2023 Impact Report: A Listening Church

a Listening Church

Generous listening to generate co-responsible dialogue

“ROUND TABLES ALSO REMIND US THAT NONE OF US IS A STAR.”

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ

THE ROUND TABLE

Pictured on the front of this report are delegates gathered at round tables for the Synod General Assembly in Rome in October 2023. At the start of the Assembly, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, archbishop of Luxembourg and the papal-appointed moderator for the Synod, explained the decision to use round tables.

“We are not sitting in hierarchical order but at round tables, which is a way to foster genuine sharing and authentic discernment.”

Leadership Roundtable has actively utilized round tables in our convenings of Church leaders since the seminal Church in America gathering nearly 20 years ago because, as Hollerich eloquently stated:

“Round tables also remind us that none of us is a star … the protagonist is the Holy Spirit, and only with a heart fully open to the Spirit’s guidance will we be able to respond to the call we have received.”

The round tables used at the Synod and in each of our gatherings reflect the foundational principles and processes for which we’ve advocated our entire existence. These principles are having a global impact on the Catholic Church and the round table stands as a symbol to remind each of us that co-responsibility, synodality, and listening to one another bring hope to our Church.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

page 1

page 3 Opening Letter

page 4 Our Impact in 2023 Imagery Description

page 6 The Power of Partnership

page 10 Embracing Synodal Leadership: Equipping Pastoral Leaders to Lead in a Synodal Church

page 14 Communion in Mission: Growing Community Among Hispanic/ Latino Catholic Leaders

page 20 Supporting Transformation in the Diocese of Wilmington

page 24 Tailored Transformation: Strengthening Catholic Boards for Enhanced Governance and Impact

page 28 The Catholic Leaders Podcast: Inspiring Leaders Inspiring Listeners

page 34 Catholic Leaders Circle: A Space to Listen, Learn, and Grow Together

page 38 Young Adult Advisory Committee: Engaging Young Leaders in Planning the 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit

page 44 Investing in Social Change: The Crimsonbridge Foundation

page 48 Revitalizing Catholic Schools: Facilitating Discussions to Reinvigorate Catholic Education in America

page 54 Generous Donors

page 56 Finances

page 58 Board and Staff

page 60 Advisory Committees

Dear Friend,

Twenty years ago, lay and ordained leaders gathered to spark a movement that has become Leadership Roundtable’s trusted ministry of hope to the Catholic Church. They boldly envisioned a healthy, thriving Church marked not by crisis but by co-responsibility, transparency, and accountability.

Since then, Leadership Roundtable has provided this ministry of hope to the Church and helped equip thousands of leaders with best practices in leadership and management so they can most effectively carry out the Church’s great mission.

We are pleased to share with you the work done in service of our mission in 2023. From our shift in strategic direction in 2020 to emphasize partnership in both our work and structures, partnership and listening are themes that permeated our work this year.

In this report, we share of our partnership with four Catholic leadership organizations to create the first-ever program in Synodal Leadership Formation, detail

Sincerely,

the continued growth of our work with Latino pastoral leaders, and share the launch of The Catholic Leaders Podcast, which will soon become a partnership with Catholic Charities USA.

We tell the stories of our support of several nonprofit boards and of a diocese’s transformation, and how we’ve listened to and engaged young adults for our upcoming 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit. We offer insight into our convenings of leaders to address the sustainability of Catholic schools, as well as share how our commitment to bilingual communication aligned with values of the Crimsonbridge Foundation and enabled us to grow in this area. And more!

We are honored to share with you the work of Leadership Roundtable in this 2023 Impact Report and thank each of you for your support of our mission to build up a healthy and thriving Church. It is because of your constant prayers and support that we are able to continue in this mission.

Joseph Donald Regan

Elizabeth McCaul

Board Co-Chair

Board Co-Chair

OUR IMPACT IN 2023

CONVENING LEADERS

40 bishops took part in 2 convenings on Catholic education in collaboration with lay leaders

133 Catholic leaders engaged in the Catholic Leaders Circle gatherings

36k+

people reached though public engagements and original publications

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS

$2m philanthropic investment secured from a single grant, the largest in Leadership Roundtable history

10

young adult leaders engaged in an advisory committee to support the 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit

Developed and piloted a first-of-its-kind Synodal Leadership Formation program in partnership with Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Discerning Leadership Program, Catholic Leadership Institute, and Porticus.

DELIVERING SERVICES

57 engagements delivered with dioceses, parishes, religious orders, seminaries, and Catholic organizations

1.3k+

pastoral leaders participated in our services and programs

Held the first-ever National Gathering for Latino Pastoral Leaders.

PROVIDING

THOUGHT-LEADERSHIP

25 media articles, podcasts, radio programs, and/or television spots featuring Leadership Roundtable

2.5k+ downloads of The Catholic Leaders Podcast episodes

Launched a fully-bilingual website and bilingual newsletter in English and Spanish.

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP

Growing and Thriving through Co-Responsible Leadership

Geoff Boisi and Kerry Robinson

Grounded in Partnership

The notion of partnership, roundtable, and collaboration are elemental to Leadership Roundtable’s strategy, tactics, and mission. From its early days to now, partnership has been the foundation upon which the organization was built and has continued to grow.

In the early years, founder Geoff Boisi and founding Executive Director Kerry Robinson forged a partnership that fueled the organization as it sought to establish itself and share its mission with Church leaders, many of whom were skeptical.

From the first time Robinson heard Boisi speak about what would become the mission of Leadership Roundtable, she said she was all in.

“I was so struck by how consonant his message was, by his delivery, and by his presence that I did something I’ve never done before or since — I excused myself from the room to catch him and intercepted him, saying: ‘My name is Kerry Robinson, if there is anything I can do for you to advance anything you care about, it would be my honor,’” she recalled.

Boisi took note. From their first conversation, he had a gut feeling Kerry would be involved in this work.

“She was so enthusiastic about it and she totally got the message of what we were trying to do, strategically, and clearly, she agreed with it,” Boisi recalled.

In many ways, that conversation between Boisi and Robinson more than 20 years ago was the spark that ignited Leadership Roundtable.

As Boisi began the work to establish the organization, he and his founding trustees were in need of an executive director, and one name kept coming up: Kerry Robinson.

Boisi said he saw in Robinson a combination of skill and genuineness in her faith.

Despite initially turning down the offer due to her commitments at the time with Yale University’s Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center, Robinson said she found a way to say yes and came on board to lead the start-up organization as its Founding Executive Director and build it in partnership with Boisi.

“She inspired me,” Boisi said, remembering the early years when Leadership Roundtable faced resistance from many corners of the Church. It was Robinson’s belief in the mission and the importance of the organization that inspired him and others to keep going.

Eventually, leaders began to listen and to turn to Leadership Roundtable as a ministry of hope, boldly envisioning that the Church could heal and strengthen from the challenges it faced.

A Trusted Partner

The story of Leadership Roundtable, and the people and institutions committed to furthering its mission, are the ingredients that have formed it into a life-giving resource to the Church, Robinson said.

Today, Leadership Roundtable is a trusted partner to Church leaders — from bishops

and diocesan staff, to the leadership of Catholic organizations, institutes, religious orders, and institutions. It is a resource that leaders turn to move forward on some of the Church’s most intractable issues.

To date, leaders in more than 75 percent of the dioceses in the U.S. have interacted with Leadership Roundtable, either through attending one of its events, taking part in a service engagement, or collaborating with it.

With Leadership Roundtable’s assistance, almost 20 percent of dioceses in the U.S. are now on or have begun the journey of transforming how they do temporal management.

A Model of Partnership

In 2020, recognizing a need to model the co-responsibility it promoted in the Church, Leadership Roundtable flattened its leadership model from one of hierarchy to one of partnership.

“My whole career life, I’ve operated in a partnership modality,” Boisi said. “When you have smart, capable people who have different styles and backgrounds, if they can operate together in a collaborative way, the leadership of the organization is stronger than if it was led by just one person.”

In August 2020, Robinson, together with Michael Brough, who was thenDeputy Director, and Kim Smolik, who was then-CEO, all assumed roles as Executive Partners to collectively lead the organization. Months later, Patrick Markey joined the leadership team as Managing Partner.

“The partnership model mirrors the relationship we want to have with Church leaders as partners,” said Smolik. “It replaces a hierarchy — where all final decision-making rests with a single individual — with, instead, a coresponsible team of partners working together to lead our organization. This is the culture needed in our Church.”

