Conference Bios

Deacon Ralph Poyo   -   FR Justin Kielhorn
Ralph Desimone   -   Bishop Robert F. Christian, O.P.

Deacon Ralph Poyo is the founder of New Evangelization Ministries ("Training Saints to Lead Hearts to Christ"). Through his ministry, he seeks to put men  “not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ…” (Pope John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, 5).  He challenges listeners of all ages to get outside of their comfort zones in their day-to-day practice of the faith and is passionate about helping others to make Catholicism more a way of life than just a religious identity.  
     Deacon Ralph has experienced how God seeks to transform the very core of our being, which transformation becomes “the reason for the hope that (we) have” (1 Peter 3:15).  Armed with this knowledge and over twenty years of experience, he teaches others how to become evangelists – how to bring others to Jesus and then get out of the way!  
     Ralph has been married over 30 years to the love of his love – second only to the Lord – and together they have 5 daughters.  He testifies that he has come to understand the true meaning of patience in living with his “Six Pack” of women.

Father Justin Kielhorn, a native of Nebraska, began his youth tending to the rich soil on his parents farm. His parents had the unique gift of helping the less fortunate through their service as medical missionaries. This made a lasting impression on him as a teen. In 1996 his love for bringing forth harvest from the earth and serving the less fortunate led to a call to cultivate a deeper soil - that in the hearts of men - by beginning his formation for priesthood.
     Ordained with the Legionaries of Christ in 2007, Fr Justin has spent his priesthood launching Missions nationally and internationally, with a special focus on Inner City Missions. Never content with the status quo, he is always challenging his own thought process and that of others, delving deeply into what really matters and ensuring that his service to God leaves a lasting effect on those around him. He is passionate about bringing people to an intimate encounter with Jesus.
     As a priest he is a true father, who has challenged and guided many men to claim their own masculine identity as sons of the one Father, and to become more successful in their marriage, in the workplace, and in their own fatherhood.

Ralph Desimone is a native of Oakland, CA, attended St. Peter Martyr Catholic grammar school in Pittsburg and De LaSalle high school in Concord, and did his undergraduate and graduate studies in mathematics and economics at U.C. Berkeley. He studied at the School of Financial Planning and earned the National Board designation of Certified Financial Planner, and worked as a financial services business owner for 28 years. He is currently retired. Ralph has been married for 43 years to Brigitte Desimone, and is the father of 4 children, and grandfather of 19.  He and Brigitte were home educator for 12 years.
     Ralph received catechist formation under the tutelage of Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. and is a Master Catechist for the Diocese of Oakland with a specialization in marriage.   With his wife Brigitte he has presented retreats for married and engaged couples for 38 years, coached married couples and trained marriage preparation presenters for 20 years.  Currently with his wife he developed the marriage preparation retreat program for the Diocese of Oakland.  He has been a guest speaker at conferences for men, married and engaged couples and for students. He was also a founder of the Confraternity of Eucharistic Devotion Diocese of Oakland, and served as the Marriage Expert advising the Bishops at the International Eucharistic Congress held in Guadalajara 2004. 
 

Robert Francis Christian was born in San Francisco in 1948 to Robert Francis and Gloria Jean Christian. He was raised in San Francisco, where he attended St. Ignatius High School and later Santa Clara University. In 1970 he entered the Dominican Order in Oakland, and was ordained in 1976.  He completed a Doctoral degree in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome in 1984.
     Bishop Robert was assigned to the faculty of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome in 1985. Except for 2 years serving as vicar provincial of the Western Dominican Province, Fr. Robert taught theology, ministered to the Dominican community in Rome, held administrative offices at the Angelicum, and offered occasional assistance to various Vatican bureaus, until 2014.
     Prior to becoming bishop he was the Student Master at St. Albert Priory in Oakland. He is presently a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and a consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.On March 28, 2018, he was named an auxiliary bishop by Pope Francis, and ordained on June 5, 2018 by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone.