Table of Contents
Over the course of five months, each Tepeyac Leadership Initiative (TLI) participant has engaged in a deep process of discernment. The leadership commitments before you are the beautiful fruit of that journey. Celebrated and read aloud by the participants during Tepeyac Leadership Night, these statements mark both the conclusion of the program and the beginning of their next chapter.
Here are this year’s leadership commitments:
Ambrose Byamugisha
My leadership commitment is to adverse my passion of helping young adult boys into manhood especially with being responsible and leading them to healing so that they can be who God created them to be. My plea to god is to guide and place before me rescues and the right team to work with.
Angelica Blanca Agregado
Recognizing that my primary vocation is to holiness through my call as a wife and mother, I commit to deepening my family's life of prayer and virtue, forming my three sons in magnanimity, faith, and Christian character. Rooted in spiritual direction and ongoing discernment of my God-given gifts, I will foster Catholic formation through evangelization and educational initiatives that help others live their faith more intentionally. I will serve my community by supporting local religious communities, strengthening young families, and creating opportunities for fellowship and practical support. Professionally, I will launch Tessell Studio Inc. to design spaces that promote human flourishing, healing, beauty, and a deeper encounter with God.
Anthony De La Cruz Leal
I will lead the development of a mobile app for Catholic youth in collaboration with members of my community, software engineers, and volunteers. This summer, I will design the user interface and coordinate the project's initial development. The app will help young Catholics grow in their faith through the sacraments, daily prayer, especially the Rosary, and sound Catholic formation. It will also connect users with opportunities to serve in their local parishes, encouraging active participation in the Church. Through this initiative, I hope to inspire young disciples to deepen their faith and become faithful leaders in their communities.
Benjamin McFadyean
My leadership commitment is to invest in the growth and development of young men through mentoring, guidance, and meaningful relationships. I am committed to supporting those who feel isolated or underserved by fostering belonging, purpose, character, and resilience in an increasingly fragmented society. I am also committed to contributing to the growth and long-term impact of TLI in Germany by helping strengthen its community, expanding its reach, and supporting the development of future leaders.
Brooke Joiner
I commit to continuing the work of Catholic Owned® as a national mission of lay Catholic leadership in civil society. I will help Catholics discover, support, hire, and buy from Catholic-owned businesses by expanding the Catholic Owned® platform and marketplace, increasing visibility for Catholic business owners, merchants, and service providers, and creating practical opportunities for families to direct their everyday spending toward businesses that reflect our shared faith and values. Through this work, I will strengthen trust, collaboration, and renewal in the Catholic economy for the greater glory of God.
Caleb Kasper
As a Catholic professional and leader in engineering, I commit to integrating the principles of Catholic Social Teaching into complex technical environments. I will lead with a servant’s heart while fostering a culture of excellence, absolute integrity, continuous improvement, and firmly upholding the inherent dignity of every individual. I dedicate myself to my vocation as a husband and father, striving to build a domestic church rooted in virtue. Relying on the grace of the sacraments, I resolve to advance the common good, mentor the next generation of professionals, and courageously witness to Christ in both civic and professional life.
Cary Cheshire
I commit to bringing the light of faith and reason into public life through thoughtful engagement in public policy, teaching, and writing. I will strive to elevate our civic discourse, defend the dignity of the human person, strengthen the institutions of family, Church, and civil society, and seek the common good. Rooted in the sacramental life and the intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church, I will pursue excellence with humility, courage, and conviction so that all I do bears witness to Christ.
Daniel Farhat
I commit to placing human dignity at the center of my work in business and corporate governance. I will promote servant leadership, ethical decision-making, and subsidiarity, helping build organizations where people are valued, empowered, and able to contribute their gifts. Through strategic leadership and sound judgment, I will challenge practices that undermine human flourishing and advance solutions that serve employees, customers, and society. I will live my professional vocation as a form of co-creation with God, generating sustainable value, fostering just workplaces, and contributing to the common good through my daily work and leadership.
