Twelve Wicker Baskets

Steier Group

In the Gospel, Jesus fed 5,000 with only five loaves and two fish. After the crowd was satisfied, there were 12 wicker baskets left over. God provides the abundance. In each episode of this podcast, we will explore, with pastoral leaders and development professionals, all the many ways God meets the spiritual and temporal needs of our parish communities, our Catholic schools and the diocesan church. And not only meets those needs but provides in abundance. read less
Religion & SpiritualityReligion & Spirituality
ChristianityChristianity

Episodes

The Charisms & Innovation of Catholic Education
Sep 25 2024
The Charisms & Innovation of Catholic Education
A native of Ohio and a product of Catholic education, Colin Campbell knows very well the value and impact Catholic education has on a child, the character formation and critical thinking it instills, and the openness it creates to mystery and vocation in life.  All Saints Catholic School, where Colin serves as President, partnered with the Steier Group to conduct a transformative campaign to allow the school to continue its charism of excellence in faith, character, academics and service well into the future. All Saints, a three blue ribbon school in its 25 year history, is grounded in three immutable strategic anchors that define its community and mission. Of the first anchor, Colin states, “we are a Catholic school, not a private school that happens to be Catholic.” Second, the school is intentional about its size with no more than 20 students in each classroom. And the third strategic anchor is to lead students to discover and live their passion. “It is never easier and more fun to lead a place than a community that is really articulate in why they do what they do,” Colin said. Being anchored also allows All Saints to be innovative without compromising the school’s central mission. Trends in Catholic education, like starting Catholic education in pre-school, or the renewed interest in a classical curriculum, or the many families who homeschool, all provide All Saints opportunities to incorporate aspects of the trends in such a way that what makes All Saints unique is preserved. Colin notes that his role as President gives him the vantage point to see the big picture and to think in terms of months and years. “When you put things in the Holy Spirit’s hands,” he said, “it tends to work!”Guest: Colin CampbellTitle: President, All Saints Catholic School, Dallas TXFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Educating in Dialogue with Reality
Aug 28 2024
Educating in Dialogue with Reality
With a history over 400 years, the religious sisters who belong to the Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady have a rich tradition of Catholic education inspired by the charism and vision of the community’s foundress, St. Jeanne de Lestonnac. St. Jeanne’s own familial and vocation experiences helped form her practical application of education in a time when education meant largely memorization of facts and was open only to boys. St. Jeanne de Lestonnac school, of which Sister Ernestine Velarde, serves as President, carries on the universal mission of the religious order but in the practical context of California to educate students in dialogue with reality, which is to say to educate students to live practically in the circumstances and conditions of the world, to discern the needs around them and apply what they’ve learned in service to others, and to live in joyful witness to the faith. “We educate by our attitudes,” Sister Ernestine said. “We don’t see education just when we’re in front of the classroom, but also by how we respond to things.” Forming each student, not just for himself or herself, but for communal, social and global good is at the heart of authentic education in the tradition of St. Jeanne de Lestonnac. Personal development with socialization, freedom with responsibility, and personal autonomy with collaboration are the aims of the Company of Mary our Lady in educating the young. Sister Ernestine’s leadership of St. Jeanne de Lestonnac’s capital campaign led to a beautiful new building for their upper school, which continues to grow, building on the long tradition of grade school education. The beauty of the building itself educates, Sister Ernestine noted, in that contemplating beauty draws us into mystery and makes us more human.Guest: Sr. Ernestine Velarde, ODNTitle: President, Saint Jeanne de Lestonnac School, Temecula, CAFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Making Catholic Education Inclusive and Accessible
Jul 31 2024
Making Catholic Education Inclusive and Accessible
Abriana Chilelli describes the beginning of Fire Foundation Denver as nothing short of providential. Just as Covid came on the scene, several parents of children with disabilities wrote in large numbers to the Archdiocese of Denver with the request for support to help them educate their children in Catholic schools, many of which were not prepared for special needs students. Soon, with Archbishop Aquila’s blessing, a group of mothers of special needs children organized to start Fire Foundation Denver, replicating Fire Foundation Kansas City where the model began. With a board in place, the foundation began fundraising and awarding grants right away. With success stories to share, the foundation grew in three years from granting $100,000 to three schools to granting $500,000 to fourteen schools.Kyle Van Frank champions Catholic education, saying it has always been a vanguard for forming young people in a way that recognizes “dignity, truth, goodness in the child and to form them in very apt and appropriate settings. I think this is the next chapter for Catholic education across our country.” The Church’s vision of the dignity of the human person orients the true nature of education. “It’s not for production, it’s not skills training, it’s not career preparation,” Abriana states, adding, “Education is the whole formation of the human person, for the human person himself, in order to see reality well, both naturally and supernaturally, and to come to understand the truth and the freedom of Jesus Christ himself, the Logos who created and ordered all things.” Kyle adds, “At the end of the day, the aim and purpose is to prepare our young children to be saints.” In this regard, kids with disabilities, who often live without malice, are great peacemakers and are a blessing to those around them. “All hearts are widened as a result of this work.”Guests: Abriana Chilelli, Assistant Director of Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; Kyle Van Frank, Executive Director, Fire Foundation DenverFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Getting Your Diocese Ready for a Campaign
May 29 2024
Getting Your Diocese Ready for a Campaign
Michael Hoffman has years of financial services and diocesan development experience and, in this episode,  draws on that experience to share important tips for any diocese considering a capital campaign. “We knew we needed to do something… nothing was not an option,” Michael said of the diocesan financial needs at his previous position as the Director of Stewardship for the Diocese of Davenport. Priest retirement and vocations support needed long-term funding, but the third leg of the stool was the parish share, allowing parishes to determine at the parochial level how their portion of campaign funds would be applied.Knowing “generational giving” and cultural giving is also important to tailor appeals across a diocese to reflect the variety of ways people give that tend to track with their community and peers. Regular stewardship quips in the bulletin next to financial reporting can helps parishes see a rise in offertory income. Utilizing AI for ask strings, circling back to dormant donors, and several touches with donors throughout the year are yet more tips to foster ordinary giving and prepare a diocese for the extraordinary appeal of a campaign. At the heart of diocesan development work and long-term planning for a campaign is the vital necessity of building trust and relationship with pastors and school principals. It’s critical, Michael states, that they know you’ve got their back. “Once that trust level is there, it’s amazing what can get accomplished.”Guest: Michael HoffmanTitle: Director of Development & Stewardship, Diocese of St. AugustineFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Growing Your Parish Financially and Spiritually
Apr 24 2024
Growing Your Parish Financially and Spiritually
“The Church is the hope of the world, and the local parish is the hope of the Church,” says Tom Corcoran, co-author of ChurchMoney, a book that is part of the Rebuilt series. Tom’s experience in helping his own parish to be a thriving, vibrant community of faith inspired him, along with his pastor, Father Michael White, to help other parish communities throughout the world to experience the same renewal. Tom encourages parishes to develop a model of ministry and to invite other into that vision. Younger generations are less inclined to donate money to institutions, Tom notes, and so parishes need to shift the paradigm from supporting the Church to supporting ministry and mission. “People give to vision, and people give to people.” A renewed sense of discipleship will result in a renewed sense of stewardship.“The way back to financial health in parishes is to start connecting the dots between money and following Jesus.” Tom has a plan for how parishes can raise givers, rather than just raise money. Since “money is a spiritual issue,” Tom stresses that raising givers begins with prayer as step one. He also notes that people will learn about money either from the culture with its emphasis on spending and saving, or from Scripture, which prioritizes giving and generosity. Frequent preaching on how often money is presented in Scripture, then, is crucial to a sound formation of Christian stewards. Giving may cause us to sacrifice parts of our lifestyle, but handing over what is dear to us—making a sacrifice—actually begets cheerfulness and joy. This is the central message that parishes must embrace, pray about, reflect on, and implement… to be brought closer to God requires us to imitate his generosity and freedom. Guest: Tom CorcoranTitle: Author, Speaker, and EvangelistFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
The Challenges and Opportunities of Young Catholic Professionals
Mar 27 2024
The Challenges and Opportunities of Young Catholic Professionals
After completing her M.B.A., Jennifer Baugh went through a soul-searching period while waiting to start a new consulting job, asking God to deepen her faith. She came to a new and profound realization of God’s love and the mission to share that love with others. Not long thereafter, Jennifer established Young Catholic Professionals (YCP), an apostolate that has grown exponentially, signaling that Catholic professionals in their 20s and 30s have a shared longing for encouragement and for a community to support excellence at work integrated into a life of discipleship.Now with chapters in over 40 cities across the U.S., YCP is a network as much a community aimed at instilling an authentic Catholic identity equipped for apologetics in the public square, providing community to breakdown isolation and build strong friendships, and inspiring members to action in response to God’s call to serve. YCP seeks to foster an awareness of stewardship and generosity among members with inspiring accounts from mentors who have experienced the joy of giving of time, talent and treasure. This is of vital importance, particularly in the face of decreasing church giving among younger generations. “Authenticity is what young people are craving,” Jennifer noted, and giving cannot be simply transactional for the young but more engaging and impactful.YCP has strategies to grow geographically but also in evangelistic efforts in the cities where chapters are already established. Looking to the future, YCP wants to offer members increasing opportunities for spiritual enrichment, professional advancement, and more intentional networking so that members can live the authentic, integrated life to which God has called them.Guest: Jennifer BaughTitle: Founder and Executive Director, Young Catholic ProfessionalsFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Mission and Money: Ensuring Morally Responsible Investments
Feb 28 2024
Mission and Money: Ensuring Morally Responsible Investments
Responsible for faith-based and secular non-profit markets at Innovest, Sarah brings to bear her rich experience of non-profit development, marketing, and business development along with her faith and sense of stewardship in managing clients’ investment portfolios. In this episode, Sarah explores how building a morally conscious investment portfolio is more than avoiding “sin stocks,” but requires a deeper due diligence to ensure funds are not applied to causes antithetical to the Gospel and the Church’s teaching on faith and morals. Maintaining value alignment is important so that support is not given to causes that harm authentic Christian discipleship or true communion.“Our clients are always at the center of every decision we make,” Sarah explains, emphasizing that in managing clients’ investments, establishing client mission over shareholder interest is essential to maintain value alignment. Making investment decisions based on shareholder returns can be “a big problem and conflict of interest” in a fiduciary relationship. As a secular firm with Catholic values, Innovest manages $45 billion for retirement plans, for non-profit foundations, endowments, operating reserves, and retirement plans, and for high net-worth individuals. Sarah said that, in keeping with the vision of Innovest’s founders, “we believe that we are stewards of everyone we come in contact with, whether that’s clients, people in the community, even our employees…we very much have a stewardship culture.” In addition to stewarding clients’ investments, Innovest seeks to be stewards of its own resources by providing educational opportunities for the underserved, monthly volunteer opportunities for employees, and by donating 1% of revenue back to their clients to help their missions.In Catholic investing, the USCCB’s investment guidelines serve as a starting point for morally responsible investing. Dioceses have an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) which includes language on how the IPS adheres to the USCCB guidelines and in what asset parameters investments can be made. Sarah stresses the importance of having a “Catholic ecosystem of resources” to help Catholic entities manage and invest funds in a manner truly harmonious with the Church’s mission. Vendors, banks, investment companies, development professionals, asset managers, etc. must all embrace the mission of the gospel. This ecosystem helps ensure morally responsible investments. For example, companies earn ESG (environmental, social and governance) scores depending on how well they fulfill their responsibility to the community in these sectors. A high ESG score gains more investors. But a secular perspective on ESG causes does not prescind from Catholic anthropology, which in turn means that companies’ ESG initiatives often do not advance authentic human flourishing, thereby compromising value alignment. A Catholic ecosystem will help mitigate poor investment decisions and help guide Catholic entities to make the best return on investment, advance the gospel, and bring authentic human freedom, joy, peace and flourishing to the world.Guest: Sarah NewmanTitle: Vice President, InnovestFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Communicating the Faith in a Compelling Way
Jan 31 2024
Communicating the Faith in a Compelling Way
Lino Rulli, aka “The Catholic Guy” on Sirius XM Radio, came into a greater appreciation of his Catholic faith in college after experiencing a tragedy that prompted life’s big questions. A communications undergraduate major with a graduate theology degree, Rulli later discovered an opportunity to start a tv show at a local parish, which later was syndicated across the US and won Emmy awards. His broadcasting career on matters relating to the faith was born.“My goal has not necessarily been to find new ways to advance the Church’s mission,” Rulli explains. He seeks, rather, to maintain broadcasting professional standards while being himself. That’s what builds relationship, which is the premise for good communication. Whether it’s social media, broadcasting or pastoral leadership, the Church’s ability to communicate requires the trust that relationship builds. Rulli points to Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, as an example of a pastor who fosters relationships well. As the cardinal’s personal media advisor, Rulli shares his firsthand experience of how Cardinal Dolan helps build a bridge with Catholics and non-believers alike, a bridge that carries the gospel to wide audiences. “What are we afraid of? Is there someplace we’re not supposed to be proclaiming the gospel?” Rulli asks, warning, “the reason religion shrinks is religion keeps talking to itself.” Communicating is about telling your story and to tell it with honesty, vulnerability, and passion. Just as the Lord communicated with stories, and always based on relationship, so must Church tell the story to engage hearts and minds for mission. Guest: Lino RulliTitle: “The Catholic Guy” on Sirius XM RadioFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Faithful Stewardship for the Universal Church
Dec 27 2023
Faithful Stewardship for the Universal Church
In this episode, Ian Rangel describes the history, mission, and impact of The Papal Foundation, the only charitable organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to fulfilling the requests of the Holy Father for the needs of the Church. The foundation aims at providing the resources to address capital, humanitarian and vocational needs throughout the developing world or, as Ian puts it, to serve “the underdogs of the Church.”Begun in 1988 during the pontificate of St. John Paul II, the foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) organization, has provided over $200 million in response to requests for assistance from across the globe. A donor becomes a Steward of Saint Peter with a minimum contribution of $1 million in support of the foundation’s mission. Stewards of Saint Peter and their families are invited to make an annual pilgrimage to Rome, which includes an audience with the Holy Father, and are invited to support his Petrine ministry through prayer. Ian describes the support the foundation has given to the Center for Working Families in Quito, Ecuador to assist families in abject poverty learn skills and trades to provide them a better life. He also explains how the foundation’s aid to the Church in Poland helped them provide shelter and essentials for Ukrainian refugees. The foundation’s St. John Paul II scholarship fund provides priests, religious men and women, seminarians, and men and women in formation for religious life from the developing world to receive their education and formation at one of the fifteen pontifical universities in Rome.Ian reflects, ”To walk in partnership and journey with our Stewards of Saint Peter, who in many ways have seen their own neighborhoods of the Church grow as they are supporting the work in a very generous way at levels that are just phenomenal, is just a humbling experience.”Guest: Ian RangelTitle: Vice President of Steward Development, The Papal FoundationFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Stewardship
Nov 28 2023
The Eucharist: Source and Summit of Stewardship
Bishop Andrew Cozzens is the Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston and currently Chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, in virtue of which he is tasked by the bishops to spearhead the three-year National Eucharistic Revival. In this very theological episode, Bishop Cozzens explores how Christ’s gift of himself in the incarnation is perpetuated in his gift of self in the Eucharist. “The Eucharist is the heart of the Church, which means it is the heart of the disciple,” Bishop Cozzens explains. In the Eucharist, we receive “our greatest good,” namely Jesus himself, which inspires us to live as he lived. “How does Jesus live? Well, he gave himself away to us,” Bishop Cozzens states. “My response is, I need to give this back. I need to give myself back. And, of course, that’s what stewardship is. Stewardship is making a gift of my life.”“Fewer people understand that the heart of the Eucharist is about receiving a gift and giving a gift,” the bishop noted, and it’s why the bishops are eager to lead the faithful into a deeper appreciation of this truth. All the sacrifices we make in our daily lives “become truly valuable as we unite them to Christ’s” in the Eucharist. The US bishops have noted a Eucharistic crisis in that many in our secular culture do not know they’ve been invited to the Banquet of the Lamb. Bishop Cozzens retraces the steps by which the US bishops came up with the plan for a Eucharistic National Revival, describes its structure and presents the aim of each of the revival’s three years. The National Eucharistic Congress scheduled for July 2024 in Indianapolis, is the first such congress in 83 years. By the revival, the bishops seek first to enflame Catholics’ Eucharistic faith so that, in turn, there starts a missionary fire – not a program – to burn away indifference, false idols, and selfishness in the heart. This will open the way to stewardship, generous giving and joy.Guest: Bishop Andrew CozzensTitle: Bishop of the Diocese of CrookstonFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Faithful Entrepreneurship: Co-Creating with God
Oct 25 2023
Faithful Entrepreneurship: Co-Creating with God
In this episode, Twelve Wicker Baskets shifts from the philanthropic focus of supporting the Church’s mission to the perspective of those who generate the resources for that support through entrepreneurial business ventures. David Niccolini, a husband, father, and innovating founder of four successful companies, shares his career journey from the perspective of faith, noting that entrepreneurial work is very creative and, when done in cooperation with grace, is a co-creative act with how God creates. Each of us has a God-given purpose and God delights in us when we live and work fulfilling that purpose. We are most alive and are most creative when our work flows from our overall purpose, avoiding a false separation between our life of faith and our daily work lives. Faithful entrepreneurship prioritizes relationship over transaction and operates from a mindset of abundance over scarcity. Innovation in business requires a step into the unknown in a way that parallels how the prophets were invited by God to step out of the familiar and venture into a mission that required them to rely on his grace and call moment to moment. All of us can relate to this experience when we encounter the Lord, whose invitation to discipleship requires a trusting act of faith. What God, the Original Entrepreneur, wants to do with each of us is innovative. Each of us is needed; each of us has a unique purpose, but all of us must rely on God’s promise, mercy and love to fulfill it. Guest: David NiccoliniTitle: EntrepreneurFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Trends in the Church: Bad News or Opportunities?
Sep 27 2023
Trends in the Church: Bad News or Opportunities?
Matt Vuorela became Chief Executive Officer of the Steier Group in August 2023. In this episode, Matt shares his perspective that many of the discouraging trends we see in the Catholic Church in the United States today are actually opportunities to be bold and creative. From his seat at the head of the firm, he also speaks to other trends in the fundraising/development sector that point to some very positive news.The bishops of the United States have recognized that the Church is in a crisis. Less than half of Catholics in the United States understand or believe in the Eucharist, Mass attendance is at an all-time low, and many young people are disaffiliating from the Church. This crisis of faith is at the heart of what could be called a crisis of stewardship in the Church. Giving to religious charities decreases with each passing generation. This means that the Church’s strongest supporters tend to be an older demographic. From a development point of view, this is a great challenge. “My call to everyone is not to accept these trends,” Matt said. “Be bold in your thinking. If you think you’re going to fail, you’re probably right. There is nothing that says we have to accept these trends. There is nothing that says we only have to survive, rather than thrive."There are other, more regionalized, trends, however, that give great hope. Steier Group campaigns for the Church in southern states are in support of rapid growth, new parishes, and strong ministries.  Matt notes as well that our campaigns for many religious communities with younger vocations have garnered support. School and Newman Center campaigns have done exceptionally well. In fact, major donors want to get behind campaigns to support the faith for high school and college students. “I would contend there is no investment a major donor—or any donor—can make in the future of the Catholic Church, the future of our faith, than at the Newman Center or Catholic high school level. Why? Because this is where you either keep young Catholics invested in the faith or you lose them.”Another key opportunity in the face of these trends is to incorporate planned giving to help people make a lasting impact in support of the Church’s mission. Matt advises that an emphasis on planned giving “needs to be a more central part of every development office’s efforts now and into the future. It is absolutely critical that the office must stay on the radar of those who will give the wealth away, but also to develop relationships with the younger generations who will be inheriting it.”Guest: Matt VuorelaTitle: Chief Executive Officer, The Steier GroupFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
The Impact of a Stewardship Heart
Aug 30 2023
The Impact of a Stewardship Heart
In this episode, Jamie Crane describes the impact someone can have when stewardship is understood, embraced and lived as part of one’s Christian discipleship. Looking to Bishop James Golka, Bishop of Colorado Springs, as a prime example of someone endowed with a stewardship heart, Jamie recounts the ways his pastoral leadership has impacted the life of the diocese and each parish community therein. Emphasizing a Eucharist-focused prayer life, exercising hospitality in a spirit of gratitude, and highlighting the stewardship aspects of time and talent—and not just treasure—are all ways the bishop has encouraged pastors and laity to come to appreciate their Christian life as stewards of God’s abundant gifts. Jamie also serves on the board for the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC); a leadership role that has provided her a way to give back to professional colleagues, who are also fellow disciples of the Lord, for all the support and encouragement she has received from the association. The annual conference, coming up this year in Orlando, is an opportunity to pray, reflect, think, engage, and meet others who are committed to advancing a deep understanding of stewardship as constitutive of discipleship. This year’s gathering will reflect the USCCB’s Eucharistic Revival and will feature a plenary presentation by Bishop Golka on the Eucharist as a School of Stewardship. Guest: Jamie CraneTitle: Director of Stewardship & Development, Diocese of Colorado SpringsFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
The Pilgrimage of Philanthropy
Jul 26 2023
The Pilgrimage of Philanthropy
With both of his grandfathers as Nazarene ministers, Mark Petersen grew up knowing the gospel and the work of ministry. He also grew up inspired by the example of his parents who determined to freeze the assets from their business upon reaching a certain point of success, dedicating any future growth from the business to a philanthropic foundation they established to support noble causes and make a difference in the world. After seminary, Mark and his wife brought their young family to Colombia as evangelical missionaries, but even at that early stage of his faith journey, Mark was drawn to “the mysteries of Catholicism and the beauty of the faith.” Later, after an Ignatian retreat in Bogota, he experienced a profound sense of being at home. Embracing the Catholic faith, Mark later turned to the spiritual exercise of going on pilgrimage to find the “time set apart” from his work of philanthropy and working with donors, charities, families, etc. Walking the camino of Santiago de Compostela, a walk he calls “a whole month retreat,” afforded him the insight to draw parallels between the journey of philanthropy and the journey of pilgrimage, insights he explores in his book, Love Giving Well: The Pilgrimage of Philanthropy.In this episode, Mark explores these parallels, emphasizing that to give philanthropically cannot be transactional but should be transformational; it allows the giver an opportunity to enter into true and deep relationship and to risk heartbreak. Giving is a way to enter into the life of others and to receive as much as one gives, much like one does with fellow pilgrims on a spiritual journey. Philanthropy, Mark notes, is about bringing change into culture; a venture that takes time. It isn’t about fixing problems but changing hearts. This requires the same kind of patience that’s required on pilgrimage. Philanthropy from this perspective is more akin to stewardship. All stewards care for resources that ultimately are not their own; they are in touch with their own neediness. “Being generous is a state of mind, and not an amount of money,” Mark wrote in his book. Everyone is called to be generous with what he or she has first received from the generosity of others, and ultimately the generosity of God, the giver of all good things. Guest: Mark PetersenTitle: CEO, Stronger PhilanthropyFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Pursuing Ventures and Virtue
Jun 28 2023
Pursuing Ventures and Virtue
John Cannon’s unique background in business, finance, political science, monasticism, philosophy, theology and spirituality has equipped him well for launching SENT Ventures. In this episode, John speaks to how God has redirected the course of his life more than once, moving from a business and political career to several years as a Carmelite monk, to establishing SENT as an entrepreneur.From an early age, John sought to make a difference in the world, which led him first to an interest in political service, then to business. Chasing a career and success in investment banking and consulting, however, John gradually left the practice of his Catholic faith. That is, until he visited his father in the hospital who, after a significant automobile accident, was in immense pain. “Despite this incredible suffering, he was very other-focused,” John recounts, experiencing within his own heart a newfound clarity of God’s existence, of his love and mercy, and of a path to transformation. Wanting to surrender more and motivated by the contemplative spirituality of St. Theresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, John entered religious life in a Carmelite monastic community.Religious life provided him the opportunity to live an integrated and wholistic human life, with time dedicated to prayer, the Mass, work, communal meals, recreation, exercise, hobbies and rest. “These are core building blocks of how God wants us to flourish,” he said, noting that the horarium allowed him to do everything with intentionality, something that we can easily lose with the frenzy of our activity-packed life. The communal aspect also taught him how important it is that we not be isolated one from another. These are lessons he carried into establishing SENT after hearing the call to leave religious life.“Prayer is the highest ROI activity you can do,” John emphasized, adding that it’s the key to perseverance; an indispensable virtue for business success. SENT is designed to provide founders and business leaders a community of business peers to support their drive, vision and leadership while, at the same time, providing the fellowship of peers to encourage their walk of faithful discipleship and spiritual formation. SENT opens its members to the ongoing conversion to which God calls them so that they, in turn, can witness to God in and through their daily work and encounters. Guest: John CannonTitle: Founder, SENT VenturesFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
The Mission and Challenge of Catholic High School Education
May 31 2023
The Mission and Challenge of Catholic High School Education
The mission to teach is at the very heart of the Church; a mission she received from the Lord himself: “Go, therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). At Hayden Catholic High School, where Shelly Buhler serves as President, fulfilling that divine mission is something integrated intentionally into everything they do.Flowing from the school’s strategic planning process and an evaluation of its Catholic identity, the school’s administration and faith formation team meets weekly to strategize and to accept the challenge to go deeper and raise expectations. In their desire to articulate what the value of a Hayden Catholic education is and what culture is required to foster it, they began drafting an aspirational document called a “Portrait of a Hayden Graduate” to establish the characteristics that are the hallmark of the well-educated and well-formed individual. And because teachers must first possess what they hope to instill in the Hayden graduate, the school is working toward a similar “Portrait of a Hayden Teacher.” In this episode, Shelly discusses these portraits and how working toward them is both a challenge but also a profound blessing. Students are taught to seek wisdom and are led to pursue the virtuous life, i.e., to develop the habits of choosing the good in order to achieve excellence in human behavior; virtues like magnanimity, self-motivation, integrity, time management, perseverance, and humility. Both students and teachers are encouraged to maintain a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world in which we live; an ordered and intelligible world that speaks to us of God revealed in the nature of things as they really are, and of the human person as he or she really is. The four hallmarks of the Hayden teacher is someone who seeks wisdom, pursues the virtuous life, is driven to love neighbor as self, and who lives with an eternal mindset. Practical virtues are also encouraged, such as to maintain a sense of humor, to steward resources well, and to operate from a mindset of abundance.Hayden’s objective is to impart an education of the heart just as much as an education of the mind. The encounter with Christ alters one’s whole outlook and worldview, but it is also the most difficult to measure of all Hayden’s objectives. It is an aspirational hope that every student encounters and establishes a life-defining relationship with Jesus and Hayden does all it can to create the environment and culture designed to facilitate and nourish that encounter. God ultimately is the author of conversion but prayer, adoration, quiet, contemplation and discernment all help balance the technological, hectic, busy pace of life, enabling students and faculty alike to hear God in the heart, to hear vocation, to contemplate what is learned and to order it all to eternity. Graduates of Hayden ever since 1911 have contributed to their communities, lived lives of service, and have witnessed to the beauty of the Catholic faith. Hayden has every intention of carrying on that tradition in teaching the Catholic faith unabashedly, witnessing to the love of God in Jesus, pursuing virtue and excellence in all aspects of life, and in establishing the intellectual life. Guest: Shelly BuhlerTitle: President, Hayden Catholic High SchoolFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Imagining Abundance
Apr 26 2023
Imagining Abundance
As the great-granddaughter of John and Helena Raskob, and a lifelong member of the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, Kerry grew up involved in philanthropic support of the ministries and good works of the Catholic Church throughout the world. It wasn’t until Father Bob Beloin, Catholic chaplain at Yale University, invited her to lead a capital campaign in support of the St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale, however, that she grew in her appreciation of fundraising. She recounts her experience of leading the campaign and all the lessons she learned thereby in her 2014 book, Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy and a Spiritual Call to Service, published by Liturgical Press. She began to experience a greater understanding of how fundraising can ennoble people to become a part of an important mission, thereby revealing that “philanthropy and fundraising are two sides of the same coin” and are “inter-related, necessary corollaries.”Kerry’s involvement with fundraising also exposed her to “theological ambivalence about wealth,” causing some to regard money and financial administration to be a distraction from mission, if not an obstacle. Leadership Roundtable seeks to equip Catholic leaders, clergy and lay, with the resources to be trustworthy and competent in collaboration with and reliance upon the financial acumen and lived experience of lay leaders. Kerry notes that ordained and religious leaders at the head of important apostolates and ministries, can often carry out their work with a disposition mired in fear, thinking of fundraising as nothing more than asking friends for a personal favor. They can worry that they’re asking too much. But when grounded in mission, then inviting becomes a joy and excellence becomes the standard for the mission itself. Generosity is humankind’s birthright; we are all called to be generous and to serve as catalysts to inspire generosity in others, Kerry noted, helping them to give according to their philanthropic passion. The starting point of generosity is gratitude because, as Kerry learned from Henri Nouwen, once we realize that we are loved by God, we are moved by an immense gratitude to live a fruitful life of giving in return. Kerry reminds us that great leaders think in generations and decide today what matters, not allowing the vagaries of life to deter them from working toward that vision. Hearkening to St. Oscar Romero’s comment, “We are prophets of a future not our own,” Kerry understands both fundraisers and philanthropists to be such prophets when inspired, not by their own ends, but by the mission they serve.Guest: Kerry RobinsonTitle: Executive Director for Global & National Initiatives, Leadership RoundtableFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.
Generous Disciples: What the Saints Teach Us About Stewardship
Mar 29 2023
Generous Disciples: What the Saints Teach Us About Stewardship
In this episode, Meg Hunter-Kilmer, author of Pray for Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered and Struggled On Their Way to Holiness, shares how she left her position as a high school theology teacher and set off to be an itinerant speaker, witnessing to the love of God, inspiring deeper faith, and sharing the universal attainability of sanctity by demonstrating how the saints in every age cooperated with grace. Meg heard the baptismal call of the Lord in Matthew 16:24 in a very personal and direct way: “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Calling herself a “hobo for Christ,” Meg has spent over a decade on the go to over 25 countries and all 50 states speaking from her heart about God. Charging nothing for her speaking events, she has relied upon God’s abundant providence in a radical way. One of her central messages is that the saints were not born saints. They are not “dull outlines of immaculate lives, saccharin, plaster images gazing vapidly heavenward,” as she had once imagined them to be. Thinking of saints like that makes becoming one impossible. No, saints “were real people, broken people made whole by grace, and that far from being [an] impossible standard…they offer nothing but hope.”"Everybody’s got some element of their life that makes them think they’re ineligible for the love of God, or certainly ineligible for great holiness” Meg observed. But the diversity of saints, from varying backgrounds, cultures, ways of life, gifts and talents, shortcomings and sins, dismantles the notion that we are not the “stuff” of saints. “God is delighted with you exactly as you are,” she points out, “and he is working to make you a saint right now, not in spite of your circumstances, but in and through them.” Wanting to tell stories and not just restate facts, Meg tells her audiences about the lives of saints from the human perspective. In this episode, she discusses four whose lives exemplified the heroic virtue of generosity and who understood their time, talent and treasure as gifts to be offered in stewardship: Ven. Pierre Toussaint, Ven. Satoko Kitahara, Bl. José Gregorio Hernández, St. Katharine Drexel.Guest: Meg Hunter-KilmerTitle: Author/SpeakerFollow us on social media: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | InstagramTo contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.