FADICA News

Tuesday February 23, 2021

New initiative aims to bring philanthropic community together to build safer cultures

(Washington, DC) – Today, Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) announces the formal launch of its “Commitment to Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection” initiative. This multi-year program seeks to protect vulnerable persons by building safer organizational cultures through specific steps outlined in its Funder Safeguarding Pledge. Inspired by the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, this initiative affirms the inherent dignity of the human person, as well as philanthropy’s role in promoting safeguarding best practices.

“Safeguarding is a public value and a priority for us as a Catholic philanthropic network,” said Alexia Kelley, President & CEO, FADICA. “Funders can play a critical role in making safeguarding a standard organizational best practice.”

Washington, DC (July 30, 2020) — In announcing its 2020 awardees, FADICA celebrates five outstanding Catholic leaders for their meaningful contributions to Church and society, and their exemplary lives of service. “Each one of the awardees is a person of deep faith who give us hope and inspiration, especially during this challenging time,” said Alexia Kelley, President and CEO of FADICA, the leading philanthropic peer network serving as a catalyst for a vital Catholic Church and the common good. “FADICA is privileged to recognize each of them,” said Kelley. 2020 Distinguished Catholic Leadership Awards Through the Distinguished Catholic Leadership Award, FADICA pays tribute to individuals who have demonstrated imaginative leadership, outstanding initiative and a spirit of service in contributing to the renewal and vitality of the Catholic Church. In 2020 FADICA honors two Catholic Sisters as Distinguished Catholic Leaders. Sr. Teresa Maya, CCVI, PhDCongregational Leader, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word An educator, Sister Teresa Maya has been a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word San Antonio since 1994. She has served as a teacher, history professor, and an administrator, and has a passion for the formation of ministers for Hispanics/Latinos in the United States.  Sr. Teresa served in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) presidency from 2016-2019 and is currently serving as Congregational Leader for her community. Leadership in her congregation inspires her conviction in the future of consecrated life. Before her transition to LCWR, Maya collaborated with the religious conference in Mexico. The perspective and attitude

Two of FADICA’s member-sponsored initiatives, which respond to the current pandemic, have recently been featured in the news. Sisters on the Frontlines, an innovative program that equips individual Catholic sisters with $1,000 each to assist people on the margins most affected by COVID, appeared in Catholic News Service and National Catholic Reporter.  In addition, FADICA’s recently released report, “Open Wide the Doors to Christ: A Study of Catholic Social Innovation for Parish Vitality” was featured in Crux and NCR.  You can find out more about Sisters on the Frontlines at Catholic Extension, which is administering the project. For more information about FADICA’s COVID-related initiatives, visit our dedicated webpage.

The killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many people of color by law enforcement violate a most fundamental teaching of our faith: the sacredness of human life and the inviolable dignity of the human person. Our hearts break and we lament the historic and current realities of racism in our country, which continue to threaten the lives of our brothers and sisters of color and diminish the flourishing that God intends for all his children.  We pray for the repose of the soul of those lost to racism and police brutality, and for the consolation of their families and loved ones.  As Pope Francis has said, in order to defend the sacredness of human life ‘we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form.’  To act and speak strongly against exclusion, we have embarked on an intentional discernment and listening process to identify action steps that we can contribute as a community of Catholic and Catholic-inspired funders to end racism. The late Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., as Bishop of Youngstown Ohio and Chair of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, gave a prophetic 2018 address to FADICA entitled Confronting the Sin of Racism.  In his keynote speech, Bishop Murry defined racism as “race prejudice plus power, a conscious or unconscious assumption that one race is superior to another, which is then re-enforced by political, social, economic and societal power.” With Bishop Murry’s definition in mind, we recognize that there is an urgent need for both organizational and

Four key areas studied, eight characteristics identified Washington, DC (June 2, 2020) — Catholic parishes that are welcoming and missionary create real vitality in the life of the parish says a major new study titled, “Open Wide the Doors to Christ: A Study of Catholic Social Innovation for Parish Vitality.” The research was commissioned by FADICA, a unique peer network of philanthropists supporting Catholic activities, and conducted by Marti R. Jewell, D.Min. and Mark Mogilka, MSW, MA “Parishes with vitality send people out in service to others in the community, letting go of parochial barriers,” Dr. Jewell said. “Without denying the challenging realities for many parishes, what we also found was hope-filled parishes, whole communities excited about their parish and their future,” said Mr. Mogilka. “As parishes begin to re-open, we are pleased to be releasing the findings of this timely study,” said Alexia Kelley, FADICA President & CEO. “Perhaps one outcome from this period of pandemic could be that pastors and parish leaders equipped with the study’s findings might find life-giving strategies relevant to their own context,” said Kelley. FADICA’s member Working Group on Church Vitality focused on how Catholic social innovation might foster vitality in U.S. Catholic parishes.  In 2018, FADICA produced a groundbreaking study titled, Catholic Social Innovation in the Global Refugee Crisis.  This second study on parish vitality further articulates the concept of Catholic social innovation. FADICA’s working group chose to focus the research on best practices and innovation in four distinct areas: Welcoming, Young Adults, Lay and Religious Women in Leadership, and Hispanic Ministry. The research entailed a review of more than 200

FADICA’s research on efforts to combat human trafficking, Agents of Awakening: Review of Anti-Human Trafficking Activities at U.S. Catholic Colleges and Universities, was featured in an October story appearing in U.S. Catholic. From the article: “A 2018 report from Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities found that more than half of the 200 U.S. Catholic colleges and universities surveyed conducted some form of anti-trafficking work.”   Another FADICA-backed anti-human trafficking group released a new video chronicling its history. U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking thanked FADICA members for their encouragement and support as they launched. The USCSAHT participated in a meeting in Rome of Talitha Kum, the international network of women religious working to end human trafficking. An officer from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious who represented USCSAHT at the Rome meeting wrote that the group is “thriving thanks in large part to the vision of Margaret Nacke, CSJ, and the support and encouragement of FADICA! We’ve come a long way in five years. Thank you!”

On March 25, FADICA, the Gregorian University Foundation (GUF) and the Leadership Roundtable co-hosted a meeting with Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, to learn firsthand about the Vatican’s ongoing work to address sexual abuse within the Church.  Fr. Zollner, a theologian and psychologist, is president of the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a key advisor to Pope Francis on sexual abuse.  He was also part of the organizing team for the February 2019 Vatican meeting of bishops on the Protection of Minors in the Church. At the New York City gathering, Fr. Zollner shared some of the critical next steps in the wake of that global meeting.   The Centre works to build a culture of safety within the Church, and educates and trains church personnel from around the world in safeguarding best practices — through both in person and e-learning programs.  Fr. Zollner described the importance of fully confronting the impact of abuse, a major goal of the February Vatican summit, and at the same time providing safeguarding training and adopting procedures protect minors.  The March gathering emerged from FADICA’s fall 2018 pilgrimage to Rome, during which FADICA members participated in a workshop at the Gregorian University on child protection organized by Fr. Zollner and his Centre and University colleague Sr. Karolin Kuhn.

FADICA’s Board Secretary Karen Rauenhorst (Mark and Karen Rauenhorst Family Foundation) received the first Aim Higher Foundation Award on Sept. 28. The award honors Karen’s national leadership in Catholic education and her commitment to its affordability for students in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. After leading the board of the Aim Higher Foundation since its inception five years ago, Karen was honored by the organization during its annual Night of Light celebration in Minneapolis. Karen also contributes her leadership and expertise through participation in FADICA’s Catholic Schools Affinity Group and in the Catholic School Philanthropy Working Group.

The sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults in the Catholic Church is an outrage. FADICA stands in solidarity with the survivors of sexual abuse and prays for the healing of all victims. We condemn the practices, cultures, and actions that have led to or allowed this abuse to occur. We call for immediate interventions to end sexual abuse and the individual and systemic practices which propagate them. As the Church, the people of God, we affirm that all Catholic organizations and individuals have a responsibility to be part of the solution. As such, FADICA recommits to participate by providing leadership to support the prevention and eradication of sexual abuse in our Church. In the coming months, our community will continue to identify solutions, examine best practices, and endorse actions to address this crisis. A number of FADICA members focus on child protection in their grantmaking and support their grantees – Catholic institutions and diverse nonprofits – in implementing high standards of protection for children and vulnerable adults. We commit to expanding the application of these and other effective models. We reiterate our prayerful solidarity with survivors of sexual abuse. As a community of Catholic philanthropists, FADICA commits to serve as a leader in ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable adults.

FADICA’s Catholic Social Innovation in the Global Refugee Crisis is receiving national and international attention for identifying 64 projects that are Catholic and socially-innovative in the field of refugee and migrant work and ministry. See press coverage including this article by the National Catholic Reporter.