EWTN's Raymond Arroyo to headline 10th Annual Bishop's Dinner For Catholic Education

August 27, 2006

The tenth annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education will feature one of America's premier Catholic journalists. Raymond Arroyo, an internationally recognized award-winning journalist will be the featured speaker at the October 22nd dinner. The Bishop's Dinner supports more than 6,000 students who attend Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Sioux City. This year's dinner will be held at the Sioux City Convention Center.

Bishop R. Walker Nickless says Arroyo will be a wonderful witness to the powerful impact of Catholic media. "Anyone who has been fortunate enough to watch EWTN is very aware of Raymond's abilities as a Catholic journalist," said Bishop Nickless. "It will be a great treat to have him visit the Diocese and hear his stories of faith in action."

Arroyo is seen in more than 100 million homes around the globe via the EWTN television network. He has worked for the Associated Press, the political columnist team of Evans and Novak, and as a Capitol Hill Correspondent. He studied under theatre luminaries Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, and Beatrice Straight, before acting and directing in New York and London.

As host and creator of EWTN's international news magazine, "The World Over Live", Arroyo has interrogated the leading figures of the day. Highlights include: The first, exclusive, sit down interview with Mel Gibson on the set of his controversial film, "The Passion of the Christ" and a landmark interview with Pope Benedict XVI: the only English language conversation ever recorded with the pontiff.

Arroyo and his work have been featured on "The Today Show", "Good Morning America", "Hannity and Colmes", "Access Hollywood", "CNN Headline News" and other programs. His writings have been published by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, The Financial Times, and The National Catholic Register. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Arroyo is author of the New York times bestseller: "Mother Angelica: the Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve and a Network of Miracles". The "Mother Angelica" books will be available at the dinner and Arroyo will gladly autograph any copies brought or purchased at the dinner.

Arroyo resides in Virginia with his wife Rebecca and their three children. He is currently working on a mystery series and an original musical.

Jim and Jameley Levich, the chair couple of this year's Bishop's Dinner, are convinced that Siouxland will avail themselves of the opportunity to meet a world class journalist who has interviewed scores of world and Church leaders. "Raymond Arroyo was the person that most of America saw when the news came that Pope John Paul II had died," said the Levichs. "His work on EWTN and appearances on nearly all television networks makes Arroyo one of the most recognizable faces in Catholic journalism and we are honored to have him appear at the Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education. The evening promises to be a tremendous celebration of our Catholic schools."

The Bishop's Dinner has a history of attracting some noteworthy guests who have a strong history with Catholic schools. Previous speakers have included Lou Holtz, former Ambassador Jim Nicholson, Tommy Lasorda, Tara Lipinski and Rocky Bleier.

Tickets for the tenth annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education are priced at $125 person and will go on sale in mid August. For more information on the dinner, contact the diocesan office of development at 712-233-7556.