Diana Szymanski
In gratitude for the many gifts God has entrusted to me, I commit to being a faithful steward of those gifts in service to Him and His Church. I renew the consecration of every aspect of my life—including my family, professional, and civic responsibilities—to Jesus through Our Lady. I will place my vocation as a wife at the center of my life, giving my family my greatest care, time, and attention. I also commit to remaining open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, allowing God to direct my scientific, entrepreneurial, and civic work so that all I do may reflect His will and contribute to the common good.
Diego Alonso Rotta Valverde
Before God, I freely offer this promise from my heart. I stand at the beginning of my life, aspiring to become an excellent lawyer who remains faithful to my Catholic faith in all circumstances. My path may lead me to the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, or other distant places, but I pray that distance will deepen my love for Christ and His Church. I choose readiness, fidelity, and trust in God’s providence amid an uncertain world. With His grace, I will pursue excellence in my professional, academic, and personal life, build a faithful Catholic family, and, in later years, seek formation for the diaconate to serve God’s people with my experience, wounds, and hope.
Gilbert Chaaya
I commit, before all of you and in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to always do my best to serve others, guide them, and love them as Jesus loves me. I pledge to serve before being served, to love before being loved, to hear before being heard, and to listen and comfort before seeking to be listened to and comforted. I will dedicate my academic and spiritual gifts to the service of my brothers and sisters in the Church, my community, and my family, under the loving care and guidance of our Blessed Mother Mary. With God’s grace, I will strive to live this commitment with faith, humility, and perseverance every day of my life.
Javier Navarro
I commit to serving the young adult community in my local parishes by fostering faith formation that bridges the gap between the Sacrament of Confirmation and the discernment of one’s vocation. Drawing on my passion for education, I will mentor young men to embrace the fullness of the Catholic faith, discover their God-given dignity, and grow into faithful leaders, husbands, fathers, and disciples of Christ. Through this mission, I seek to strengthen Catholic families, encourage lifelong engagement in the Church, and help young adults recognize that true wisdom is found in following God’s will with courage, conviction, and hope.
Joyce Williams
As a Catholic attorney, immigrant, and founder of a law firm serving businesses, executives, entrepreneurs, and internationally trained professionals, I recognize that work is a participation in God's creative plan and a reflection of human dignity. Over the next year, I commit to organizing four quarterly forums on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and the future of work, grounded in Catholic social teaching. These discussions will help leaders navigate technological change while safeguarding human dignity, promoting meaningful work, and advancing the common good. I will engage at least 100 participants and produce a practical resource that equips professionals to place the human person at the center of innovation and economic development.
Katarzyna Chocian
As a Tepeyac Leader, I commit to witnessing Christ through my words, actions, and relationships. I will accompany those who suffer from abuse, neglect, isolation, or loss, helping them encounter healing, rediscover their God-given worth, and find hope in Christ’s mercy and the promise of the Resurrection. I will use my gifts as a musician, artist, and communicator to create experiences that open hearts to God, foster authentic human connection, and proclaim the truth, beauty, and hope of the Gospel. Inspired by Scripture, St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, and my Musica Lingua Universalis © project, I will promote a culture of human dignity, courage, justice, humility, and compassion through artistic creation, education, and service.
Kyle J Linsner
I commit to serving young adults by building authentic relationships, fostering faith-filled communities, and developing programs that lead them into a deeper intimacy with God. Through mentorship, formation, and accompaniment, I will help cultivate leaders who are equipped to disciple and form others long after my own direct involvement. By striving to live with humility, wonder, and joyful service, I hope to model a life rooted in Christ that inspires others to discover their God-given vocation. Through their faithful response to that call, may they become witnesses to God's goodness, generosity, and transforming love in the world.
Leo Donaghy
With humility and perseverance, I will seek opportunities to lead and serve within my parish and community, including through the Holy Family Parish Pastoral Council or wherever the Holy Spirit calls me. I will advocate for the vulnerable, promote human dignity, and use my voice, work, and relationships to build a more just, compassionate, and faith-filled society, bringing the light of Christ into all that I do. As a Tepeyac Leader, I commit to placing my God-given gifts, talents, and professional experience at the service of those most in need, materially, spiritually, and socially, and to advancing the Common Good in every sphere of my life.
