The Family Room Atlanta Catholic Radio, Inc.

PennyKay Hoeflinger, abuse survivor and advocate


Born into a poor family in rural Wyoming, PennyKay Hoeflinger was raped by a fellow student when she was only 6. Dismissed by authority figures, her life eventually spiraled into addiction, witchcraft, and human trafficking.


In 1987 a traveling pastor at a truck stop helped rescue PennyKay. Seeking food, she visited his mobile chapel where he knew that if PennyKay left, she would be lost forever. He quickly mobilized hundreds of hidden prayer warriors and, in hindsight, Miss Penny readily admits that “Jesus Christ decided it was time for me to come out of that world and shed that skin.”


Since then, PennyKay has lived her life to save others from trafficking. Teaming up with her friend, Sylvia Dorham, they have co-written several books and travel the country educating families and communities about human trafficking. Their goal is to make people aware of how trafficking affects everyone, knowing education is the key to making it unthinkable.


PennyKay’s background and experience:



Founder & President, Coffee House Farm, LLC
Active Member (and Parliamentarian) in Daughters of the American Revolution
Shepherd University – B.A. in Psychology
Kaplan University – M.S. Business/Healthcare
Masters in Psychology – Applied Psychology


Resources

National Human Trafficking Resource Hotline: 888-3737-888
Avoiding the Octopus: A Family Guide to Standing Strong Against Human Trafficking
A First Responders Guide to Human Trafficking: What You Might See and What You Should Do
The Children of The Poor

Dr. Helen Hoffner, college professor and Catholic author




Few people consider thanking a Catholic as they go about their daily activities, but the achievements and discoveries credited to ordinary Catholics are quite a story. For example, did you know the Mayo Clinic began in a convent after a tornado? Or, that you might not be drinking coffee today had it not been for the endorsement of this energizing drink by Pope Clement in the 16th century?


Dr. Helen Hoffner does an amazing job of digging into the Catholic origins of many things we take for granted: hospitals, pretzels, and insulin are just a few she discovered while writing her book, Catholicism Everywhere: From Hail Mary Passes to Cappuccinos - How the Catholic Faith Is Infused in Culture.


Similarly, intrigued by her mother’s collection of rosaries, Dr. Hoffner co-wrote a book with her mom that she likens to an antique road show, explaining variations on the rosary. A third book, Catholic Traditions and Treasures, helps explain the history behind many Catholic traditions such as burying a statue of St. Joseph when selling a house.


Helen Hoffner earned her doctorate at Widener University, her master’s at Temple University, and a bachelor’s degree at West Chester University. She also studied theology at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Since 1999, Dr. Hoffner has been a professor at Holy Family University where she chairs doctoral dissertation committees and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses. She has been a teacher in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is a member of the Cardinal O’Hara High School Hall of Fame and the Domestic Schools Advisory Board of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.


Resources


Catholicism Everywhere: From Hail Mary Passes to Cappuccinos: How the Catholic Faith Is Infused in Culture
Catholic Traditions and Treasures: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
The Rosary Collector’s Guide

Mark Houck, pro-life activist arrested by the FBI


Nothing can prepare you when the FBI descends on your home in a predawn raid, terrifying your wife and seven young children. A civil complaint against him was dismissed days earlier, so Mark Houck couldn’t comprehend the ruckus coming from his front porch. Surely this was a mistake.


Mark was active in the pro-life community for decades, standing peacefully outside a local abortion clinic while offering women a better choice. It was important that his children learn firsthand how they could serve God through this ministry, so when his oldest turned 12, he joined his dad on the sidewalk every week. October 2021 changed everything. Mark’s son had been going to the clinic for several months when a seasoned Planned Parenthood volunteer approached the boy, whispering ugly comments in his ear. Mark repeatedly requested he back away, but he wouldn’t. What ensued over the next two years was Mark’s personal invitation to martyrdom when he refused to plea bargain. His rosary became his anchor as he walked to Calvary, unanimously acquitted of all charges in 2023.


Mark received his undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management and his Master’s in Education from Holy Family University in Pennsylvania, where he also excelled in football, achieving All American status. In 2004 he began a men’s ministry whose goal was to help men grow in virtue and leadership. In its tenth year, The Kings Men continues to help shape Catholic men to be better husbands, fathers and leaders. Mark and his wife, Ryan, home school their children, and Mark recently campaigned for State Representative in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.


Resources

Building up men nationwide through retreats and workshops.

Kristen Van Uden Theriault, author, editor, media spokesperson




Kristen Theriault’s family lived their Catholic identity for centuries, but after seeing a culture shift in Catholic education, Kristen desired to keep rich Catholic heritage alive. That included her undergraduate project interviewing Catholics who survived communism, preserving their stories before they became lost. This project became Kristen’s first book, When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics who Survived Communist Oppression.


Entering the international import/export trade after graduation, Kristen soon pivoted into the Catholic book world as the media spokesperson for Sophia Institute Press, where she now pursues her dream of showcasing Catholic heritage to the world.


When Angel Studios called asking for a companion book to their movie on Mother Cabrini, Kristen was a natural. Gathering Mother’s written words, Kristen mined Mother’s letters and retreat notes, pulling out gold nuggets and organizing them thematically into 52 weekly devotionals, each with a separate theme.


Released simultaneously with the movie, her book The Mother Cabrini Companion fills in the blanks the movie left out, showcasing a woman whose love for God allowed her to topple obstacles on behalf of the forgotten immigrants of her time.


Resources

The Mother Cabrini Companion: A Spiritual Journey with a Courageous Woman of God
Sophia Institute Press Find on Facebook and Twitter
When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics who Survived Communist Oppression

Dr. DiAnn Ecret - PhD, MSN, RN, MA cert




By early high school, DiAnn Ecret dreamed of becoming a missionary nurse, and it was at a Catholic nursing school and hospital that her formative years in the medical field seamlessly flowed from the moral tradition that all life is sacred, from conception through natural death.


Following the Nuremburg Trials and Syphilis Study at Tuskegee, Alabama, America helped develop “Principalism” which stressed the dignity and autonomy of every human being. As a result, the Catholic and secular medical positions were effectively synonymous, both honoring the sanctity of life and importance of truthful disclosure to patients.


By the early 1990s DiAnn found herself at a crossroads, or what she calls “the dark night” of her nursing career. Faced with an upsetting ethical choice, she resigned at the end of that shift and began a personal search which would help answer the bioethical questions looming on the horizon.


Listen as DiAnn explains how her search caused her to understand the dangerous trajectory of current secular medical ethics, highlighting the stark contrasts between Catholic and secular bioethics today.


DiAnn graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing in 1987 and has 38 years of combined adult, pediatric, and neonatal critical care nursing experience, nursing management, and nursing education experience. Currently, DiAnn teaches full time as an Associate Professor of Nursing at Ave Maria University and works as a nurse ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She also volunteers providing ethics consultations services for ‘Be Not Afraid’ and volunteers as a guest lecturer for The Nurse Residency Program Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) care in Southwest Florida.


Resources

National Catholic Bioethics Center: “Dedicated to Upholding the Dignity of the Human Person in Health Care and Biomedical Research since 1972.” Email: consults@ncbcenter.org for consultation requests, questions regarding the Church’s teaching on bioethical issues, guidance in moral decision making, or other matters to be directed to an NCBC ethicist. Please allow up to 3 days for a response. In emergency situations, an NCBC ethicist is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by calling 215-877-2660 (only for imminent, end-of-life questions.) NCBC ethicists do not provide legal or medical advice.
Be Not Afraid: a private, non-profit organization supporting parents carrying to term following a prenatal diagnosis.

Daniel Fitzpatrick, husband, father, teacher, and author




Drawing from the rich cultural heritage of his Louisiana hometown, Daniel Fitzpatrick saw a stark contrast between the rhythmic nature of Catholic life in New Orleans and the hustle-bustle of other cities. In New Orleans, time followed the liturgical seasons of the Church. In other places, each Sunday felt the same, often fostering a sense of obligation and melancholy.


Wanting to highlight the essence of Catholic life as the source of our contentment, Dan set out to discover why Sunday lost its meaning for the majority of Catholics. Going back to Church Fathers like Augustine and Aquinas gave him the clues necessary to adapt his own thinking about how we can capture the importance of the Sabbath, cementing Sunday as the proper anchor to our week.


In his book, Restoring the Lord’s Day: How Reclaiming Sunday Can Revive Our Human Nature, Dan lays out five ways we can reorder our Sunday activities in order to restore the Sabbath’s holiness and learn to live each day in restful surrender to God.


Daniel Fitzpatrick lives in New Orleans with his wife and four children, and he teaches English at Jesuit High School of New Orleans.


Resources


Restoring the Lord’s Day: How Reclaiming Sunday Can Revive Our Human Nature



Another novel by Daniel Fitzpatrick: Only the Lover Sings



Daniel’s verse translation of The Divine Comedy was published in 2021 in honor of the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death.



Daniel Fitzpatrick is also the editor of Joie de Vivre, a journal of art, culture, and letters for South Louisiana.



National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos