Advancing Our Church

Today’s Show

Advancing Our Church visits the beautiful state of California again this week through a conversation with the Most Reverend Ramón Bejarano, Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, and Deacon Jose Reyes, Parish Life Coordinator of St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto, CA. Bishop Bejarano and Deacon Reyes discuss their ministries and service to parishioners through justice and peace, teaching, and the sharing of their gifts with the Latino community. Both men recently served together when Bishop Bejarano was pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish where Deacon Reyes now serves as Parish Life Coordinator, a relatively new position in his diocese. Hear how they are engaging Catholics and making a difference in the lives of many in California. Changing Our World‘s Anna Vallez joins Jim Friend to facilitate this discussion.

Watch the video of our discussion:

Recorded February 23, 2021

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfS9HliS_O0

Dear Friends,

During this Season of Lent, I invite you to visit my wife, Kristin’s YouTube Channel to pray with our family. Each video features our family praying the Holy Rosary, Stations of the Cross, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and much more. Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel can be found at www.youtube.com/kristinscrosses. Below are the Scriptural Stations of the Cross by Saint John Paul II. Let’s keep each other in prayer during our 2021 Lenten journey.

Peace – Jim Friend

Please visit this episode’s home page for the full video: www.advancingourchurch/bishopbejarano

Today’s Show

Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend interviews Nancy Padberg, President & CEO of Catholic Education Arizona, a scholarship organization based in Phoenix, Arizona with a mission to make it possible for underserved families in Arizona to have a quality, Catholic education for their children. Nancy has been in her role for 2 years.  She has her Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University and MBA from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business.  Nancy has served on the boards of Pepperdine University and Iowa State University, Greenlee School of Journalism Board, and currently serves on Catholic Charities BOD in Arizona.  Nancy believes in creating high-performance teams and environments with respect, value, and trust for associates through continuous communications. She spent most of her career in Los Angeles and San Francisco, leading marketing and media companies. Nancy has been married to her husband, David for 30 years and they have three children and two dogs! Nancy is very proud of her father who is a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus and her grandfather Felix who built the altar at their church, St. Patricks in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Mission of Catholic Education Arizona

The mission of Catholic Education Arizona is to make it possible for underserved families in Arizona to provide a quality, Catholic education for their children. Through the support of the tax credit, every child has an equal opportunity to pursue an education that allows them to reach their highest potential. Our organization provides both individual and corporate Arizona taxpayers to directly choose what their taxes support. 99% of the students of the Diocese of Phoenix graduate high school and 97% continue to post-secondary education or enter military service. That means that Catholic Education Arizona and Arizona taxpayers work together investing in Arizona’s economy and the education of the next generation.

Watch the video of our conversation  

Recorded February 19, 2021

Today’s Show:

2020 forced us to reimagine many of our longstanding fundraising best practices, from major gifts to direct marketing and events to grant writing. What did we learn, what new ideas will we keep, and how will our strategies need to evolve as we emerge into a post-pandemic world? Join Changing Our World’s Jim Friend, host of the Advancing Our Church Podcast for this conversation to hear from fellow Catholic leaders about their new insights and recommendations for sustained donor support in 2021.

Our special guests include Joseph M. Gillmer, CFRE® CSPG CAP®, Executive Director of Development, Archdiocese of Washington, Sarah Hanley, President and CEO, The Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia (CFGP), Lisa Quist, Chief Development Officer, Edmundite Missions, and Kevin R. Callahan, Director of Special Events, SOAR! Support Our Aging Religious, Inc.

We begin our episode with our guest, Kevin Compagna, Director of Sales and Service at Catholic Purchasing Services, Inc. who will share information about a special opportunity for Catholic Schools.

Watch the video of the conversation

On Today’s Show

Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend interviews Fr. Frank S. Donio, S.A.C., D.Min., Director of the Catholic Apostolate Center and a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers and Brothers). Fr. Frank is also Executive Director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men of the United States (CMSM), the national organization representing leaders of Catholic religious institutes for men, monasteries, and societies of apostolic life in the United States. Jim and Fr. Frank discuss the life-giving mission of the Catholic Apostolate Center and how they have adapted and enhanced their ministry through the pandemic. Fr. Frank also shares the joys and opportunities of the religious life for the CMSM and closes with some thoughts on the upcoming season of Lent.

About Fr. Frank

Fr. Frank’s academic background, teaching, presenting, pastoral and administrative work is focused primarily around evangelization, spiritual formation, and pastoral practice that fosters greater co-responsibility and collaboration among all the baptized. Father holds additional provincial, national and international leadership positions in the Pallottines and in the Union of Catholic Apostolate (UAC), an international public association of the faithful founded by St. Vincent Pallotti in 1835. Fr. Frank is the former Provincial Rector of the Immaculate Conception Province of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate. Some of his other prior assignments include Provincial Director of Formation, Pastoral Director of St. Jude Shrine in Baltimore, MD, and Chaplain of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, NJ.

Fr. Frank writes, presents and gives numerous interviews on evangelization, co-responsibility and collaboration in ministry and apostolate, pastoral planning, Church leadership and management, and Catholic and Pallottine spirituality. He has spoken at various colleges and universities, schools of Theology, dioceses, and national and international conferences as well as on radio, television, and podcasts. He also provides consultation to Catholic dioceses, religious communities, and organizations in the United States and internationally. Fr. Frank and the Center are recipients of the Gaudium et Spes Award from the National Association for Lay Ministry. The award is its highest honor and recognizes an outstanding individual or organization for promoting understanding of the Church in the world according to the vision of Vatican II.

He collaborated with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on the development of Living as Missionary Disciples: A Resource for Evangelization and on the Convocation of Catholic Leaders. Fr. Frank served as a Consultant to the USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis ...

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

On today’s show, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend and Fred Roberts have a conversation with Alex Urrea, Managing Partner and Director of Educape and, CEO of The Procedo Project and Andrea Chavez-Kopp, Chief Learning Officer for The Procedo Project. The Procedo Project is a nonprofit organizatiion with a mission to develop, implement and curate innovative models of Catholic education. Their goal is to partner to build capacity toward self-sustaining Catholic schools, serving as beacons for innovative academic and operational practice while continuing to be inspirational communities of faith.

Alex and Andrea talk about the resources at Eduscape and the mission of The Procedo Project. They also share information about their upcoming conference, Forefront 2021; an event focused on Catholic Schools with a focus on innovation and sustainability. The keynote for Forefront 2021 is Peter H. Reynolds, Author, and Illustrator for several books and series include JUDY MOODY, THE DOT, BE YOU, SAY SOMETHING, and more. Learn more about Forefront 2021.

Alex UrreaManaging Partner and Director of Eduscape & CEO of The Procedo Project

Alex is the son of Colombian immigrants who emigrated to the U.S. in 1966 and shortly became U.S. citizens, entrepreneurs and now grandparents to six grandchildren pursuing higher education. He credits his grandmother with grounding him in Catholic faith and still remembers his first day at American Martyrs School in Bayside, NY when she cried with joy at the sight of seeing him in his uniform for the first time. He is the product of 18 years of Catholic schools and universities. It is his lifelong appreciation and passion for Catholic education that compelled him to launch The Procedo Project.

Alex has founded two education companies and is currently the Managing Partner of Eduscape, a professional learning organization that has impacted nearly 800,000 educators in the U.S. and 23 other countries. At Eduscape, he leads a team of innovative, former classroom teachers who develop and deliver exemplary learning experiences for teachers across several disciplines, including EdTech integration, Early Education, STEM, SEL and Cultural Competency. He is also the founding President of his community’s educational foundation, Chair of the West Bergen Mental Health Foundation and Co-Founder of the Innovative Catholic Schools Network.

Andrea D. Chavez-KoppChief Learning Officer, Procedo Project

Andrea brings 20 years of experience to The Procedo Project as a nationally recognized expert and thought leader in the field of Catholic education, particularly in the area of digital transformation. Andrea began her teaching career in 2000 as a high school social studies teacher at St. John Neumann Catholic High School in Naples, FL. Andrea also served as Confirmation Coordinator and High School Youth Minister for the St. Paul Catholic Community in Pensacola,

Interview with NCEA’s Margaret Kaplow

Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend interviews Margaret Kaplow, Director of Marketing and Communications, Public Relations and Publications Manager for the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).  Today, we’ll learn about the important role that Margaret plays for the NCEA and how the NCEA supports Catholic Schools through Marketing programs, Catholic Education publications and so much more. Margaret was educated in Catholic Schools from Kindergarten through college. She previously worked for The Washington Post in the editorial department and then as an editor in public relations and communications. Today you’ll hear how Margaret helped establish an educational services department that partnered with teachers to a create top-notch curriculum that incorporated newspaper content to teach all subjects. Margaret is a native to Washington, D.C., where she graduated from Holy Trinity High School in Georgetown. Margaret received a bachelor’s degree in English and Geography from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Enjoy the video presentation

Recorded on January 20, 2021

How are you leveraging Catholic Schools Week for your enrollment and philanthropic efforts? Join us for this informative conversation with our experts Jennifer Melville Trefelner, Diocese of Palm Beach, Kristin Moore, Archdiocese of Seattle with Gavan Mooney and Jim Friend from Changing Our World. For more information about Catholic Schools Week, please visit NCEA’s website by clicking here.

2021 Catholic Schools Week:

Since 1974, National Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January and runs all week, which in 2021 is January 31 – February 6. The theme for National Catholic Schools Week 2021 is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” Schools typically observe the annual celebration week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.  

Recorded January 13, 2021

On Today’s Show…

Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend interviews Vivian Shannon, Executive Director of the Fulcrum Foundation, serving the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Catholic schools. Vivian brings tremendous energy and experience to the mission of Catholic Education along with a deeply personal and spiritual connection through our Blessed Mother, which she explains. Learn more about Vivian and the Fulcrum Foundation through this engaging episode.

About Vivian Shannon

Vivian Shannon joined the Fulcrum Foundation in October 2019. Prior to joining Fulcrum, Vivian served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer for the YMCA of Greater Seattle, where she successfully oversaw a $180M comprehensive campaign. Vivian also previously managed a $350M comprehensive campaign (which raised $421M) at the United States Military Academy at West Point as the Campaign Director, while working for the West Point Association of Graduates. Vivian has nearly 25 years’ experience building relationships, growing and developing teams, and creating strategies for success.

Vivian lives in Bonney Lake, WA with her husband Joe, and is the proud mom of four adult children (two boys and two girls); one of her daughters is a cadet at West Point. When not working, Vivian enjoys Broadway shows, travel, reading, and spending time with her family. She is a proud alum of the University of Washington, and is also a huge Seahawks fan–Go Hawks!

The Mission of the Fulcrum Foundation

Founded in 2002, the Fulcrum Foundation leverages financial assistance to support and strengthen Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle primarily through tuition assistance grants, school partnership grants, and grants for transformational leaders.

On Today’s Show

Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend, Anna Vallez and Fred Roberts talk with Fr. Anthony Mongiello and Fr. Giuseppe Esposito from St. Anne Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Fr. Mongiello and Fr. Esposito have been creating fun and in some cases, hilarious videos on Facebook for the children of their parish elementary school as a way to reach out to their community during this pandemic. If you would like to see their videos, please visit the St. Anne School Facebook page. At the end of our episode, the Changing Our World staff offers you Christmas Greetings.

This will be our last episode for 2020. Our podcast will return the week of January 11, 2021. We hope that you have a blessed Christmas Season and a wonderful New Year! Thank you for a great year!

Recorded December 16, 2020

Our Guests

Rev. Anthony P. Mongiello, Th.M., M.Ed., PastorBorn in 1954 in Glenolden, Delaware County, PA, Fr. Mongiello attended Catholic schools through St. Joseph’s University, graduating in 1976. He attended St. Charles Seminary, Philadelphia and Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, PA, and was ordained a priest on May 10, 1980. He then earned a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education Counseling at Kutztown University of PA and served in high school ministries full and part-time, from 1981 through 2000. Fr. Mongiello has served as pastor in St. Joseph Parish, Girardville (1994-2000), St. Jerome Parish, Tamaqua (2000-2002), and St. Anne’s, Bethlehem (2002-present).

Rev. Giuseppe Esposito, Assistant PastorFr. Esposito was raised in the McAdoo area and graduated from Marian Catholic High School in 2000. He attended Leigh Carbon Community College and graduated DeSales University with a BS in Nursing. With the completion of his studies at St. Charles Seminary, he was ordained to the Priesthood by Bishop Schlert on June 1, 2019. Fr. Esposito was assigned to St. Anne Parish in June 2019. Fr. Esposito also serves as Chaplain to Lehigh University Newman Center.

Today’s Show

Changing Our World’s Jim Friend, Anna Vallez, and Fred Roberts host a discussion with Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Diocese of Allentown for a conversation on their strategies for #GivingTuesday.

Our guests today include:

* Rebecca Arcarese, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School, Seattle, WA* Paige Banks, Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma, WA* Patricia Decker, St. Hubert’s Catholic High School for Girls, Philadelphia, PA* Mark Napierkowski, Mercy School for Special Learning, Allentown, PA* Erin Oest-Larsen, St. Joseph School, Seattle, WA* Allie Thomas, O’Dea High School, Seattle, WA

CARES Act

As referenced on today’s podcast, here is an important update regarding the CARES Act…

Did you know that the CARES Act has changed charitable deduction allowances? Individuals are allowed increased deductions for 2020 charitable contributions. Individual taxpayers who do not itemize their deductions are allowed a $300 above-the-line deduction. For those who itemize, the AGI limitation for deductions of cash contributions is increased to 100% of 2020 adjusted gross income (up from the normal 60%). The new provisions only apply to cash contributions and are not applicable for donations to donor-advised funds, private non-operating foundations and supporting organizations. Note also individuals subject to the required minimum distribution requirements for IRAs and other qualified plans are not required to take an RMD for 2020.

GivingTuesday: Catholic Schools

Originally Aired on December 2, 2020