Christ Our Life 2026: Two Days, Eleven Speakers, and a Conference Built by Volunteers - Marilyn Lane - 09/01/2026

Marilyn Lane, who co-founded the Christ Our Life Catholic Conference with Ellen Miller after both women felt the same prompting in 2008, joins Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell to preview the 2026 conference — the ninth biennial edition of what began as a one-and-done idea. The details: Saturday and Sunday, September 26–27, 2026, at Casey's Center (formerly Wells Fargo Arena), 233 Center Street, Des Moines. Registration, the full schedule, speaker bios, and testimonials are at ChristOurLifeIowa.com. Tickets are available in-person and by livestream at the ticket page. The 2026 lineup: Bishop William M. Joensen of Des Moines, who preaches Saturday's homily; Bishop Joseph Espaillat of New York, the Bronx-born "rapper priest" bishop, preaching Sunday; Charbel Raish, coming from Australia to tell the story behind How Islam Led Me Back to Christ and the founding of Parousia Media; Sister Medhin Tesfay, who works with Mary's Meals in war-torn Tigray, Ethiopia; Fr. Robert Spitzer of the Magis Center and EWTN, presenting research drawn from more than 1,500 near-death experiences; Chris Stefanick of Real Life Catholic; Gabriel Castillo, host of the Children of Mary podcast and author of The Power of the Rosary; Crystalina Evert of Women Made New Ministries; Fr. David Michael Moses; music missionary Steve Angrisano; and Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and CEO of Mary's Meals, who travels from Dalmally, Scotland every two years. Marilyn explains that booking speakers of this caliber takes at least two years — work on the 2028 conference is already underway — and stresses that every member of the steering committee and board of directors is an unpaid volunteer. Deacon Mark notes that some of the strongest endorsements come from the presenters themselves, speakers who work the conference circuit constantly and still single out Christ Our Life for how well it's run. Asked about the impact, Marilyn points to thousands of testimonials collected over sixteen years, many arriving a year or more after the fact. The one she holds closest describes children, seniors, religious, converts and cradle Catholics of every race and background worshiping together for two days. She also recalls Timothy Cardinal Dolan surveying the crowd from the stage in 2014 and telling them he didn't think they could pull this off in New York City. Bo adds his own: he and his wife met their children's godparents — friends they still travel hours to see — at the very first Christ Our Life conference. Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com. #ChristOurLife #CatholicConference #DesMoines #MarilynLane #ChrisStefanick #MarysMeals #BishopEspaillat #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicIowa Credits: Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Ayden Pugh, Alexia Baker, and Brady Grimm. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Catholic Morning Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode — and if this one was worth your time, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. It takes ten seconds and it's the single best way to help more people find the show. 🎧 LISTEN LIVE Catch The Catholic Morning Show live, weekday mornings on Iowa Catholic Radio. Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKSYou can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website.If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio:Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & DevotionsThe Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.