Colleen Vermeulen
Colleen Reiss Vermeulen is a wife, mom, author, speaker, Bible teacher, and military officer.
Raised as an engaged but not evangelized Catholic, Colleen encountered Jesus in a life-changing way in her late teens, through a local Baptist church. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Cornell University, she served on active duty in the US Army, volunteering in church young adult groups, children’s faith formation, and music ministry.
Colleen left the active duty Army in 2010 in order to devote herself more fully to ministry and a (future) family life. She earned master of divinity and master of nonprofit administration degrees from the University of Notre Dame, prior to settling in Michigan with her husband and young family, where she continues to serve in the Army Reserve. Colleen has taught in the Diocese of Lansing’s Theological Studies Program at Siena Heights University, been a ministry consultant/coach for the Evangelical Catholic, facilitated University of Notre Dame Theology Online courses, and worked in her own parish (Christ the King, Ann Arbor) as an assistant to Barbara Morgan, Director of Religious Education. Throughout the years she has volunteered in the Alpha, Liturgy of the Word for Children, and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd ministries at her parish and given talks to inspire deeper steps of discipleship across southeast Michigan.
In 2016, Colleen began teaching for the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan’s ministry and joined the staff as the Director in 2018. She has expanded this grassroots ministry focused on connecting real people, with real teachers, to hear the real story of the Sacred Scriptures into online classes for individuals across the globe and a network to launch and equip Bible teachers across the nation.
Colleen is a contributing writer to the Living the Word Catholic Women’s Bible, author of Simply Scripture: Mark & Acts, creator and host of the Mater Dei Radio Hail Mary App’s “Word of the Week” video-series, and has written for a variety of Catholic websites. Her book "Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter" (2025) is available from Ave Maria Press.
