestigious awards for excellence in Music. He was previously Teacher of the Year for Burlington County, New Jersey. He’s a former Mayor, and a Counselor for A Baby’s Breath.

Joe is a member of St. Marks Knights of Columbus Bristol Council 906, and a Pro-Life Activist.

Christina Rodia

Christy Rodia is a wife, mother of two, and most importantly a daughter of Christ. She grew up in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Before knowing the Lord, Christy found herself with an unexpected and high risk pregnancy. Christy chose life, which brought blessings greater than she could ever have imagined. Romans 8:28

Melanie Winter

Melanie Winter is a wife, mother of five, and Catholic convert. She is a women’s health nurse practitioner at Amnion Pregnancy Care Medical Center in Drexel Hill and Norristown locations. She came to Amnion as God was calling her deeper into her faith and unleashing a passion for women, the unborn and their families, in her heart.

Melanie’s own journey of faith has been challenged and deepened while working with women and men who are struggling with decisions of life and death. Her passion and desire are to educate women and men on the front lines, while extending to them, the love of Jesus.

Andrew Jacoby

Andrew Jacoby is an entrepreneur and a recent convert to the Catholic faith. Life issues were one of the main catalysts for his conversion and he is a passionate advocate for the protection of human life from conception to natural death. He is the Co-Founder of First Fishermen Media and the MenForLife Podcast

Click Here to Listen to The Men for Life Podcast

Julie Kilmer

Julie Kilmer is in senior at the University of Scranton majoring in criminal justice. She is in Army ROTC and will commission in May 2023. Julie serves as the Students for Life club president at the University. On June 24th, celebrating outside the supreme court for the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Julie was motivated to spread the pro-life message to her community.

Julie is the fourth oldest of 11 children. Being part of a large Catholic family and having a father that was adopted inspired her to spread the message about the value of every human life. To promote a culture of life, Julie has actively worked as part of the pro-life movement. Notably, she is part of the Christian Leadership fellowship under Students for Life. She has worked on engaging in dialogue about abortion, educating students, supporting pregnant and parenting mothers, founding babysitting group, attending marches, giving talks to high school students, and working with the PA Humans for Life chapter in Scranton. Additionally, she attends door-to-door knocking trips around the country to persuade people to vote for pro-life politicians with Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America. Julie is the host of a podcast called, “Lighthouse” with her cousin and sister, where they interview people about their vocation stories and relationship with God. She hopes to create a community of passionate pro-lifers to help change the hearts and minds of others in her community. Julie hopes to continue her work with the Pro-Life movement when she graduates this coming May while serving in the Army reserves as a Second Lieutenant.

Rebecca Castagno

Miss Rebecca Castagno is currently a 1st/2nd grade teacher at Regina Luminis Academy, a Catholic classical school. She grew up attending a Catholic classical school where she attributes learning many of the Catholic morals and values that have formed her as a young Catholic woman. She graduated from Immaculata University with a degree in Early Elementary and Special Education. During her time at Immaculata, she was involved in many clubs and activities. One of the most noteworthy clubs was “Macs Respect Life” where she served on the leadership board and brought awareness to students on campus about the dignity of all human life.

When she is not teaching, Miss Castagno has taken a particular interest in St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” She has been fortunate enough to attend a few courses with Christopher West.

As an Advisory Board member for Mission Love and Life, she seeks to use St. John Paul II’s integrated vision of the entire human person to help younger generations understand the truth, beauty, and goodness of formative topics, such as living out a chaste and moral life.

Jessica Murdolo

Jessica Murdolo is a wife and mother of 3 beautiful girls. Before starting a family, she worked as a litigation technologies consultant in both Los Angeles and New York City. There she trained legal teams in deposition and courtroom presentation softwares, as well as taught Continuing Legal Education classes.

Currently, Jessica uses her presentation expertise as a facilitator for her parish’s “Walking with Purpose” bible study program and teaching grade school children the art of public speaking. She is also a passionate group leader for a fellowship ministry based on the principles of “Theology of the Body”. The program is focused on preteen and teenage girls coming to know the Lord and how He has beautifully and wonderfully made them. In this light, they learn to view and treat themselves with the dignity and respect God has bestowed upon each and every one of them.

Jessica is a fierce advocate of perinatal hospice for mothers and babies with poor prenatal outcomes. Her ultimate goal is the end of medically advised abortions as “healthcare” for families with difficult pregnancies. Jessica is always happy to share her re-version story of God’s mercy and love in her family. We can all come back to the Lord, no matter how far we have strayed. He loves every single one of us.

Melissa Aguilera

Founder of Magnolia Women's Center, Melissa Aguilera, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Studies from LaSalle University. Melissa has worked in the field of Social Work and Counseling with females suffering from eating disorders, mothers/fathers placing their babies for adoption, teenagers with mental disabilities and/or behavioral issues, and teen pregnancy.

As a young woman facing two unexpected pregnancies with little to no support or knowledge on the subject, she felt that abortion was her only choice, but soon came to regret her decision when confronted with the truth about abortion. Her goal and desire at Magnolia Women’s Center is to offer women faced with an unexpected pregnancy, the tools, which are, truth, support, and confidentiality so they can make an informed decision.

Marie DiCecco

Marie has been a high school Health educator for 32 years. She is also a natural family planning instructor teaching the Creighton Model Fertility Care System. In addition to teaching, Marie is also a sidewalk counselor offering encouragement, guidance and resources for women who are contemplating abortion and who feel hopeless and scared. Using her experience as a high school health educator, Marie speaks at women’s retreats and is passionate about educating young females on the beauty of their femininity and their natural ability to bring life into the world. She believes that the foundation of the feminine genius lies in her capacity to know that she is endowed with specific feminine gifts that encourage her to the woman she is called to be. Knowing this truth helps avoid the common pitfalls of following our culture’s lies about what you should be or how you should behave. Marie is very excited to be a member of the speakers for Mission Love and Life.

Kevin Meehan

Kevin Meehan is a loving husband and active father to two biological children and one stepdaughter. Born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, he attended Catholic School Kindergarten through 12th grade. After highschool, Kevin strayed from his belief in Jesus and despite almost 20 years of struggle with drugs and alcohol, he found his way back to Christ. As an active member of a 12-Step program, Kevin could not deny the impact his relationship with Christ has made on his sobriety. This experience has compelled Kevin to share his strength and hope with others living with the pain and hopelessness of addiction. He is excited and honored to speak for Mission Love and Life and share the message that with Jesus Christ there is ALWAYS hope and any circumstance can be turned around.

Nicky Verna

Nicky holds a Masters in Theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary School of Theological Studies where she attended with her husband, Tom, who is a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. They have been married since 1994, and have four children. Nicky works as Director of the New Evangelization at St. Andrew the Apostle Church. She serves the Church as a certified leader and Regional Ambassador for SoulCore; facilitator for women’s retreats; leader and prayer intercessor for the Unbound prayer ministry; board member for AbbeyFest Ministries; and facilitator/volunteer for Hope’s Garden, a ministry which accompanies women as they come to know themselves as beloved brides through teachings, prayer, support and connection to Christ the Bridegroom. Nicky is captivated by the lives of the saints, has a deep devotion to Our Blessed Mother and is genuinely in love with Jesus.