“It creates a relationship of equals that also reflects the successful form of management that others and I experience in our professions,” Board Co-Chair Elizabeth McCaul said.

Utilized in fields like finance, law, and defense, the partnership model was one that Boisi, and other members of Leadership Roundtable’s board, had personally seen have great success, and one they believed would not only serve as an example to the Church in terms of co-responsibility, but one that would strengthen the organization.

“I knew from my own background, having been involved in building two of the most successful financial organizations in the world, that a partnership model works,” Boisi said. “We’ve also used that effectively with my other nonprofit activities, and I know that it works, but it works best when you have the right people.”

Not only was the organization able to maintain and attract talented leaders to serve as Executive Partners, under the partnership model, Leadership Roundtable has since expanded its team and is poised for even greater growth.

“Thankfully, we were able to attract other people to carry on the mission,” Boisi said.

“We’ve had an extraordinarily loyal group of people,” he said of Leadership Roundtable. “If you look at the last 20 years, we’ve had the crème de la crème of leaders at the board level, we’ve had several transitions in terms of operational leadership, and we have had to attract the next generation of people to the mission.”

Growing in Partnership

The ongoing synodal process has shown Boisi that Leadership Roundtable is continuing to lead in partnership and reach the Church and its leaders through its mission.

“The synodal process is really the evidence that the Pope’s figured out that what he’s been trying to embed in the system — coresponsibility — requires practice and a factor of trust,” he said.

The reason why some of the bestfunctioning organizations in the world have been able to thrive, Boisi said, is because they’ve been able to cement a culture of trust, communication, collaboration, partnership, and teamwork within their structures. Through Leadership Roundtable, the Church continues to do the same.

“We have a naturally unifying mission in Jesus Christ so it should be easier,” he elaborated, “But because the Church is so spread out, and we have human beings involved, that is where the difficulties come into play. Sometimes it's just reminding ourselves what is elemental to the proper culture of the Church, and that gets to a leadership issue. I’m hoping that this synodal process will suss that out.”

(left to right) Kim Smolik, Patrick Markey, Kerry Robinson, Michael Brough

EMBRACING SYNODAL LEADERSHIP

Equipping Pastoral Leaders to Lead in a Synodal Church

The call to synodality by Pope Francis has reverberated across the Catholic Church, prompting a renewed focus on co-responsible leadership and collaborative decision-making.

In response to this call and with an aim to advance the values being modeled and revealed through the Synod on Synodality, Leadership Roundtable collaborated with Discerning Leadership Program, Catholic Leadership Institute, and Leadership Conference of Women Religious to create a groundbreaking Synodal Leadership Formation course.

With course development underwritten by Porticus, a prominent Catholic foundation,

our organizations began the work to create a program that furthered the ongoing cultural shift towards a co-responsible, synodal Church, a program that ultimately could be replicated by institutions in the Catholic ecosystem to bring the course to more places and more people, making it widely available.

In the summer of 2023, Leadership Roundtable piloted the course online with a cohort of ten leaders.

“This course has not only enriched my understanding but also reaffirmed my commitment to serving,” a participant in the pilot said. “Your guidance and the collective wisdom I’ve received have been

a source of spiritual nourishment, further enlightening my life.”

Designed to equip pastoral leaders with the skills and insights necessary to navigate the evolving landscape of synodality, the course blends experiential learning with prayerful reflection and innovative teaching methods to immerse participants in the essence of synodality. Upon completion, participants gain the tools to foster a more inclusive, participatory, and transformative leadership approach within their faith communities.

Offered in a virtual environment, participants from across the country were able to connect, engage in meaningful discussions, and form deep bonds. The intimate atmosphere fostered rich exchanges of ideas, building a sense of community and belonging.

Embracing Innovative Practices for Synodal Leadership

The Synodal Leadership Formation course distinguishes itself from traditional

leadership programs through its innovative teaching methods and delivery, both crafted to foster active engagement, promote transformative learning experiences, and address the need for synodal leadership in the Catholic Church.

In response to the rapidly changing social and political landscape, the Catholic Church is adapting its approach to leadership, walking a path of synodality and empowering leaders to respond effectively to the ever-changing world.

Designed to elevate effective practices of discernment and action-learning, the course not only taught key concepts but modeled them. Discernment sessions began with prayer and reflection to create a contemplative atmosphere conducive to spiritual growth and decision-making.

Action-learning sessions encouraged participants to apply the principles they learned to real-world situations, fostering a hands-on and experiential learning approach as the course progressed.

Ana Maria Aguirre

A Course in Synodality: Empowering Hispanic/Latino Leaders

In an effort to continue to promote the formation of Hispanic/Latino leaders in the Church, Leadership Roundtable developed the course bilingually and strategically offered the pilot to a group of ten Hispanic/Latino leaders from previous cohorts of our Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative.

Each participant possessed a unique background and experience in pastoral ministry — representing a mix of dioceses, parishes, and Catholic organizations — and brought a wealth of perspectives and insights to the program.

For those who took part, the impact of the Synodal Leadership Formation course extended far beyond the classroom, transforming their leadership perspectives and practices.

“As I continue to walk this path of Synodal leadership, I carry with me the teachings and inspirations I have received,” one participant said. “I pray for the Lord’s continued blessings on each of us and our shared mission.”

Participants expressed profound gratitude for the opportunity to delve into the principles of synodality, affirming its relevance to their pastoral ministries. They acknowledged the transformative

impact of the course, emphasizing its ability to cultivate a more inclusive, collaborative, and discerning leadership approach.

“This course has not only enriched my understanding but also reaffirmed my commitment to serving.”

The skills gained through the course have already begun to manifest in participants’ leadership practices. Many have expressed a renewed commitment to active listening, communal discernment, and participatory decision-making, striving to foster a more synodal culture within their communities.

As participants continue to integrate synodal principles into their leadership, their transformative journeys are only just beginning. By applying these principles in their daily lives and ministries, they are not only empowering themselves and inspiring others to lead synodaly but also propelling the Church closer to becoming a truly synodal body.

By empowering Hispanic/Latino and other pastoral leaders with the skills and insights necessary to embrace synodality, we are paving the way for a future where

JOIN

co-responsibility, collaboration, and discernment are the cornerstones of leadership.

Collective Wisdom: Shaping Synodal Leadership through Collaboration

Each of the four organizations that partnered to create the course brought unique perspectives and expertise to the table, shaping the curriculum and its delivery methods. To accommodate the unique needs and contexts of the partner organizations, the course was delivered in a variety of ways by each organization.

Leadership Roundtable offered the course in six sessions spanning 11 weeks, and offered it bilingually. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious incorporated the course into a three-day convening of women religious. Meanwhile, the Catholic Leadership Institute integrated the course into a diocesan strategic planning process that involved

clergy and laity over several months. The strategic diversity in delivery approaches provided valuable insights into effective strategies for fostering synodal leadership in different settings.

Participant feedback from all three cohorts will play a crucial role in guiding the evolution of the course and will inform revisions to the curriculum, teaching methods, and assessment strategies, ensuring that the course continues to meet the needs of emerging synodal leaders.

Looking forward, we envision expanding the reach of the Synodal Leadership for Pastoral Ministry course to a broader range of leaders, starting with a cohort of leaders from national Catholic organizations. By adapting the course to suit the specific contexts of each cohort, we can further empower leaders to embrace synodality and contribute to the transformative journey of synodal leadership.

Synodal Leadership Formation course participants and faculty

LATINO PASTORAL LEADERS:

COMMUNION IN MISSION: GROWING COMMUNITY AMONG HISPANIC/LATINO CATHOLIC LEADERS

Nestled amidst the serene landscape of the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center in Marriottsville, MD, the first Latino Pastoral Leaders National Gathering was held from November 10 to 12, 2023. The event brought together 15 leaders from Leadership Roundtable’s Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative to share pastoral experiences, discern future ways of working in a “pastoral de conjunto,” or “communion in mission,” and learn best practices in pastoral ministry.

Alejandra Villa, from the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, encapsulated the spirit of camaraderie and mutual support that was a cornerstone of the gathering, saying, “working together works and leads us to success.”

For three days, the participants engaged in lively discussions and forged deep bonds with one another, sharing their personal stories, challenges, and aspirations creating an atmosphere of fellowship and shared faith. Throughout their time together, moments of laughter and storytelling in the evenings revealed the joyous spirit of the community.

“I have made friends and cemented relationships that will last forever,” said Yolanda Sanchez of the Diocese of Austin. “These are friends that will

accompany me through my victories and support me when I fail.”

