Dear
Leadership Roundtable Board Chair, Gen. Jim Dubik, and I had the wonderful privilege of meeting with Cardinal Pell and Cardinal Turkson in Rome early this month. It is clear that positive managerial and financial reform continues to be a high priority for Pope Francis and it was an honor to share our interventions, programs, and resources that have strengthened the Church in the U.S for eleven years. What a sign of hope and new life for the global Church in this Season of Easter!
Attending to the managerial health of the Church can at times seem a step removed from the meaningful and fertile participation in the life of the Church as a believer. This week I lost one of my dearest friends, Mary Ann Wasil, to breast cancer. The way in which the faith community of Saint Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University (and longtime Roundtable collaborator) responded pastorally and managerially was breathtaking. I have never been more proud to be Catholic and to witness firsthand the deeply important, soulfully consoling collaboration of ordained, religious and lay members of the pastoral team and community. They planned and executed a flawless liturgy celebrating Mary Ann's beautiful life. Exemplary management matters because it safeguards pastoral excellence which is essential to evangelization.
Sincerely,
Kerry A. Robinson
Executive Director
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Profiles in Leadership 
The Leadership Roundtable's "Profiles in Leadership" highlight leaders who are committed to best practices for the betterment of the Church's temporal affairs. These profiles are intended to inspire hope for and confidence in the best that the Church has to offer. The Leadership Roundtable recently spoke with Megan O'Neil, Boston College graduate student, about why she thinks "young adults are falling off the bandwagon" and what it means to bring faith to business and business practices to the Church. Read the full profile here.
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ESTEEM Leaders Meet in Chicago
Over the weekend of April 8-10, nearly 100 students from ten universities traveled to Chicago's St. Clement Parish for the 6th annual ESTEEM Capstone Conference, a gathering for Catholic young adult leaders to
gather to prepare for the transition into regular parish life after graduating and leaving college campus ministry.
Author Chris Lowney, former Jesuit Refugee Services leader Angelika Mendes Lowney, and Jesuit Volunteer Corps president Tim Shriver gave spectacular presentations on lay leadership and living for mission.
Next year, ESTEEM students are headed to grad school, international service programs and the job market! Please pray for these wonderful senior leaders as they prepare to graduate, leave college campus ministry programs and enrich new parishes and Catholic nonprofit organizations across the country and world!
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The Francis Effect and Pastoral Conversion
Crux recently reported on Pope Francis' emphasis on "pastoral conversion" and a simpler, more merciful church, dubbing the attention to such conversion as "the Francis effect." This June, the Leadership Roundtable will convene key Catholic leaders at our annual meeting of the same title to examine the management challenges facing the Church and to make recommendations for best practices to address those challenges. Read the full Crux article here.
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Support the Leadership Roundtable this Easter Season
As we continue to celebrate the Easter Season, we ask you to consider a gift to the Leadership Roundtable to support the leadership development of bishops, priests and ministerial leaders in your parish and diocese. We wish you a continued joyous Easter Season, and extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who have already given to the Leadership Roundtable during this most holy time.
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The Future of Catholic Schooling
Senior Policy Analyst Kelly Robson and Partner A
ndy Smarick of Bellweather Education Partners, a nonprofit organization working to improve educational outcomes for low-income students, review some of the innovations they are see as the future of Catholic schooling in the U.S. Read about the innovations Robson and Smarick observe
here
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We encourage you to continue the conversation about best practices on our Catholic Standards for Excellence
Online Forum.
We are grateful for your continued support and interest in The Leadership Roundtable.
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A Pastor's Toolbox: Management Skills for Parish Leadership
is available for purchase!
Additionally, our executive director Kerry Robinson's book Imagining Abundance
is available for purchase!
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