Katrina J. Zeno, MTS, was born and raised in San Diego, California, the fifth of six children in a wonderful Catholic family. She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class of 400 (1979); earned her BA in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville (1986) magna cum laude and was awarded the “Senior Theology of Award”; and graduated summa cum laude with her Master in Theological Studies (2014) from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family in Washington, DC.
Katrina is the author of Discovering the Feminine Genius: Every Woman’s Journey (Pauline Books and Media, 2005); When Life Doesn’t Go Your Way: Hope for Catholic Women Facing Pain and Disappointment (Word Among Us, 2007); and The Body Reveals God: A Guided Study of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (self-published). She is a contributing author to Freedom: 12 Lives Transformed by Theology of the Body (Ascension Press, 2009); Amazing Grace for Women (Ascension Press, 2004); The Great Life: Essays on Doctrine and Holiness (Emmaus Road, 2005); and The Theology of the Body of John Paul II (Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum, 2012). She also co-edited, Rocked by God, an inspiring collection of teen testimonies, with Fr. Dave Pivonka. Her books have been translated into Polish, Czeck, Lithuanian, and Slovak.
Katrina served as the co-host of a 13-part series for EWTN on the Theology of the Body; the host of a 13-part series on the Genius of Women for Catholic Familyland TV (Apostolate for Family Consecration); and the sole presenter of a 13-part series on Theology of the Body for Catholic Familyland TV (Apostolate for Family Consecration). She is a well-published freelance writer with over 50 articles appearing in Our Sunday Visitor, The Catechetical Review, Catholic Parent, New Covenant magazine, CRISIS magazine, Catholic Faith and Family, Pentecost Today, The Catholic Home Educator, and Franciscan Way. Over the past 24 years, she has brought the TOB message to Australia, Manila, Hong Kong, Rome, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, England, Guatemala, Paraguay, Trinidad, and across the United States and Canada. Her speaking and teaching gifts have served almost all ages and states in life, from grade school to senior citizens at parishes, retreats, national conferences, workshops, and 4-day formation courses.
After finishing her undergraduate degree at Franciscan University, Katrina remained in Steubenville, Ohio, participating in the dynamic life of the local Catholic community. When her son Michael was 3 years old, Katrina’s marriage disintegrated and she received a declaration of nullity from the Diocese of Steubenville. While raising her son as a single mother, Katrina worked part-time for Franciscan University as a publications writer for 10 years until striking out on her own as a freelance writer, speaker, and dance teacher in 1998. She also served as a catechists for her local parish for over 10 years before moving to Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005 when her son entered college.
In 2006, Katrina became the founding coordinator of the John Paul II Resource Center for Theology of the Body and Culture in the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ. In this position, she was entrusted with integrating the Theology of the Body into every level of catechesis in the diocese. While at the Resource Center, Katrina developed a 4-day Theology of the Body Speaker Training and a 2 1/2 year Theology of the Body mentoring program, both unique in the world.
Through earning her master’s degree in 2014, Katrina achieved her long-term goal of teaching the Theology of the Body at the college and diocesan level. Throughout the past 7 years, she has served as an adjunct professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) and at the University of Mary (Phoenix, AZ) as well as an instructor for the Diocese of Phoenix’s Kino Catechetical Institute and the Institute of Catholic Theology. Katrina’s greatest joy is offering 4-day mini-courses for seminarians, clergy, Catholic educators, and catechists.
Having been involved in speaking and catechizing on the Theology of the Body for almost 25 years, Katrina’s mission within the Church has taken on an added dimension – that of assisting Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, organizations, and communities to integrate the Theology of the Body into their teaching and culture. In this manner, the Theology of the Body becomes a dynamic force within the local Body of Christ as Katrina guides clergy, parish or organizational leaders, teachers, and catechists through the process of information (the initial introduction to the content of the Theology of the Body ), formation (ongoing study and application of the Theology of the Body to various areas of faith and daily life), and transformation (the very heart and core of a person or organization becomes embedded in a robust, Christocentric, Trinitarian, sacramental worldview).