Responding to the Call

In 2020, Leadership Roundtable created the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative in partnership with Lilly Endowment Inc., which generously provided funding through its Thriving in Ministry Initiative, and with support from other donors. It was created in response to the need for the development of culturally-competent leadership that was overwhelmingly expressed by the vibrant and growing Catholic Hispanic/Latino community in the United States during the V National Encuentro of Hispanic/ Latino Ministry process.

The Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative launched in the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois offering a pilot cohort of comprehensive formation and leadership development that meets the unique needs and challenges faced by Hispanic/Latino leaders in the Church. From there, the program expanded to include a cohort in the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida, and again with a cohort in the Diocese of Austin in Texas.

To date, more than 60 Hispanic/Latino pastoral leaders have participated in this

leadership formation program, learning best practices in Church management and enhancing their leadership skills to serve their ministries and communities. As additional cohorts take part, Leadership Roundtable aims for the program to empower Hispanic/Latino pastoral leaders to serve their communities ever more effectively and increase their capacity to lead in myriad Church settings.

National Efforts to Engage Hispanic/ Latino Leaders

In June, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a new National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, a plan that follows the important work of the V National Encuentro and the decades-long growth of Hispanic/Latino ministry in the United States.

The National Pastoral Plan serves as a pastoral planning resource that includes pastoral guidelines for Hispanic/Latino ministry, specific objectives and activities for the formation of young adult leaders, and calls for the continued development of interculturally-competent leaders.

Mar Muñoz-Visoso, executive director of the USCCB’s Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church and a member of the National Advisory Committee for the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, offered insights on the USCCB’s plan, during the National Gathering.

“It is important to understand that the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry is the result of the collective discernment of Latino Catholics in ministry, the national Catholic ministry organizations and associations, and the U.S. Catholic Bishops in an amazing and organic process of ‘pastoral de conjunto,’” Muñoz-Visoso shared.

“This coordinated approach to ministry will take root and be effective only if it is appropriated and implemented at the local level,” she continued. “This means clergy, religious men and women, and lay people, Hispanic or not, studying it together, planning strategies together, and focusing on the pastoral priorities and approaches according to the local needs.”

Participants of the 2023 Latino Pastoral Leaders National Gathering

In addition to the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry recently released a report by Dr. Hosffman Ospino, titled “Ministry with Young Hispanic Catholics: Towards a Recipe for Growth and Success.” The report offers leaders guidance to specifically reach Hispanic/ Latino young adults and engage them in the Church.

Young adults are top of mind for many in the Church, and the Boston College report provided valuable insights into the needs and aspirations of young Hispanic/Latino Catholics.

A Course in Synodality: Empowering Hispanic/Latino Leaders

The call to synodality, from Pope Francis, has reverberated across the Catholic Church, prompting a renewed focus on co-responsible leadership and collaborative decision-making. In response to this call — and a call of leaders at our 2022 Catholic Partnership Summit for more formation opportunities — Leadership Roundtable

collaborated with the Discerning Leadership Program, Catholic Leadership Institute, and Leadership Conference of Women Religious, to develop a groundbreaking Synodal Leadership Formation course. The course was made possible by the generous support of Porticus.

As an extension of Leadership Roundtable’s experience forming Hispanic/Latino leaders through the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, Leadership Roundtable took this opportunity to offer the Synodal Leadership course bilingually. We welcomed a group of ten Hispanic/Latino leaders who took part in our Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative as an opportunity for ongoing leadership formation. Each participant had a unique background and experience in pastoral ministry. These leaders, representing dioceses, parishes, and Catholic organizations, brought a wealth of perspectives and contributions to the program.

Through a blend of experiential learning, prayerful reflection, and innovative teaching methods, participants delved into the

Mar Muñoz-Visoso

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

essence of synodality, gaining the tools to foster a more inclusive, participatory, and transformative leadership approach within their communities. The course curriculum, crafted to align with Pope Francis’s vision of synodality, encompassed a range of topics, including: active listening, communal discernment, participatory decisionmaking, overcoming biases and assumptions, adaptive leadership, and building bridges.

One participant remarked, “This course has not only enriched my understanding but also reaffirmed my commitment to serving.”

By empowering Hispanic/Latino pastoral leaders with the skills and insights necessary to embrace synodality, we continue our commitment to paving the way for Hispanic/Latino leaders to serve ever more fully in a Church where co-responsibility, collaboration, and discernment are viewed as the cornerstones of leadership.

Expanding Hispanic/Latino Leadership Formation Opportunities

Bilingual Leadership Formation Leadership Roundtable has expanded our bilingual leadership formation programs to reach a broad range of Hispanic/Latino leaders through meaningful collaborations within a “pastoral de conjunto” with dioceses and organizations investing in the formation of their leaders.

In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the Intercultural Pastoral Institute forms and develops lay pastoral leaders to serve the intercultural pastoral mission of the archdiocese. Aware of our services to Hispanic/Latino pastoral leaders, the Institute sought to collaborate with Leadership Roundtable in support of their mission. The Institute gathered a bilingual cohort of Hispanic/Latino leaders who serve at parishes throughout the archdiocese to take part in Leadership Roundtable’s Catholic Leadership 360 program.

Francisco Javier Martínez Cavazos Diocese of Austin

Catholic Leadership 360 is a leadership development program that offers pastoral leaders fresh insight into their effectiveness as leaders in the Church. The program provides a unique opportunity for growth in leadership by incorporating selfreflection and self-assessment alongside respectful, structured feedback from those with whom participants regularly interact. Participants receive increased self-awareness of their leadership competencies, a deeper understanding of personal strengths and areas of growth, and identify and map out a plan for ministerial leadership development.

Over the course of three months, participants gathered in-person and online for workshops and an individual session with a certified facilitator to review their assessment report. The workshop presentations, materials, and assessment tool were all provided bilingually. As one participant shared, the program provided helpful insight to both “know my strengths” and to “work on my weaknesses.”

In addition to the Catholic Leadership 360 program, graduates of the Institute’s Pastoral Leadership Program and new pastoral leaders participated in bilingual leadership formation workshops on the topics of Servant Leadership for a Synodal Church, Growing Volunteers, and Intercultural Competency. The leadership formation workshops further enriched the skills and capacity of pastoral leaders, who rated the workshops as 4.9 out of 5 for

overall effectiveness.

Dr. Carmen Hernandez, Ph.D., coordinator of the Intercultural Pastoral Institute, said that the formation provided by Leadership Roundtable provided “a significant impact on the pastoral leaders” and assisted in continuing to promote the ongoing formation of Hispanic/Latino pastoral leaders.

Bilingual Communications

Leadership Roundtable’s commitment to serving and offering formation to the Hispanic/Latino community encompasses our commitment to bilingual communication across all our channels. In 2023, with funding from Crimsonbridge Foundation and Lilly Endowment, Inc., we launched a fully bilingual website, making it easier for Hispanic/Latino leaders to access our leadership and management information and resources.

Additionally, a Spanish-language version of “A Pastor’s Toolbox,” titled “La Caja de Herramientas para Líderes Pastorales,” scheduled to publish in early 2024, will make best practices accessible to a wider audience of Spanish-speaking lay and religious leaders. These efforts, together with launching a bilingual newsletter, and working to produce our programs and documents in Spanish work to engage the Hispanic/Latino Catholic community in an inclusive way.

SUPPORTING TRANSFORMATION IN THE DIOCESE OF WILMINGTON

In 2021, the Diocese of Wilmington joined with hundreds of dioceses throughout the country to participate in synodal listening sessions as part of the first phase of the Synod on Synodality, holding more than 67 listening sessions with more than 1400 participants.

When listening sessions in Wilmington concluded, the newly-installed Bishop William E. Koenig looked at the results and assembled a list of top-10 priorities for future improvement, titled “Ten Best Practices for Effective Ministry,” which inspired a goal to develop a new diocesan pastoral plan.

“The expansive and diverse consultation of the Diocesan Phase of the Synod presented us with a unique opportunity to examine the vibrancy of our parishes and diocesan ministries,” Bishop Koenig said.

Koenig engaged Leadership Roundtable to support the Diocese of Wilmington in creating a diocesan pastoral plan in response to what was raised during the diocese’s synodal listening process, with the objective to ultimately build leadership capacity and implement an improved

pastoral vision for the future. Set to continue in 2024, their pastoral planning initiative, known as “United in Christ,” has already borne fruit as the diocese established a more collaborative process, and Bishop Koenig feels it has fostered a strong and trusting working relationship with leaders in his diocese.

“Given the variety of pastoral realities throughout the regions of our Diocese, it became clear that a ‘one size fits all’ approach would not be helpful,” Koenig said.

Koenig said the conversations throughout the planning process have revealed priorities and best practices that are both informing and shaping the initiative.

The diocese approached the process in a spirit of synodality, asking each Deanery to develop a pastoral plan to present for inclusion in the diocesan-wide pastoral plan. Since the start of the process, Bishop Koenig has been intentional about ensuring that the pastoral planning initiative is not a “top-down” process, but that everyone — from the people engaged during the Synod to the members of each

Bishop William E. Koenig (right) takes part in a diocesan-wide event in the Diocese of Wilmington in Delaware (Photo Courtesy of The Dialog)

Deanery — has a place to participate and be heard.

“If we are truly ‘United in Christ,’ then we all must have the opportunity to actively participate in shaping the future of our Diocese,” Bishop Koenig said. “Empowering the Vicars Forane to form local leadership teams to develop Deanery pastoral plans has been effective in fostering creativity, cooperation, and collegiality.”

Leadership Roundtable formally initiated work with the diocese in 2022 to support their pastoral planning process as part of a multi-year engagement through our Mission Management Model program. The multi-year process seeks to build leadership capacity, accompany those in leadership, and implement Bishop Koenig’s pastoral vision, which has been greatly informed by synodal listening sessions and the “Ten Best Practices for Effective Ministry” list that resulted.

Leadership Roundtable’s Mission Management Model is a system-wide approach for Catholic dioceses and other Catholic institutions to achieve management and leadership excellence in service of their mission. We perform a comprehensive assessment to determine where the diocese/organization stands along the Model, and then we begin customizing a solution.

Leadership Roundtable is working with

a core pastoral planning team, diocesan personnel, and the Deans of the diocese to support development of the pastoral plan to reflect the unique needs of each Deanery.

Bishop Koenig has tasked the diocese’s seven Deans to develop the pastoral plan. Using the information gathered through synodal listening sessions and an ongoing synodal approach, each Dean is gathering information to then identify and propose goals, initiatives, and potential structural recommendations to the bishop.

Leadership Roundtable provided guidelines and assistance in the selection of the seven pastoral planning team members who will act as liaisons for each of the Deaneries and will assist the bishop in discerning the proposals that come from the Deans’ recommendations.

In addition to the development of this pastoral plan, the Deans were further aided in their own leadership development by taking part in Catholic Leadership 360, which gave them insights as to their strengths and areas for growth as leaders of this initiative.

Our work in the Diocese of Wilmington continues as the Deans are in the process of gathering information and hosting listening sessions throughout their deaneries with a goal to bring their proposals back to Bishop Koenig in early 2024.

Leadership Roundtable Services staff and consultant. (left to right): Peter Denio, Lisa Metcalfe, Rev. Kevin Kennedy, and Rev. Dr. Thad Austin.

Staff and members of Catholic Volunteer Network celebrating 60 years of service at their annual gathering, Revolutionizing Community 2023 in Washington D.C.

(Photo Courtesy of: Catholic Volunteer Network)

TAILORED TRANSFORMATION

Strengthening Catholic Boards for Enhanced Governance and Impact

Effective board formation has long been recognized as an essential component of successful Catholic organizations, but recently, there has been a growing need to equip boards of directors to address the challenges and opportunities facing a synodal Church in a post-pandemic world.

For many years, Leadership Roundtable provided board formation as part of our Catholic Standards for Excellence program. As such, we were uniquely positioned to provide customized board formation services that help ensure Catholic organizations have wellfunctioning boards that understand their distinct roles and responsibilities and remain focused on their mission.

Responding to a Growing Need

In 2023, we worked directly with the boards of the Catholic Volunteer Network and Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network to enhance their effectiveness as leaders.

Like many organizations, the Catholic Volunteer Network (CVN) felt the time

had come to restructure its board and examine its policies and procedures postpandemic. Under its board’s guidance, CVN provides a vital service to the Church by fostering and promoting fulltime domestic and international faithbased volunteer service opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and skills.

CVN supports the service of more than 130 different faith-based service programs, with more than 25,000 volunteers serving across the globe.

After engaging in Leadership Roundtable's board formation program, CVN made significant progress updating their personnel policies, by-laws, and board manual.

“Our work with Leadership Roundtable helped us redefine board committee expectations, implement a board evaluation, and discern the next steps for the organization,” said Tom King, chair of the board. King further emphasized the formation’s focus on mission and outcomes, saying it gave the board the energy and passion to accomplish its goals.

Supporting Bilingual Boards

Recognizing the importance of effective board governance, the Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network (CMFN) sought assistance in enhancing its board's effectiveness, particularly in light of the predominantly Spanish-speaking population it serves as it works to provide accompaniment, outreach, and spiritual development to farmworkers and their families across the U.S.

Our capacity at Leadership Roundtable to provide bilingual delivery was instrumental in meeting CMFN's needs. Our combination of bilingual materials and staff allowed us to deliver the program in both English and Spanish, ensuring that all board members were able to fully participate and benefit from the training.

“During the training sessions, we gained knowledge and skills to collaborate more effectively as board members,” said Teresita Kontos, president of CMFN’s board. “We also learned how to create our own manual to train future members in our organization. It was a very enriching experience, and I am grateful to the team for their professionalism and enthusiasm.”

Equipped with the resources and skills

to develop their own training manual, CMFN was empowered to build a legacy of strong leadership and impactful service for years to come.

Customized Formation Opportunities

Our board formation services go beyond generic training. Each engagement begins with a thorough assessment of the organization's unique needs and challenges, to craft a program that is tailored to address the specific concerns and priorities of the participating board.

Drawing upon the comprehensive Catholic Standards for Excellence framework, each customized program can cover critical areas such as: fiduciary responsibility, by-laws, committees, effective board meetings, board evaluation, board member orientation and training, fundraising and resource development, and board member handbook.

By offering formation to a wide range of organizations and their boards of directors, Leadership Roundtable continues to play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of the Catholic organizations to ensure they can most effectively fulfill their missions.

LET US CUSTOMIZE A SOLUTION FOR YOUR NEEDS

An H-2A seasonal migrant farmworker from Yakima, Washington harvesting apples.

Photo courtesy of Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network.

THE CATHOLIC LEADERS PODCAST

Inspiring Leaders Inspiring Listeners

Since our inception, Leadership Roundtable has engaged in conversations with Catholic leaders who are making a positive and lasting impact across the Catholic Church in the U.S. and globally.

Inspired by the leaders we encounter through our work, we asked how we could share their stories and wisdom with others who may not otherwise have access to these individuals or the leadership best practices they model.

In March 2023, we launched The Catholic Leaders Podcast — a podcast produced by Catholic leaders, in conversation with Catholic leaders, for Catholic leaders.

On each episode, our hosts Executive Partner Kim Smolik and former Executive Partner and current Board Member, Kerry Robinson, welcome a Catholic leader who is making an impact in the Church to share their story, talk about how faith inspires and informs their leadership, offer insight into important issues, and provide listeners

a glimpse into the conversations that have formed the foundation of Leadership Roundtable.

Possibility in Partnership

With host Robinson now serving as President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the podcast is poised to welcome even more inspiring leaders in season 2.

Excited to continue the momentum built in the first season, Leadership Roundtable reached out to Catholic Charities USA to propose making the podcast a partnership starting in season 2.

“Partnering with Catholic Charities USA allows this podcast, this platform, to introduce even more leaders to our listeners,” said Smolik. “We are excited to talk with leaders who are dedicated to serving the most marginalized, those who our faith calls us to serve, and learn how their faith and leadership is impacting others.”

Faith Informed Leadership

When planning the podcast, Smolik and Robinson wanted the conversations to pull back the curtain on the dialogues that Leadership Roundtable often has with leaders of the Church.

In its inaugural season, The Catholic Leaders Podcast featured Catholic thought leaders speaking on topics such as women’s leadership, the engagement of young adults, our call to be a welcoming Church, the importance of peace building, synodality, and more!

“The most important thing I’ve learned in the past several years in this work has been the importance of listening to others and learning from them,” said Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, on the inaugural episode.

“And that means seeking dialogue with others who have different views, avoiding demonization or dismissal of those with opposing views, and working to collaborate where we agree, respectfully disagree where we must, but learning from that dialogue. That’s what authentic dialogue means.”

Each guest on the podcast has shared how they became a leader in the Church and offered insight into what shaped them in their leadership.

“My leadership journey was so propelled by my faith,” Amy Rauenhorst Goldman, CEO and chair of GHR Foundation shared. “And that’s because I’ve been really lucky enough to have incredible hardwired experiences in my life for my faith that have meant my leadership journey has become one more of an adventure.”

WHAT LISTENERS OF THE CATHOLIC LEADERS PODCAST HAVE TO SAY

“What a profound and inclusive episode! The Catholic Leaders Podcast continues to impress with their intentional inclusion of diverse voices.”

“A must-listen for anyone seeking transformative insights in faith and leadership.”

“Just listened to this. Wonderful insights, particularly around young people and their faith journeys.”

Engaging in Difficult Conversations

Throughout the podcast, guests addressed difficult issues like division and polarization head-on, not shying away from challenges in the Church and what is being done to address them.

“There is a lot of polarization on issues within the Church that are extremely important issues,” said Dr. Kathleen McChesney. Dr. McChesney is a former member of Leadership Roundtable’s Board of Directors, a former leader in the FBI, and expert in child protection. She helped lead the Church’s efforts to reform its child protection policies and today is a sought-after expert in helping heal the Church.

“I think we have to understand that we are not always going to agree on every aspect of the faith,” she said. “But one thing we should be able to agree on is that we treat each other with love and with respect.”

“At the heart of it is the recognition of what we share in our identity in Christ and then with that, the recognition that we’re coming from different places, different experiences, but we’re on a journey together,” said Dr. Nicola Brady.

Dr. Brady, a leader in Ireland who specializes in peacemaking and facilitates relationship-building between the often violently divided Christian churches, delved deeply into the importance of turning to what unites our divided world as a path to peace.

Finding what unites us as Catholics has been a thread that has woven throughout the podcast.

Living Synodal Leadership

As the global Catholic Church continued on our synodal journey this past year, the importance of becoming a listening Church where everyone is welcome and belongs was a theme often touched upon by our guests.

“A synodal Church is a Church of coresponsibility in which everybody has a voice, has a role, is protagonist, as Pope Francis says. Nobody is a mere extra,” said Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary to the Synod on Synodality in the Vatican.

“We see Jesus who is God’s welcome, is God’s hospitality, and is always welcoming people into the community, so I think it’s a really central virtue in the Gospels, and it’s one that I think the Church needs to continually relearn,” Fr. James Martin, SJ, a best-selling author and editor-at-large of America Media, said in the second episode.

One of the most common themes emerging from the global Synod is the engagement of young adults. It’s a topic that is top of mind for leaders across the Church like Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI, who is a member of Leadership Roundtable’s Board of Directors and serves as Senior Director of Theology and Sponsorship for the Catholic Health Association.

“We have young people out there that are trying to change the world and make it a better place,” she said during episode 3. “Some of them informed by their faith. Some of them are still searching for a faith to hold on to. And so I think today, women religious, religious, the Church, the world has an obligation to kindle support,

encourage, accompany, mentor, finance these young people. ”

When developing The Catholic Leaders Podcast, we also sought to amplify the voices of young leaders like Ellen Koneck, a young adult who was recently named the first-ever executive director of Commonweal — a Catholic, lay-led print and digital publication.

“The important thing, I think, is young adults and young people feel invited to stay amidst seasons of doubt,” shared Koneck. “There's reason for skepticism. But to empower them with the responsibility that this Church is theirs to remedy and this Church that has been an anchor for generations of saints and sinners continues to be available to them if they will put in the work of staying.”

A Stronger, More Vibrant Church

Each episode of The Catholic Leaders Podcast’s first season has concluded with the same question: “What is one action that if we all did it tomorrow, it would help build a stronger, more vibrant Church?”

Response have ranged from treating each other with kindness and decency, to listening to each other with openness, with most guests sharing a positive action in which everyone can partake.

“The one thing we could all do is to presume goodness in one another, because that will let us enter more deeply and sympathetically into really hearing each other's stories,” said Robinson on the final

OUR 2023 GUESTS

(left to right) Sr. Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, Fr. James Martin, SJ., Ellen Koneck, Dr. Nicola Brady,

episode of season 1. “And that is where the common humanity lies.”

Reaching More Listeners, More Leaders

“Since we launched the podcast, I’ve been approached several times by several young women, whom I’ve never before met, who tell me they are avid listeners and have found the guests and their stories such a source of hope and inspiration,” Smolik said. “We are reaching people we’ve never reached before.”

Across the Catholic Church, leaders who work in direct service of others are positively impacting the lives of millions of Americans. In 2024, Leadership Roundtable will re-launch the podcast in partnership with Catholic Charities USA for season 2. Inspired by Robinson’s transition to President and CEO of CCUSA, Leadership Roundtable will work with CCUSA to transform season 2 into a co-branded, co-hosted podcast that continues to center the stories of leaders who are living out their faith through leadership.

LISTEN TO THE CATHOLIC LEADERS PODCAST

Dr. Kathleen McChesney, Amy Rauenhorst Goldman, Kim Daniels, Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI

CATHOLIC LEADERS CIRCLE

When the COVID-19 pandemic caused much of the world to shut down, Catholic leaders looked to one another for support, community, and friendship during an unprecedented and isolating time. Recognizing our unique role as a convener to offer such a space, Leadership Roundtable quickly gathered leaders from numerous Catholic nonprofits, institutes, and institutions together virtually to support each other and share their wisdom for leading a Catholic organization in the midst of a pandemic.

For many who attended, it was the first time

they had convened with similar leaders in a space dedicated to them.

Creating Synodal Space

As the Church began the current Synod on Synodality, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops sought to offer these leaders of non-diocesan organizations, known as Region 16, a space to be heard in the Synod process.

Many of the organizations in Region 16 were those represented by the leaders we gathered

A Space to Listen, Learn, and Grow Together

in the early days of the pandemic, so the USCCB turned to Leadership Roundtable to facilitate gatherings to model and educate leaders about synodal processes.

In November 2021, we held the first of what would be come quarterly gatherings of a group known as the Catholic Leaders Circle.

Each gathering of the Catholic Leaders Circle brings together executive directors, presidents, CEOs, and other top leaders of non-diocesan institutions and organizations for fellowship, learning, and listening in a synodal process.

In 2023, the group of leaders has grown to include 110 organizations, institutes, and initiatives and it offers a much-needed space for like-minded leaders to connect on issues of synodality, leadership, and co-responsibility.

After hearing from a featured speaker, participants then take part in small-group discussions before the members come back together for a plenary session to discuss what they’ve learned and how to take what they’ve learned to better their leadership and their organizations moving forward.

(left to right): Beth Blaufuss of Partnership Schools, Paula Gwynn-Grant of Archdiocese of Washington, Caitlin Mayo of Crimsonbridge Foundation, and Julie Craven of University of Saint Thomas School of Law

Providing Sacred Space

Since our first convening of these leaders in 2020, we’ve heard repeatedly that they often have few to no other opportunities to gather with like-minded leaders of the Church. Because the Catholic Leaders Circle provides that community, many leaders continue to take part.

In an effort to ensure the Catholic Leaders Circle offered attendees more than just a chance to connect, we asked leaders what they wanted to see emerge from future gatherings, and what they hoped to gain by engaging regularly in synodal consultations.

Members asked to actively continue the practice of communal discernment with a hope that they could leave the circles equipped with best practices for synodal leadership.

To help ensure leaders get the most from each gathering, we shuffle the small breakout circles each time. This enables leaders to truly engage with one another and grow their capacity for listening and discernment by building new relationships and learning from different people each time we gather.

Participants have expressed that the Catholic Leaders Circle allows them to feel better informed about relevant issues surrounding the Church and synodality, and to incorporate synodal leadership practices into their organizational cultures.

Year of Synodal Listening and Practice

Members also wanted to delve deeper into the topics emerging from the Synod through featured speakers. In 2023, we planned three meetings of the Catholic

Leaders Circle, centering on three areas that have been of great emphasis during the synod: listening to the Holy Spirit, women’s leadership, and how the Church will bring what is emerging from the global Synod into its practices and possibly even canon law.

The February gathering featured Austen Ivereigh, a journalist, commentator, and biographer of Pope Francis who spoke to what Pope Francis has asked for from all of us during this Synodal process: an openness to the Holy Spirit.

The gathering in May 2023 welcomed Betty Anne Donnelly to lead the conversation around women’s leadership in the Church, and some more sensitive topics surrounding women’s leadership including women preaching.

In addition to her work with the Mary J. Donnelly Foundation, Betty Anne Donnelly serves on the Steering Committee of and is a writer for Catholic Women Preach, a ministry that serves as a platform for Catholic women to give reflections on upcoming Sunday Mass readings.

The final Circle of 2023 welcomed Dr. Myriam Wijlens, a Dutch theologian, professor of canon law, and advisor to the Synod, along with Fr. Eugene Duffy, a priest of the Diocese of Achonry in Ireland and a lecturer in theology. Dr. Wijlens and Fr. Duffy are co-moderators of the Peter and Paul Seminar, which is made up of theologians and canon lawyers working together to reform canon law in light of the theology of Vatican II and are experts on the ongoing work to reform the Church post-Vatican II and what we can learn from that process for what emerges from the Synod.

Kim Smolik (top) interviewing Dr. Myriam Wijlens (middle) and Fr. Eugene Duffy (bottom) during a Catholic Leaders Circle gathering

YOUNG ADULT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Colin Martinez Longmore NETWORK

Niru de Silva

Nicole Perone

Ashley Morris Archdiocese of Atlanta

Anna Gordon Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University

Engaging Young Leaders in Planning the 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit

Kelli Reagan Hickey Francesco Collective

Nicolas Stein Bon Secours Young Adults

Diana Marin Catholic Climate Covenant

Vicente Del Real Iskali

Rob Roa Jesuit Volunteer Corps

As Leadership Roundtable prepared for our 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit centered on young adult leadership, we wanted to ensure young adults were not just the topic of discussion, but actively involved in every step of the process.

For leaders of the Church, young adults are top of mind in nearly every sector and their role in the Church has emerged as a central theme in the ongoing Synod on Synodality.

Uniquely, of all the issues facing the Church, young adult leadership is one of the few that is galvanizing, that unites Catholics across divides.

“The Church needs to give young adults the space to be deeply invested in it.”

Niru de Silva

To ensure the content, processes, and speakers both resonated with a young adult audience and elevated themes important to young adults, we engaged and sought the expertise of a committee of 10 young leaders to help plan the Summit around a theme of Expanding the Tent: Young Adult Leadership and Co-Responsibility in the Catholic Church.

Involving Young Experts

“I’m excited to be part of this advisory committee to help empower young people,

especially from overlooked backgrounds, identities, and walks of life, to respond to the movement of the Spirit,” said Committee Member Colin Martinez Longmore, who serves as Communications and Social Media Coordinator for NETWORK. “Their intuition, momentum, and faith are needed now more than ever."

The members of the committee range in age from their mid 20s to their early 40s, are actively engaged in the Church, work for a Catholic organization, diocese, or nonprofit, and represent a diversity of perspectives from across the Church.

“This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities — what we value, what we want, what we seek — and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of,” said Committee Member Kelli Reagan Hickey. Hickey serves as Director of Formation for the Francesco Collective. “What I hear at this moment is similar to what Isaiah hears God saying through him: ‘Come, let us talk this over. Let us dare to dream.’”

Discerning What Matters

Committee members began their discernment around the Summit with a central question: What matters to young adults in the Church?

“The Church needs to give young adults the space to be deeply invested in it,” said Committee Member Niru de Silva, who is the Director of Retreats for FOCUS.

“Leaders of the Church need to invest in and support the leadership of young

adults,” said Committee Member Anna Gordon. Anna is the Program Director for the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.

“Many of the young adults I work with are engaged in environmental justice and sustainability efforts in their careers or studies,” said Committee Member Diana Marin, who serves as Program Manager of Young Adult Mobilization at Catholic Climate Covenant.

“They come to the Church bringing not just their skills in and urgency for climate action, but also their desire that the Church model the environmental stewardship needed to address the climate crisis,” she continued. “The passion and leadership these young adults display prompts bold action. And here’s our opportunity: to empower their voices and nurture their spiritual formation so that we as a Church community can be transformed in faithfulness to our common home.”

The discussion around the question of what matters to young adults in the Church helped shape the Summit’s panel topics, curate resources and recommendations, and identify speakers.

“This gathering of the Church with this vibrancy, authenticity, and urgency truly reflects the transformative grace that young adults and the Church experience together,” said Committee Member Rob Roa, who is Director of Recruitment for the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. “I'm inspired by this work and look forward to the partnership and product the Holy Spirit promises through our shared commitment and responsibility."

Shining A Light on Young Adults

“Young adults — the now of the Church — are also heralds proclaiming God’s Kingdom for the Church of tomorrow and beyond,” said Committee Member Ashley Morris. Ashley is the Director of Black Catholic Affairs for the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

“They are the protagonists, engaged workers in the vineyard of God’s promises we hope for and proof of what we desire to see,” he continued. “I’m grateful Leadership Roundtable continues to go ‘all in’ for young adults in the faith.”

“And here's our opportunity: to empower their voices and nurture their spiritual formation so that we as a Church community can be transformed in faithfulness to our common home.”

—

Diana Marin

The Young Adult Advisory Committee has met regularly with Leadership Roundtable’s Convenings team to offer their thoughts and expertise on how to ensure the Summit isn’t held merely about young adults but with young adults. The members will each have an active role during the Summit or will be featured in video shown during the event.

“For Leadership Roundtable to harness

its convening power in service to such a critical issue is not only an endorsement of the immediacy with which the Church needs to respond, but an opportunity for light to be shone on the leadership of young adults that is already flourishing in many corners of Church life,” said Committee Co-Host Nicole Perone, national coordinator of ESTEEM.

Their Time is Now

“All throughout scripture and Church history, young people have been uniquely called by God to encourage, accompany, and challenge the Church into a more expansive holiness,” said Longmore.

As we consider the future of the Church, there is concern for the pipeline of leadership, for formation of emerging lay leaders to serve in critical roles. There is concern for recruitment and retention, specifically of young adults to leadership positions, and for developing a culture that has a diversity of thought, representation, and action. These concerns

drove the theme of our Summit, but it was the young adult leaders engaged in its development who shaped it into an event that has drawn a record number of young adults to attend.

“Young adults are already bringing their gifts, energies, and enthusiasm to bear fruit for the common good, and not to engage them for the good of the Church is simply a missed opportunity,” said Perone. “As Pope Francis encourages in Christus Vivit, young adults are the ‘now’ of the Church, and the time is now for us to amplify and engage them.”

Young adults are not an addendum to the leadership of the Church — they must be afforded a central role. Co-responsible leadership ensure individuals of different ages, genders, races, and backgrounds are present at decision-making tables. We knew it was not enough to host a Summit talking about young adults — young adults must be involved in all aspects of the event.

(left to right): Paul Jarzembowski, John Grosso, Nicole Perone, Casey Stanton, Jenny Drzewiecki at the 2022 Catholic Partnership Summit.

2024 SUMMIT SESSION TOPICS

Session 1 — Keynote: Young Adults in a Synodal Church

Connecting the Synod on Youth in 2018 to the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality currently underway, as an unprecedented moment in the Church to accompany, mentor, and form young adults for leadership, while creating a synodal Church where everyone can belong.

Session 2 — Today’s Catholic Young Adults: Engaged. Diverse. Questioning. Caring. Passionate.

A look at where young adults are in relation to the Church and its leadership, how they live their spiritual lives, and the importance of speaking openly about mental health.

Session 3 — The Church We Want to Be: An Authentic Place for All to Belong

Taking a deeper dive into belonging, trust, and how the Church can ensure the leadership tables of its parishes, communities, and ministries are spaces where all young adults truly belong.

Session 4 — An Expanded Tent: Church Beyond the Parish Walls

Exploring the Church of today and lived faith of young adults, including the role of digital media and technology in forming and sustaining faith communities, and how parishes can adapt to meet young adults where they are.

INVESTING IN SOCIAL CHANGE the Crimsonbridge Foundation

Gabriela Smith (center) founder of the Crimsonbridge Foundation together with Senior Program Officer Caitlin Mayo (left), President and CEO Danielle Reyes (right). Photo Courtesy of Crimsonbridge Foundation

The Impact of Philanthropy

In 2015, Gabriela Smith founded Crimsonbridge Foundation with the goal of improving access to quality education, empowering leaders, and investing in a better future.

“I know that philanthropy can be life-changing,” she said. “A grant is an investment in social change.”

Leadership Roundtable became a partner with Crimsonbridge Foundation in 2022 when it invested in our work to build bilingual communications within our organization and in all of our publications. Leadership Roundtable’s bilingual work is an extension of our commitment to developing the leadership capacity of Hispanic/ Latino Catholic leaders.

Motivated by Faith

Raised in the Catholic Church and educated in Catholic schools, faith both motivates and inspires Smith, who today serves as the foundation’s Executive Chair.

“I don’t feel like I’m a ‘member’ of the Catholic Church,” she shared of her faith. “It’s my DNA. It’s my family. I don’t feel that I have to ask for permission. It’s my home.”

Smith said her faith “colors everything that I do, precisely because we are inspired by the Catholic social teaching of Jesus.” Just as Jesus ministered to people of all backgrounds and faiths, when serving people’s needs, she said she ensured that her foundation does the same.

“We don’t ask if you’re Catholic,” she said. “We help everyone, and we include everyone.”

Still, Smith’s Catholic faith has influenced Crimsonbridge’s philanthropic work, which she said is rooted in the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. “We strive to promote education, inclusion, and to build bridges of collaboration and opportunity precisely because we are inspired by Catholic Social Teaching.”

Supporting Nonprofit Leaders

A major tenet of Crimsonbridge Foundation’s mission is the support of, investment in, and development of nonprofit leaders.

Through reflecting on a core question — “What would we have really wanted when we were young leaders?” — Crimsonbridge realized there was a strong need for leadership development, particularly for young leaders of color in the Washington, D.C. region, which it calls home. It created the LeaderBridge initiative to help meet the leadership development needs of young leaders from diverse backgrounds and to help them build a collaborative leadership network.

“We ask nonprofit leaders what it is that they want to work on, and we do everything we can to provide that,” Smith said.

Crimsonbridge Foundation knows it can be difficult for nonprofits to invest in the development of their staff and

to solicit philanthropic support for staff development. LeaderBridge helps these organizations invest in the leadership capacity of their staff and ultimately the strength of their mission.

Investing in Bilingual Communications

Crimsonbridge Foundation is one of only 2% of foundations in the United States guided by Hispanic/Latino leadership and holds investment in bilingual communication among its core investment priorities.

Their dedication to philanthropic investment in efforts to expand bilingual communication is what brought Crimsonbridge and Leadership Roundtable together.

Through Crimsonbridge’s investment, Leadership Roundtable has been able to expand our staff to include a Bilingual/ Bicultural Communications Manager who leads the work to make Leadership Roundtable’s website, newsletters, and other digital and print publications available in Spanish as well as English.

Caitlin Mayo, senior program officer at Crimsonbridge, shared the importance of bilingual communication as a best practice for a Church with growing diversity.

“We know to welcome people, to provide information, to engage them through language access is so critical for true inclusion, and in the case of the Church, of course, essential for things like parish vitality and the very future of our Church, which is a bilingual Church,” she said.

Investing in Women’s Leadership

Smith said she feels strongly that women must be supported and recognized as valuable leaders, which is why Crimsonbridge also invests in programs and initiatives that support and further women’s leadership.

“It hurts to know that women struggle to really be seen as equals in the sense that we are all children of God,” Smith said. “The Church has a lot of work to do, and it cannot be dismissed. This is fundamental to the Church.”

Crimsonbridge is committed to increasing female representation in government, education, on boards, and in leadership positions across all sectors. In 2018, it created its first program for supporting girls, with the long-term goal of helping to build a new generation of women leaders.

Investing in Education

“Education is at the heart of everything that we’re doing,” Smith shared, adding that Catholic education is particularly important. Smith believes the future of the Church in the United States relies on building bridges between Hispanic/Latino families and Catholic schools and parishes.

Her passion for education and experience in Catholic school is why one of the pillars of Crimsonbridge’s work is their Education Imperative. The Education Imperative aims to engage Hispanic/ Latino families and support their enrollment in Catholic schools.

“Catholic school vitality, parish vitality, and Church vitality are deeply connected.

Helping schools thrive helps the entire Church community,” Smith added.

A key component of the Education Imperative is Bridges for Schools, a program aimed at creating belonging and meaningful engagement within school communities through investing in Spanish and bilingual communications. Since Bridges for Schools launched in the Archdiocese of Washington, it has expanded to more than 43 schools and led to a noticeable increase in enrollment among Hispanic/Latino students.

Relational Partnership

Crimsonbridge Foundation views each grantee they support as a partner and believes the relationship formed between their organizations to be as, or more, important than the funding they provide.

“Trust and having established a relationship of mutual respect has to be in place for something to be implemented and for success,” said Danielle Reyes, who has served as president and CEO of Crimsonbridge since its founding. “Money alone has never really created change. It has to be accompanied by the trust of a relationship, the financial capital coupled with human capital.”

In seeing their philanthropy through a partnership lens, Crimsonbridge counts itself as part of the work their grantees are doing.

“We’re really not just looking for projects or proposals to fund and support but playing that active partnership role and connecting networks,” Reyes said.

REVITALIZING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Facilitating Discussions to Reinvigorate Catholic Education in America

When Leadership Roundtable formed an advisory committee of bishops in 2022, we asked them what weighed on their hearts. Overwhelmingly, the bishops remarked that the future and sustainability of Catholic schools was an issue of great concern.

Over the past few years, bishops, philanthropists, advocates, and others have raised to Leadership Roundtable that there is a growing, urgent concern for the success and sustainability of Catholic education in the United States, as well as a major opportunity.

Our Bishops’ Advisory Committee advised that Leadership Roundtable could potentially assist efforts to address the sustainability of Catholic education, and, where possible, to leverage our network-ofnetworks to support ongoing conversation with leaders in the Church about the current opportunities for Catholic education.

In 2023, Leadership Roundtable hosted two gatherings of our Bishops’ Advisory Committee in June and November during the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) general assemblies.

June Meeting

We asked the bishops and the other attendees to provide us guidance on our work with universities, and to advise on what, if any, role that Leadership Roundtable could play in the emerging possibilities opening up for Catholic education.

A diverse representation of 19 cardinals and bishops took part in the meeting and gave their advice on these recent initiatives involving Catholic education.

Several major themes emerged that the bishops identified as central to the future of Catholic schools including:

• Catholic culture and identity

• Community and connection

• Support for teachers and administrators

• The vital role of pastors

• School governance and collaboration with the laity

• Models of education, innovation, and sustainability

• Engaging and serving the Latino community.

The bishops and thought leaders who attended the meeting advised Leadership Roundtable to continue our work with universities to scale our programs through their institutions, noting that it would help forge stronger relationships between higher education institutions and their local dioceses. They encouraged us to continue to make it a top priority of our work.

November Meeting

Recognizing that concern for the sustainability of Catholic schools reaches across divisions in the Church, we intentionally invited a diverse group of bishops, education professionals, and philanthropic organizations to attend the meeting.

The 90 participants, almost half of whom were bishops, represented diverse theological and ideological positions as well as varying opinions on the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for Catholic schools. Leadership Roundtable engaged attendees in a synodal process to explore ways to support the Church in its work with Catholic schools.

The November meeting began with a proposal to create a national movement to recommit and re-energize our Catholic education system that forms the whole young person — body, mind, and soul. With a national revitalization effort as a framework, the participants began exploring innovation, performance, and growth for Catholic schools.

The gathering featured two panels of experts, the first of which presented innovative and successful approaches to running Catholic schools, discussed experiences leading efforts to develop innovative models for education, and ways those successes could be replicated. The innovative models represented were:

• Partnership Schools, which operate in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Cleveland

• Julie Billiart Schools Network, which

works with children with learning differences

• Seton Education Partners, which works in dioceses across the country.

The second panel of experts focused on solutions to the ongoing funding challenges. The programs represented in the panel were:

• Children’s Scholarship Fund, a privately funded tuition assistance program

• The Lynch Foundation, a major funder of Catholic education in Massachusetts

• American Federation for Children, an organization that advocates for school choice across the country.

At the end of each panel discussion, the 11 table groups were asked to consider key questions:

1. What is the next key step we can take together to revitalize Catholic schools and ensure their success?

2. From a strategic perspective as leaders, how do we create a unified public commitment to prioritize Catholic schools as an integral part of the Church’s mission?

The vital importance of financial models that drive value, hire, and retain the best personnel, and lead to sustainability of Catholic schools emerged from the conversations. Understanding the current demographic reality of the Church and prioritizing greater outreach — especially in the Hispanic/Latino community — is critical.

The vital importance of leadership, in particular from the local bishop, but also nationally from the bishops as a body, came up repeatedly among attendees.

Jill Kafka of Partnership Schools

Despite many mistakes and serious challenges, the Catholic Church still has a respected role in the public square. Attendees suggested it be used to build public support for sustaining our Catholic systems of education.

For success, while leadership is vital, the whole community needs to be involved. On a local level, there needs to be a partnership of the parish, families, and schools that starts with building bridges with pastors and parishioners and creating co-responsible cultures of greater transparency and accountability.

Another area of critical concern from attendees was leadership and management. There was clear consensus that it is not possible to go back to the way things were, and that there is a great need to unify efforts while diversifying the models of education in Catholic schools.

Attendees said a focus could be placed, for example, on regional schools rather than parochial, and dioceses need to explore a variety of education models, some of which were showcased by the members of the opening panel.

It was suggested that there be a national effort towards innovation that is data-

driven, in order to identify models that exist both inside and outside the Catholic education system.

Next Steps

Leadership Roundtable committed to hosting another discussion on the topic of Catholic Schools during its 2024 Catholic Partnership Summit in early 2024. A special breakfast on March 1, 2024 will welcome bishops and others back into conversation on this topic.

Many groups also committed to continued partnership and collaboration to advance key efforts. To date, the partner organizations have formed four working groups that focus on key topics including:

• Innovation

• Data and communications

• Governance

• Sustainability.

Leadership Roundtable Executive Partner, Patrick Markey (left) talks with Bishop John P. Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix

GENEROUS DONORS

Organizations

Amaturo Family Foundation, Inc.

Anonymous

Archdiocese of Hartford

Archdiocese of Louisville

Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

Association of US Catholic Priests

B J Cassin Family

Boisi Family Foundation

Changing Our World, Inc.

CHRISTUS Health

Crimsonbridge Foundation

Dominican Sisters of Peace

Elizabeth & Frank Ingrassia Foundation

Healey Family Foundation

Heffernan Family Foundation

Lilly Endowment, Inc.

McQuade Family Foundation

ParishSOFT

Partnership Schools

Penates Foundation

Pushpay

Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology

St. Rita Mercy Foundation

The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage

The Lynch Foundation

Villanova University

Individuals

Reverend Richard Bay

Reverend John P. Beal, III

Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Stephanie Brough

Mr. Kevin K. Carton

Reverend Daniel Cogut

Mr. and Mrs. Rob Crisci

Mr. Richard F. Czaja

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Denihan

LTG James M. Dubik, USA (Ret.)

Mr. Kevin J. Dwyer

Mr. Mario J. Gabelli

Mr. Robert C. Gasser

Mr. Paul K. Henderson

Mr. Christopher Kerr

Mrs. Susan R. King

Ms. Christina Lamas

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth G. Langone

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Lucey

Mr. Patrick Markey

Sister Teresa Maya, CCVI

Dr. Kathleen L. McChesney

Reverend Michael McFarland, SJ

Mr. Kevin B. Meme

Mr. Daniel Misleh

The Honorable Michael Montelongo

Mr. Daniel Murray

Mr. and Mrs. James N. Perry, Jr.

Reverend Anthony Pogorelc

Mr. Joseph Regan

Mr. and Mrs. Paul C. Reilly

Dr. Brian B. Reynolds

Ms. British Robinson

Mr. Brian Shea

Mrs. Gabriela Smith

Ms. Nicole Sotelo

Dr. and Mrs. Peter Steinfels

Deacon Patrick Stokely

Mr. Dominic Tarantino

Reverend Donald Thimm

Mr. Patrick J. Waide

Reverend John J. Wall

Mr. Michael Zink

Tribute Gifts

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin J. Conway

In Honor of Geoffrey T. Boisi

Mr. and Mrs. Carl DeBarbrie, Jr.

In Honor of Most Reverend John C. Wester

Mr. Kevin T. Fee In Honor of Geoffrey T. Boisi

Ms. Kerry A. Robinson

In Honor of The fabulous staff of Leadership Roundtable

Ms. Kendra E. Davenport, CFRE In Memory of Maryalice M. Ennis

Mr. Paul G. Tierney

In Memory of Rev. Robert Beloin

Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Inc. In Honor of Geoffrey T. Boisi

The above foundations, organizations, and individuals made generous gifts between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.

If we neglected to accurately recognize your generosity, please accept our apologies and notify us so that we may correct our records.

$451,870 (13%)

SOURCES OF SUPPORT

$721,302 (17%)

USES OF SUPPORT

$247,308 (7%)

$3,581,917 (83%)

$2,774,866 (80%)

FINANCIALS

Assets without Donor Restrictions are used to account for public support that is unrestricted in nature. Assets with Donor Restrictions are used to account for contributions that have donor-imposed restrictions that have not been fulfilled either in time or by purpose.

This summary was prepared by Leadership Roundtable from its financial statements, which were prepared by Matthews, Carter & Boyce. The complete financial statements, including the related notes and auditor’s report, are available on our website, leadershiproundtable.org, and upon request.

2023 audited financial states are in preparation and will be issued after this report. Once issued they can be found on our website at leadershiproundtable.org.

OUR ORGANIZATION

Leadership Roundtable Staff

Leadership Roundtable Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elizabeth McCaul Co-Chair of the Board

Geoffrey T. Boisi Founder, Leadership Roundtable

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Joseph Donald Regan Co-Chair of the Board

Lt. Gen. (ret.)

James M. Dubik

DIRECTORS

Rev. John Beal

Kevin K. Carton

Kendra Davenport*

Daniel Denihan

Kevin J. Dwyer

Bryan F. Grane

Thomas J. Healey

J. Bryan Hehir

Susan King

Michael Brough Executive Partner

Kate Alexander Director of Communications and Marketing

Andrea Blanco Program Manager, Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative

Brittany Czekaj Development Manager

Peter Denio Program Manager

Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, SJ Vice-Chair & Secretary of the Board

Robert Gasser Treasurer of the Board

Kathleen McChesney*

Gene McQuade

Michael Montelongo

Christina Lamas Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI

Jim Perry

* these directors concluded or began their term mid-year

EXECUTIVE PARTNERS STAFF

Patrick Markey Executive Partner

STAFF

Fr. Kevin Kennedy Senior Leadership Director

Ana Larmour

Senior Finance and Operations Manager

Jenna McAndrew Communications Coordinator

Lisa Metcalfe Director of Services and Programs

Paul C. Reilly

Brian B. Reynolds

British Robinson

Kerry Alys Robinson*

Rev. John J. Wall

Kim Smolik Executive Partner

Nicole Perone National Coordinator, ESTEEM

Leslie Rodriguez

Bilingual/Bicultural Communications Manager

Joanne Ruddy Convenings and Meetings Manager

Deacon Patrick Stokely Senior Program Manager

BISHOP ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Archbishop Borys Gudziak Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia

Archbishop Bernard Hebda Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Archbishop William E. Lori Archdiocese of Baltimore

Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski Archdiocese of St. Louis

Bishop Mark L. Bartchak Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown

Bishop Steven R. Biegler Diocese of Cheyenne

Frank J. Caggiano Diocese of Bridgeport

Bishop Arturo Cepeda Diocese of Detroit

Bishop Peter F. Christensen Diocese of Boise

Barry C. Knestout Diocese of Richmond

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight Diocese of Jefferson City

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger Diocese of Albany

Bishop David L. Toups Diocese of Beaumont

YOUNG ADULT ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Anna Gordon Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

Kelli Regan Hickey Francesco Collective

Colin Martinez Longmore NETWORK

Diana Marin Catholic Climate Covenant

Ashley Morris Archdiocese of Atlanta

Nicole Perone ESTEEM

Vicente Del Real Iskali

Rob Roa Jesuit Volunteer Corps

Niru de Silva FOCUS

Nicholas Stein Bon Secours Young Adults

JOIN OUR MISSION

The individuals and foundations who invest in Leadership Roundtable are more than financial contributors, they are thought-partners who work in close relationship with our organization. As a donor, you become an essential member of Leadership Roundtable, personally invited into deeper engagement in our service to the Church.

Become part of our mission.

Connect with one of our Executive Partners.

Let’s start a conversation.

brittany@leadershiproundtable.org

(202) 635-5820

leadershiproundtable.org

OUR MISSION

In partnership with lay, ordained, and religious leaders and organizations across all sectors of the Catholic community in the United States and Rome, Leadership Roundtable seeks to elevate and implement best practices in management and leadership to establish a culture of co-responsible, servant leadership for a healthy, thriving Church in the U.S.

info@leadershiproundtable.org leadershiproundtable.org

Photo by Lola Gomez/© Catholic News Service, U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops