Our Speakers
Father Kenneth Uwaoma
Fr. Kenneth was born on March 1, 1971, in Nigeria. He began his priestly formation in October 1983 at Bonus Pastor Minor Seminary in Osina and completed it at St. Mary’s Seminary, Umuowa, in 1988. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy in 1993 and a Master's degree in
Theology in 1998.
Ordained a priest on August 15, 1998. Fr. Kenneth served in Orlu Diocese from 1998 to 2001, and as Pastor of St. Anthony’s Parish, Otulu, from 2001 to 2008.
In September 2008, he moved to Canada and served as Associate Pastor at Notre Dame Parish in Dawson Creek, BC, and later as Pastor of Christ the King Parish in Kitimat, BC, from February 2009 to 2014. He returned to Nigeria in 2015 and was appointed Chaplain of St. Damian’s Hospital in Okporo until 2018, after which he served as Pastor of St. Anthony’s Parish in Uli from February 2018 to March 2025.
Fr. Kenneth is now serving as Assistant Priest in the
Diocese of Victoria, and we are delighted for him
to join our conference.
Maura Baklinski
Maura is a wife and mother of four living in
Peterborough, Ontario.
She was homeschool through Grade 12 and
attended Seat of Wisdom College
where she met her husband, Matt.
Growing up in a home absolutely filled with books,
she attributes much of her education and
formation to the rich literary life
she was given in her childhood.
She is attempting to give that gift to her children
and relies heavily on books for
her homeschool curriculum.
Which means that shopping for books
is actually part of fulfilling her vocation…
Outside of sharing books with her own children,
helping other families cultivate
a love of books is her passion!
For years friends told Maura they would
pay her to build their home libraries.
So, almost three years ago Maura launched
Books Around the Corner Shop, an
instagram page that is part used bookshop
and part resources to help families
build a beautiful reading life!
Patrick Craine
Dr. Patrick Craine is the fifth president of
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College, a Catholic
liberal arts college in Ontario.
An alumnus of the college, he holds a PhD in Theology
from Dominican University College,
where his research focused on applying the thought of
St. Thomas Aquinas to contemporary
questions in ecclesiology, particularly
the role of the “signs of the times”
in the life of the Church.
His academic work includes publications and
conference presentations across theology,
biblical studies, and the theology of history.
His first book,
Reassessing the Signs of the Times in the
Church’s Life and Practice: A Thomistic Ressourcement,
is currently under review with Word on Fire Publishing.
Dr. Craine is a frequent speaker on Catholic culture, education, and evangelization, with a particular
focus on the formation of young people and the
renewal of the Church in a post-Christian context.
His work aims to bring together theological depth,
practical experience, and a concern for how the
faith is lived and transmitted today.
Originally from Nova Scotia, he has lived in
Barry’s Bay since 2013 with his wife, Jenna,
also an alumna of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College. Together they are the parents of six children.
Bonnie Landry
Bonnie Landry is an ordinary Catholic wife and mom from the little hamlet of Cobble Hill, recently retired from 32 years of homeschooling her kids. She and her husband Albert
have raised their children, (19-39) on Vancouver Island.
Bonnie’s mission is joy.
She'll be talking about Pope John Paul II's
apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio-
what a family is and what a family does.
Besides spending time with her husband and offspring, their spouses and a host of grandchildren, she loves to garden, write, speak, travel, dance, drink good coffee and
podcast at make joy normal.
As a part of her desire to build community, Bonnie plans stuff—including, but not limited to—camp, talks, ballroom dances, workshops, retreats and this conference.
First Things article Pope St. John Paul II's New Springtime