María Romina Galeano Viteri
Through TLI, I have come to understand that leadership is not confined to a profession; it is a daily response to God's call wherever He places us. While I have long desired to serve the Church and society through storytelling and filmmaking, God has shown me that my first mission is to lead faithfully in the ordinary moments of life. I therefore commit to being a Christ-centered leader in my home, friendships, workplace, and community, serving with humility, courage, and generosity. I will remain attentive to the needs of others, take initiative in building the common good, and use my gifts to proclaim truth, goodness, and beauty. I entrust this commitment to God, confident that He will accomplish His work through my willing heart.
Marta Vargas
I commit to leading others into encounters with the transformative love of God, creating spaces where dignity is restored, identity is affirmed, purpose is awakened, and unity is strengthened. Drawing on the gifts of music, storytelling, and authentic relationships, and inspired by the lives of saints and heroes, I will cultivate communities of belonging that inspire hope, foster healing, and bring people into deeper communion with God and one another. Through beauty, art, and tenderness, I will help create opportunities for renewal and restoration. Through Fourth4Souls and other initiatives, I will gather people in prayer, remembrance, and mutual support, honoring our beloved departed while encouraging growth in virtue, gratitude, and Christian hope.
Mattia Biagio Abbate
As a student of the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative, I commit to placing Jesus Christ at the center of my life by pursuing the common good in every aspect of my vocation. Inspired by Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who chose his profession as a way to serve Christ and others, I commit to beginning my studies in political science after prayerful discernment, trusting that God is calling me to serve society through public life. With the guidance of the Church and the grace of God, I will cultivate a life of prayer, discipline, and service, setting aside distractions that do not lead me closer to Him, so that my talents may be used to promote human dignity, justice, and the common good.
Michelle Hurst
I commit to upholding the dignity of the human person and promoting ethical integrity in the field of clinical trial research through compassionate leadership and faithful stewardship. I will strive to ensure that my work not only serves the underserved but also reflects a deeper mission of care, respect, and human dignity for every patient, colleague, and individual I encounter in both my professional and personal life. Guided by the Lord, I commit to being a steward of the gifts He has entrusted to me, seeking out those in need and using my work as a means of service, healing, and witness to His love.
Nicolò Visentin
TLI has been a concrete response from the Lord to my desire to serve Him more faithfully. In a time of personal and professional trial, I have heard His call to bear witness to Christ—“the Way, the Truth, and the Life”—through my work in media. I commit, with God’s grace, to founding in Italy a communications enterprise rooted in Christian principles that unites professional excellence with the proclamation of truth. I also commit to defending human dignity by serving on the board of a pro-life association and to entrusting my work to Our Lady through the Militia Immaculatae.
O’Maria Akpati
As a Tepeyac Leader and True Beauty Advocate, I commit to a leadership rooted in authenticity, professional excellence, and the restoration of true beauty in the public square. Drawing on over two decades of creative experience in Hollywood and Nollywood, I dedicate my gifts as a professional makeup artist, speaker, host, and writer to the service of Christ and society. I commit to challenging superficial standards by using my voice, platform, and media work to affirm that human dignity is rooted in the image of God. Through board leadership and creative influence, I will foster a culture where every person is seen, valued, and affirmed. In joyful service to the Church, I pledge to lead with courage and inspire the next generation.
Omer Kokou-Tchri
I remain deeply grateful for the guidance, formation, support, prayers, and opportunity I have received through the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative. With humility and faith, I continue to discern how the Lord is calling me to serve the common good and future generations through ethical leadership rooted in the Gospel and guided by the Church’s Social Doctrine. I commit to allowing this formation to shape not only my professional decisions, but also my daily witness, so that my life may contribute, in whatever way God wills, to the building of a more just, human, and Christ-centered society.
Orys Reyes
I, Orys Reyes, commit myself, by the grace of God, to becoming more actively involved in the young adult ministry of the Diocese of Palm Beach. I will strive to share the Good News through my words and actions, living out the spirit of TLI in service, faith, and community. I entrust this commitment to the Lord, asking Him to guide my efforts so that I may help others encounter Christ and grow in their relationship with Him.
Paweł Osipowski
I commit myself to sharing the truth of the Gospel and the Church’s teaching in every area of my life. I will seek to build communities founded on truth and integrity, rooted in our God and intelligible creation He has made. With all my heart, I will serve others, helping them grow both as human beings and children of God, beginning with my family. Without fear, I will embrace the opportunities God gives me to be His witness and the catholic leader. So help me God.
Peter Mains
I commit myself to advancing the common good through principled civic leadership rooted in the dignity of the human person and the social teachings of the Church. In public service, I will work to build communities where families can flourish, where housing and economic opportunity are accessible, and where public institutions serve with justice, transparency, and competence. Politics is not merely the pursuit of power but an act of service. I will strive to bring prudence, courage, and charity into public life, through education and activism. My hope is to help cultivate a culture that recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of every person, and to leave behind stronger communities and greater opportunities for future generations.
Philippe Monfiston
As the leader of our family’s domestic church, I commit to homeschooling our children and nurturing their life of prayer, so as to raise them faithfully in the Catholic Church. At the parish level, I will continue serving as a lector and seek greater leadership within the Men’s Club, while also attending a Cursillo Retreat in September 2026 to deepen my spiritual life. Professionally, I commit to exploring a new entrepreneurial venture by engaging U.S. study-abroad leaders, beginning with Catholic universities, to assess opportunities for collaboration. I will also pursue board service through my network, prayerfully discerning God’s guidance, and remain open to serving TLI as a mentor or presenter if it is His will.
Ray Isaac
I commit to using the gifts God has entrusted to me as a Catholic teacher, musician, and songwriter to lead others to Jesus Christ through truth, beauty, and authentic witness. As an educator, I will teach with compassion and excellence, recognizing the dignity and potential of every student. As an artist, I will create music rooted in Scripture and faithful to the Catholic faith that offers hope, inspires healing, and draws people closer to God.
I will continue to grow in prayer, remain faithful to the Sacraments, and entrust my work to the Holy Spirit. Following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I dedicate my vocation and talents to the glory of God and the service of His Church.
Richard Ramos
As a Tepeyac Leader and disciple of Jesus Christ, I commit my life to God’s revelation through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the teaching of His Holy Catholic Church. I will remain rooted in daily personal and communal prayer, allowing my relationship with Christ to guide my decisions, relationships, and pursuit of holiness. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, I will serve others through civic leadership, board service, and active community engagement, using my skills to advance the common good and human dignity. Evangelization will be the heart and measure of my work, seeking in all things to lead others to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Rodolfo Alvidrez
I, Rodolfo Alvidrez, make this commitment before God, under the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, trusting that the Lord is with me wherever He calls me. After TLI and a profound retreat at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I recognize my vocation as a Catholic leader: real, specific, and urgent. I commit to ongoing formation and living a life rooted in humility, prayer, stewardship, and service. I will love and serve my wife as my primary vocation, building a home centered on prayer and intentional love. I will serve OLPH Parish with integrity, supporting clergy, staff, and families, especially those most in need. I will witness Christ among my friends and community through encouragement, accountability, and consistent faith. I entrust all to Christ and Our Lady, asking for courage and fidelity.
Rojan Alex
Formed through the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative Cohort of 2026, I commit in the coming year to serving on a community or nonprofit board while pursuing ventures in business, real estate, and investment grounded in human dignity and responsible stewardship. Drawing upon my background in healthcare informatics, business operations, communications, and entrepreneurship, I will seek to cultivate faithful leadership in my family, profession, and community. As a second-generation Indian-American Syro-Malabar Catholic, I will engage culture through music, the arts, media, and my faith heritage, building bridges across faith, culture, and civic life so that, from North Texas outward, more people may experience authentic human flourishing. This is not merely a plan, but a vocation.
