PHOENIX GROUND TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
MEET THIS YEAR'S KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rev. Aniedi Okure, OP, Ph.D.
A Dominican priest of the Province of St. Joseph the Worker, Father Aniedi Okure is the Executive Director of Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN: www.afjn.org), a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at The Catholic University of America and Instructor at Loyola Marymount University’s Cultural Orientation Program for International Ministers (COPIM). He received his religious and priestly formation at the Dominican House of Studies, and the Dominican Institute of Theology and Philosophy Ibadan Nigeria. Following his ordination, he studied at Faculté de théologie catholique de Kinshasa, the University of Ife, Boston University and The Catholic University of America. His ministry and leadership service includes youth chaplain, parish ministry, and hospital chaplain, campus ministry, serving migrants and refugees, and conducting cultural orientation for new pastoral ministers. He currently serves on the Executive Board of Jubilee USA, and chairs the Africa Track of the Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) Conference.
For about seven years, he served as Coordinator of Ethnic Ministries at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In that capacity, he brought together African priests and religious to form ACCCRUS. Fr. Aniedi served as Regional Provincial of his Dominican Province for three terms; taught at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, University of California Davis, The George Washington University and The Catholic University of America. He holds master’s degree in religion and culture, a master of Social Science with concentration on social and political movement organizations, and a doctorate in sociology.
Currently, he is leading the Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN) efforts in the formation and capacity building of civil society organizations based on Catholic Social Teaching, and mobilizing them to promote just governance and the common good throughout Africa. Among his publications are International Priests in America (2006), African and Caribbean Catholics in the United States (2008) – co-authored, and “intercultural competencies: Engaging African Born Clergy and Religious in the United States” in F. Ortiz and G McGlone, ed. (2015), To Be One in Christ: Intercultural Formation and Ministry. He is a frequent guest at media channels including Voice of America (VOA) TV Program Straight Talk Africa, Channels TV and the National Public Radio.
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RESPONSE FROM ACCCRUS & NAACUS ON COMMENTS ABOUT HAITI & THE NATIONS OF AFRICA
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Many Catholics might not ever have heard of Fr. Augustus Tolton; but black Catholics most probably have. He was the first American diocesan priest of African descent, the son of slaves. 
