A B O U T U S

Our Board and Advisory Members

Catholic Literary Arts Board Members

Matthew Boyleston

Matthew Boyleston is a Professor of English and Writing, and former Dean of the School of Fine Arts at Houston Baptist University. He received a Ph.D. in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston and an M.F.A. from the University of South Carolina. He completed his M.B.A. at Houston Baptist University. His first book of poetry, Viewed from the Keel of a Canoe, was published by Educe Press in 2016. His poems and essays have appeared widely in such publications as Confrontation, Spoon River Poetry Review, Blackwell's Companion to Creative Writing and Puerto del Sol.

Lesley Clinton

Lesley Clinton teaches English at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston, TX. Mrs. Clinton has 17  years of high school teaching with a focus on literature and writing. She has served as a faculty co-moderator of the Inkwell Creative Writing Club and is currently assistant editor of The Chronicle of Strake Jesuit. Combined with her interest in creative writing, she has 20 years of experience in the private tutoring of test prep through Kaplan and as a Strake Jesuit recommended writing tutor. She has developed curriculum through American Heritage Education Foundation. Mrs. Clinton has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, and a Master of Arts in Teaching. She has won awards from the Poetry Society of Texas and has been selected three times as a Houston Poetry Fest Juried Poet. Her poems have appeared in publications, such as Mezzo Cammin, Texas Poetry Calendar,  Sakura Review, Literary Mama, Euphony Journal, Gulf Stream Magazine, and By the Light of a Neon Moon. She serves as a judge for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Poetry Fest.

Gabino Cortez

Gabino Cortez is a retired chief of police with a distinguished career of over forty years in public service for the Houston Fire Department. His specialties included the crimes of arson and illegal use of explosive devices. He is the recipient of numerous Life-Saving Awards during his career as a firefighter. He is a graduate of the University of Houston in Fire Science, a program which he founded. He is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and Chancellor of his Council.

Sarah Cortez

Sarah Cortez has specialized in teaching the college entrance essay to at-risk youth and functioned as an Educational Specialist for the Harris County Department of Education. As a Texas Commission of the Arts travelling artist, she has taught in communities as diverse as senior facilities, juvenile detention centers, and universities. Mrs. Cortez was a Visiting Scholar for the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston where she specialized in teaching memoir and poetry. She is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and Fellow of The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, and has poems, essays, book reviews, and short stories published and anthologized. Winner of the PEN Texas Literary Award, she has written and/or edited fourteen award-winning books. She's been both a Houston and Texas finalist for poet laureate. She has been published in archdiocesan venues, such as Texas Catholic Herald. She is a proud law enforcement veteran of 26 years and a feature writer for Leoaffairs.com and PoliceOne.com. Founder and president of Catholic Literary Arts, she is a Rice University graduate in Psychology and Religious Studies. She holds advanced degrees from UT-Austin and UH-Central. She founded Catholic Literary Arts and guides its nationwide Catholic Poetry Society. She is a contributing editor for Catholic Arts Today for the Benedict XVI Institute of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Father Paul Felix

Father Paul Felix earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of St. Thomas and a Master of Divinity from the University of St. Thomas School of Theology. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1990. He was the pastor at Shrine of the True Cross in Dickinson, Texas where he focused on Spanish language ministry. ​Father Paul serves as spiritual director for clergy, seminarians, and laity, is a frequent teacher for RCIA and other adult education events. He is a 4th degree member of Knights of Columbus, a founding member of the first group of Jesus Caritas Fraternity of Priests in the Archdiocese, and was promoted to the rank of a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. He is pastor at the Church of the Annunciation in Houston, TX.

Maria King Illich

Maria King Illich is an author and educator. She holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.Ed. from the University of St. Thomas. She has over thirty years of teaching experience in primary, intermediate, and middle-school English Language Arts. She is a certified catechist. She has received the Sally Landram Excellence in Education Award, a Principal's Award, and is a member of Who's Who Among Educators. Maria has been a juried poet for the Houston Poetry Fest multiple times. She is the founder of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocesan Poetry Contest for Middle Grades.

Larry W. Massey, Jr.

Larry W. Massey, Jr. is president and trustee of The Scanlan Foundation and serves as chairman of Vocation Ministry of Houston, Texas. A member of the board of regents of the University of St. Thomas, Mr. Massey has a long history of exemplary service for the Catholic Church and the greater Houston community. Also named Citizen of the Year by the Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Massey received the prestigious Metyko Award for Serra Houston District 10 as the Outstanding Serran of the Year in 2013.

Fran Fawcett Peterson

Fran Fawcett Peterson is a professional journalist and previous anchor of the award-winning anti-crime program City Under Siege in Houston, TX. She is President of the Houston Symphony League and on the Board of the Houston Symphony League. Additionally, she is on the Marketing and Communications Committee for the University of St. Thomas, is a Dame of Malta, a Serran, a Houston Treasure, a Woman of Distinction. She is President of the Friends of The Mother and Child Foundation, Inc. for which she created a 501(c)(3),  among other activities. Fran, a cradle Catholic, is the third of eight children, all of whom have at least a Master’s Degree, continues to write and promote the Catholic Faith.

Gonzalo A. Ramos

Gonzalo A. Ramos, a Houston native, Gonzalo holds a Master's in Sacred Music from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor's in Music from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. Gonzalo currently serves as the Artistic Director for the Bravura Concert Series and Director of Music for Hispanic Liturgies at All Saints Catholic Church in the Heights, Houston. He is Artistic Director to the Houston Cecilia Chamber Choir. In October of 2005, Gonzalo made his compositional debut with the Foundation of Modern Music in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center. His recent choral compositions include Luz, Nada te Turbe, Ave Verum Corpus, Angele Dei, and Pax. Pax shared its international premiere at La Rochelle, France in June of 2017. Gonzalo appears as a tenor soloist for a diverse range of engagements. Mr. Ramos currently serves as Director of Marketing for Catholic Literary Arts.

Catholic Literary Arts Advisory Board Members

Cathy Garcia-Prats

Cathy Garcia-Prats is the founder of Bosco Publishing and co-author of Good Sons Don't Just Happen (2009), Good Marriages Done Just Happen (2000), and Good Families Don't Just Happen (1997) along with her husband.  The mother of ten sons, Cathy, has appeared on national television many times to talk about her and husband's intentional approach to raising a Catholic family.  Her speaking career is both national and international.

Joshua Hren, Ph.D.

Joshua Hren, Ph.D. is co-founder and Assistant Director of the Honors College at Belmont Abbey. He served as long-time editor of Dappled Things: A Quarterly of Ideas, Art, and Faith, and is founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wiseblood Books. Joshua has published scholarly articles in such journals as Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, poems and essays in First Things, an academic book entitled Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Philosophy, and a collection of short stories, This Our Exile, which received an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Christianity and Literature Awards. He is co-director of the M.F.A. Graduate Program in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX.

Rick Lopez, Ph.D.

Rick Lopez, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of Music and Liturgy for the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of Galveston- Houston. He serves as the Artistic Director of the Archdiocesan Choir and is the founder of Coro Gloria Dei Chamber Choir. He is an Associate Board Member of the Southwest Liturgical Conference serving as the Chair of the Hispanic Liturgical Ministry Development Committee. Dr. Lopez serves as an adjunct professor for the music department for the University of St. Thomas' Master of Sacred Music (MSM) program. He is a guest lecturer and frequent workshop presenter for the biennial Hispanic Pastoral Musicians Conference (HPMC), Southwest Liturgical Conference (SWLC) and the National Pastoral Musicians Conference (NPM). He is the recipient of the 2012 Worship Renewal Grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Dr. Lopez received his B.A. in vocal performance from California State University in Long Beach, California as well as an M.A in Choral Conducting from CSULB. In Southern California Dr. Lopez performed as conductor and soloist for Roger Wagner, Robert Shaw, Helmut Rilling, John Rutter, and Paul Salamunovich. Dr. Lopez received a Doctor of Musical Art in Choral Conducting with an emphasis in Sacred Music from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.

Mary Ann (Buddenberg) Miller, Ph.D.

Mary Ann (Buddenberg) Miller, Ph.D. is a professor of English at Caldwell University in Caldwell, New Jersey, a small Catholic liberal arts and pre-professional university in the Dominican tradition.  She is editor of St. Peter’s B-list: Contemporary Poems Inspired by the Saints (Ave Maria Press, 2014), a collection of over 100 poems, written by 70 poets from across the USA, and founding editor of Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, an international professional print publication, appearing annually. She received her Ph.D. in English literature from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.

James Matthew Wilson, Ph.D.

James Matthew Wilson, Ph.D. has published nine books, including The Hanging God (Angelico, 2018) and Some Permanent Things, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded (Wiseblood, 2018). He is the recipient of the 2017 Hiett Prize from the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture; his poem, “On a Palm” appeared in Best American Poetry 2018. and his work as a poet, critic, and scholar has been awarded various distinctions by the Conference on Christianity and Literature, the Catholic Press Association, America magazine, and Dappled Things magazine. Wilson serves as poetry editor of Modern Age magazine, the series editor of Colosseum Books, of the Franciscan University of Steubenville Press, and as the director of the Colosseum Summer Institute. He was associate professor of Humanities and Augustinian Traditions, at Villanova University. He is presently director of the M.F.A. Graduate Program in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX.