Aging with Grace

Terri Schauf has been the Respect Life Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth since July of 2017. Prior to her role with the Diocese, she worked as the Education Coordinator for Texans for Life Coalition and the Catholic Pro-Life Community of North Texas. Believing that education is vital for building a Culture of Life, Terri’s pro-life work since 2001 has been primarily focused on teaching others why we are pro-life as Catholics and what it means to be pro-life. Prior to her pro-life work, Terri was a teacher. Terri and her husband, Tim, met at the North Texas March for Life in 2006, and they have two children.

Father Joseph Keating has been pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish since 2024, and he celebrates the 10th anniversary of ordination on May 2. He is former pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Muenster, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Abbott and Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Penelope.

Born in Germany while his father served in the USAF, he spent most of his childhood in San Angelo. Father Keating is a graduate of Texas Tech University, where he earned degrees in marketing and business, and where his participation in campus ministry helped him discern answering the call to the priesthood. After graduation, he worked in management for a year before joining St. Mark Parish in Denton as a youth minister. His experiences drew him into the priesthood seeing the need for grace and the availability of the sacraments and consequently found that he loved parish life.

In addition to his pre-theology studies as a seminarian, he studied at Pontifical North American College in Rome for four years, where he was exposed to the governance and rich traditions of the Church, as well as superior formation.

Father Keating has a background in music, having played the clarinet in the band at Texas Tech, as a member of the seminary choir, and chanting the Gospel in Latin at St. Peter’s Square on Easter in 2016.

Gain an overview of how our Catholic teaching informs us with respect to medical decisions and treatment. What are we obligated to do to preserve one’s health? How can medicine continue to care even when it cannot cure? Learn about Catholic advance directives and other resources that can guide us in our roles as patients and family members.

Deacon Brad Samuelson and his wife of 44 years, Liliana, have three adult children and six grandchildren, including one in heaven.

A retired cardiologist, he graduated from medical school at the Universidad Libre in Cali, Colombia, as well as the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and served the Wichita Falls community for 25 years as a solo practitioner. He was ordained as a permanent deacon by Bishop Michael Olson in 2020 and was assigned to Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Wichita Falls, where he served for two years. He now serves at St. Rita Catholic Church in Fort Worth.

Deacon Samuelson attributes his spirituality to his wife, Liliana. He answered the call to join the Catholic Church, finishing RCIA in 2001. He desired to learn more about the Catholic faith and joined the St. John Paul II Institute in 2008. At the same time, Deacon Samuelson became involved with Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) at Sacred Heart Parish in Wichita Falls. He continued with CRHP outreach to St. Francis Cabrini in Granbury, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Wichita Falls, as well as English and Spanish outreach to St. John the Apostle in North Richland Hills.

Deacon Brad has a missionary heart working in the past with the Missionaries of Charity in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as well as the Mision Elias Profeta with the Carmelite Sisters in Patzun, Guatemala. He looks forward to working with adults in RCIA, marriage preparation and healing of marriages through Sanatio and Convalidation, and is a Tribunal Advocate.

This highly interactive session uses photographs, personal reflection and sharing to guide participants toward formally articulating their legacy. Resources will be provided to assist in continuing the conversation with family members and advisors.

Renée Underwood, CFRE has served in stewardship, development and Catholic foundation management roles for dioceses since 2009. She currently has responsibility for fund development for the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth, its parishes, schools and ministries as Chief Development Officer of the Advancement Foundation. Prior to her nonprofit career, she served in advertising, marketing and executive management roles. Ms. Underwood holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas and has completed additional graduate studies toward a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans. She holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. She is a past board member of the International Catholic Stewardship Council and a current board member of Serra International Foundation, Lone Star Charitable Gift Planners and Fort Worth Metro Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. An active parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Keller, Ms. Underwood serves as a reader, a member of the parish vocations ministry team and participates in many bible studies. Ms. Underwood is a widow, a mother and grandmother.

An introduction to the basics of estate planning, including why it’s so important to make a plan, how to choose the right individuals to serve as your successor trustees and healthcare agents, planning for your blended family, and the delicate task of passing on your wealth to your children and grandchildren while also leaving a legacy for your parish or a favorite Catholic ministry.

Cary M. Schroeder, JD is a practicing attorney in the areas of Elder Law in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. After a long career in engineering, he returned to school at the age of 45 to study law at the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, and spent his first three years as a licensed attorney as the staff attorney in Tarrant County Probate Court One that oversaw probate and guardianship matters. Since 2011, he has been in private practice, primarily working in the areas of probate and guardianship matters, both with private clients and accepting appointments by the courts around the state. Mr. Schroeder is a husband and father of three daughters and seven grandchildren.