Speakers

Master of Ceremonies
Reed Ruggles grew up on a farm in Scranton, N.D. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Mary, and he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration at UMary. Reed was a scholar-athlete, and was inducted into the UMary Hall of Fame as a member of the 1999 Marauders football team. In 2014, he was awarded the University’s Bell Banner Award, which recognizes alumni for modeling the Benedictine values. Reed has been actively involved in Catholic education in Bismarck since his graduation. He worked at St. Mary’s Central High School from 2004 to 2022. In his time there, he taught, held several coaching positions, was awarded the teacher of the year award in 2013 and worked as an administrator. Reed had the privilege of serving as principal of St. Mary’s for six years, during which there was a successful capital campaign and the construction and transition into a new high school facility. Reed and his wife, Tamara, have seven beautiful children. He and his family were excited when the opportunity came up for Reed to work at his alma mater. He came back to UMary in July 2022 to serve as the Vice President for Student Development.

Speakers
Father Brian Gross has been a priest of the Bismarck Diocese for 13 years, ordained on June 3, 2010, by Bishop Paul Zipfel at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. The Bismarck native grew up as a member of the Church of Saint Anne. He completed undergraduate degrees from Bismarck State College and North Dakota State University before going on to attend seminary at Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio.

Father Brian’s first assignment was parochial vicar at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck for two years. In 2012, he was assigned his current role as pastor of the Church of Epiphany in Watford City and Our Lady of Consolation in Alexander. Since 2016, he has served as dean of the Williston Deanery. He is also a member of the diocesan College of Consultors since 2020.

In 2022, Bishop Kagan appointed Father Gross as the Diocesan Director of the Eucharistic Revival.

Shelly Preszler is the Director of Evangelization for the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck, North Dakota. She is a wife, mother, writer, speaker and pianist who resides in Mandan with her husband, Todd. She has written numerous short essays for the Dakota Catholic Action, Inspired Woman and Rochester Women magazines.

After moving to the Bismarck area, she began a Catholic bible study named “Mary’s Girls” after meeting some moms in the parking lot during school pick-up and drop-off. They still meet today–studying scripture, praying for their families and priests, with two vocations coming from the families in this group.

Her life changed dramatically nine years ago when her husband signed them up for weekly adoration. It was there that she encountered Christ and His amazing love, receiving her identity as a daughter of the King.

She enjoys spending time on the Missouri River with Todd and their expanding family of six children and 11 grandchildren.
 

Monsignor James Shea serves as president of the University of Mary.

Msgr. Shea was inaugurated in 2009 as the sixth president of the university and, at the age of 34, became the youngest college or university president in the United States.

The oldest of eight children, Msgr. Shea grew up on a dairy and grain farm near Hazelton, North Dakota.

Msgr. Shea has worked with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at the Gift of Peace AIDS Hospice while teaching religion at two inner-city elementary schools in Washington, D.C. In Rome, he served as chaplain for the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital and also at the Rome campus of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of Saint Thomas.

Msgr. Shea is a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and serves on the Board of Directors for FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He has served on the National Advisory Council to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Governor’s Commission on Education Improvement for the State of North Dakota. Monsignor is also a Trustee of Saint John Vianney Seminary in Denver and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board for the Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities.