2026 National Vocation Summit Speakers
Monsignor James Patrick Shea
Monsignor James P. Shea was inaugurated in 2009 as the sixth president of the University of Mary, succeeding Sister Thomas Welder, O.S.B., who had served as president for 31 years.
Msgr. Shea grew up on a dairy farm near Hazelton, North Dakota. He earned a bachelor's degree and a licentiate in philosophy as a Basselin Fellow in the School of Philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, later studying theology at the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome. Upon completion of his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Msgr. Shea was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Bismarck in 2002.
Father John VanDorpe, LC
Fr. John is from Dayton, OH and from a large Catholic family. He felt the call early on, and decided to leave home for a pre-seminary High School in New Hampshire for his freshman year. After graduating, he joined the novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ and was sent to Dublin, Ireland where he made his first vows in 2009. His studies have brought him to Connecticut, New York, and a total of six years in Rome. He also had the chance to do three years of apostolic internship at another pre-seminary High School in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was ordained in 2022, and is now serving as the regional vocations director for the Legionaries in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys cheering for his favorite sports teams (all the ones from southern Ohio), playing sports, the outdoors, and a good read.
Laura Matthews, CRC
Laura Matthews is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi who has worked for over 12 years in education as a mentor, campus minister, spiritual director, and religion teacher in the United States and Europe. She earned master’s degrees in Educational Accompaniment (University Francisco de Vitoria) and Psychology (Divine Mercy University). Since 2024, she has served as the National Vocations Director for the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in North America and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also serves as community director. She loves reading, a good long walk with a friend, and any adventure Jesus sends her way.