Sara Conduto
Through the teachings of TLI, I have come to understand the importance of being a leader for my generation, which is often shaped and challenged by conflicting cultural ideologies. In response, I commit to writing a book for young girls that presents a vision of authentic femininity rooted in human dignity and God’s design for the human person, accessible to all readers and not limited to explicitly religious language. I will seek to be guided by the example of Our Lady, asking for her intercession so that what I write may reflect truth, goodness, and beauty, offering something I hope would be worthy of her inspiration and care.
Sarah Korth
I commit to living my Catholic faith as the foundation of my professional life and mission of evangelization. I will lead and serve with moral integrity and virtue, ensuring that the dignity of employees, customers, leaders, and shareholders is respected in every decision. I will seek active participation on boards and professional committees to help shape organizational direction in alignment with the common good and Catholic social teaching. As a Catholic working in technology, especially in the age of AI, I will promote the ethical and responsible use of emerging tools so that they serve human flourishing, protect human dignity, and ultimately orient people toward truth and God.
Sean Kennedy
As God and His Blessed Mother continue to guide and form me, particularly through the Tepeyac Leadership Institute, I commit to serving alongside my wife in the ministry of inner healing, helping others encounter Christ's healing love and be made whole in Him. I also commit to fostering deeper Marian devotion by continuing to grow and support Flamma Amoris, our young adult Flame of Love virtual rosary group, as a means of drawing souls closer to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Sherri Meyer
My personal vision is: “In all situations in which I have been blessed, I will respond with integrity and responsibility to honor God.” Through TLI, I have been strengthened in this mission and have gained a deeper awareness of human dignity and the importance of the family. I have discerned a need within my parishes and diocese to better support Catholic parents as their children transition from middle school into young adulthood, a stage often marked by challenges in faith and identity. In response, I have begun developing a prayer initiative inspired by St. Monica, building a team dedicated to regular intercession for families, and working with parish leadership to create a sustained community of prayer, accompaniment, and mutual support for parents and young people.
Stephen Muff
My commitment is to ensure that Catholic voices are present in the spaces where artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are being shaped, and that the faithful understand what is at stake for human dignity and the common good. In my professional role leading AI governance, I have access to policy and industry networks that are often beyond the reach of most Catholics, and I commit to using that access intentionally and responsibly. Within the next year, I will seek appointment to at least one board or advisory body focused on AI ethics. Locally, I will also create opportunities for Catholics to engage these questions seriously, drawing on Magnifica Humanitas and the Church’s social teaching, so that technological progress remains firmly grounded in the dignity of the human person.
Tiago Mota
Lord Jesus Christ and Our Lady Queen of Peace, I consecrate my pro-life mission to you, offering every effort to protect, cherish, and defend human life from conception to natural death. Bless the families, volunteers, donors, partners and all engaged in this mission, and guide us in truth, charity, and apostolic courage. Through Saint Michael’s intercession, guard us against the evil one, and strengthen our commitment even in the most adverse environments. Grant us humility, perseverance, and fidelity to your will, while we wait armies from heaven to support this mission on behalf of Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Vito Grazio Martielli
In this moment of my life, I commit to focus and witness my Catholic faith in my family and in particular to the Christian education of my kids together with my wife. As second priority I commit to witness the Christian message within the company where I work in the Netherlands and potentially in the business environment. I plan to do this teaming up with my protestant colleagues. Simultaneously this commitment will facilitate the ecumenical dialogue with my protestant colleagues. On one hand I will have the possibility to share the Catholic aspects with them and on the other hand I will learn more about Protestantism. Witnessing the Catholic faith in the family and at work forms the foundation on which I can build more Christian activities in the long term, both in my Parish and in the society.
Click above to watch Tepeyac Leadership Night 2026!
