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.

As we age, we have more time to reflect on what we have learned – what God has taught us – about the real meaning and purpose of our lives. Yes, we may lose some of our physical strength and abilities, but we can gain new abilities to relate to the Lord and help others do so as well. Our Catholic faith helps us retain and even increase the things that can bring us satisfaction and happiness: Spiritual, Physical, Social and Intergenerational. In a separate session, Fr. McDaniel will also respond to your questions about Catholic teaching and the sacraments as they relate to aging, dying and death.

Very Rev. Raymond McDaniel, VF is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana and a convert to the Catholic Faith. His parents were the late Raymond and Eugenia McDaniel. Raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, he was an Episcopalian for several years before coming into the Church at age 29. A few years later he entered seminary for the Diocese of Fort Worth and was ordained a priest in 2007.

Fr. McDaniel holds degrees in Business and Music, as well as Theology. He served parishes in Wichita Falls, Seymour, Megargel and Lindsay before coming to St. Philip in the summer of 2013. His tenure at St. Philip has seen the construction of a new church on 40 acres in Flower Mound.

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. Ms. Underwood is a widow, a mother and grandmother. She is a spiritual director, a Dame Commander with Star of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and president-elect of Fort Worth Serra Club.

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 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.