Member News

Tirana, Albania – FADICA member Andrea Hattler Bramson of The Loyola Foundation represented both organizations as part of the Vatican delegation to the Global Christian Forum’s conference on discrimination and persecution of Christian communities around the world.The unprecedented forum was the first time in modern history that every stream of global Christianity had gathered together to listen to the voices of Christians who experience discrimination, persecution and violence today.  Held November 1-5, 2015 in Tirana, Albania, a nation that in its Communist era experienced structural persecution against faith communities, the conference called on governments and churches globally “to respect and protect the freedom of religion” as a fundamental human right. In a public statement, the leaders urged governments and international organizations to take measures to “respect and protect Christians and all other people of goodwill from threats and violence committed in the name of religion.” “We are all in this together,” reflected Hattler Bramson, on her experiences at the meeting. “In all the work we are doing with human trafficking and international development, [FADICA] will be well served to open ourselves to collaborate with other faith communities across the globe and do more together.” In a message of support from the Vatican, Pope Francis said, “I think with great sadness of the escalating discrimination, and persecution against Christians in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and elsewhere throughout the world.”  “In various parts of the world, the witness to Christ, even to the shedding of blood, has become a shared experience of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants,

At the recent international symposium The Nun in the World: Catholic Sisters and Vatican II, Sr. Gemma Simmonds, CJ, Director of the Religious Life Institute at Heythrop College, presented a two-year international study on the Religious Life Vitality Project. In her keynote address, Sr. Gemma described how the world has changed and how religious life has kept up with growing demands. The project is supported by a grant from FADICA Member Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Catholic students from the Catholic Partnership Schools (CPS) in Camden, NJ recently took the stage for the 5th Annual Dreams of Our Children event to proudly present their achievements in academics, the arts, and student leadership. FADICA Member Christine Healey invited FADICA staff to accompany her to the celebration that also honored 22 high school seniors who had attended CPS elementary schools and were accepted into colleges across the country. Funded by the Healey Education Foundation, CPS is a Catholic school management organization for five elementary schools that serve Camden’s low-income families.

Philanthropist and FADICA Member Mary Cunningham Agee turned her own personal tragedy into hope and healing for thousands of expectant mothers through the creation of The Nurturing Network (TNN). “The inspiration for founding The Nurturing Network occurred after I lost my first child in a late miscarriage,” said Mary. “Whenever I have experienced a major loss in my life, I try to view it as a profound invitation to come closer to the compassionate love of God. At that time, I felt that I was being asked to understand something deeper about the meaning of life and death.  It was in the context of losing our child that I heard the call to do something to help women in a far worse position,” she recalls. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the international charity TNN has touched the lives of over 25,000 women and children and provided much-needed comprehensive services throughout the U.S. and thirty foreign countries.  Reflecting on Mother’s Day this month, Mary shared that her heart was filled with joy as she continues to hear from the women she has empowered for the past 30 years. With the help of over 50,000 volunteer member resources, thousands of expectant mothers have received employment, medical, educational, counseling and residential services to safely continue their pregnancy and their personal educational and career development.  Joy, a mother helped by TNN, described the organization as “a calm to the storm. The counseling team allows you to discern all your options. I felt so safe. I felt understood and supported. And I did not

FADICA members recently gathered at the organization’s 2015 Annual Meeting and Symposium: Cultivating a Vibrant Church: Mission on the Margins. The symposium focused on how Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries abroad help put missionary discipleship into action, by serving people on the margins and living the Church’s mission. Notable Catholic leaders and scholars addressed the role of Catholic philanthropists in cultivating a vibrant Church and the importance of a global Church at the margins. 

FADICA recently held a Member Dialogue, Lenten Reflections on Our Faith and Vocation led by Fr. Dave Kelly, C.PP.S., Executive Director of Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago. With extensive experience in family and youth reconciliation in conflict situations, Fr. Kelly shared a reflection on the spirituality of reconciliation and its tangible effects on our everyday lives. He explored the “Holy Saturday moment” where we are called not to run away from suffering but rather accept and share our stories of sorrow with one another and meditate on Christ’s presence. He also emphasized the importance of becoming “ambassadors of reconciliation,” and creating communities of hope. 

FADICA member Tom Healey of the Healey Family Foundation recently reflected at the Speaking of Faith series on the integration of faith in his life and work. 

The Sisters of Charity Foundations of South Carolina and of Cleveland, both FADICA Members, recently released the results of a ten-year study on Support for Sister-Affiliated Ministries during Challenging Times. Because of the natural aging of Catholic sisters and a decline in new vocations, there is an accelerating loss of sisters and their ministries nationwide. In response to this concern, the foundations embarked on the Collaboration for Ministry Initiative to encourage and support collaboration among different religious orders and to address the impact this loss has on beneficiaries of ministries. The study concludes that the primary concern remains, “The ministry-related work done by Catholic sisters is destined to change as fewer and fewer sisters remain to carry out the work…Though the challenge remains and grows ever more urgent, efforts to extend the impact of sisters’ work through new structures and approaches hold great promise.” (“Support for Sister-Affiliated Ministries during Challenging Times.” The Foundation Review: page 21). To read the press release or the study, click here.

“Let us not reduce the involvement of women in the church, but instead promote their active rolein the ecclesial community.”  Pope Francis, World Youth Day 2013, Brazil We invite you to read a special issue of America Magazine dedicated to women in the life of the church.  FADICA Member Kerry Robinson contributed an article, “Opening Doors,” that inspires thinking about women and opportunities to elevate women to positions of meaningful leadership in the Church.

Congratulations to the Cassins and the Healeys, members of FADICA. The National Catholic Educational Association will honor them with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award on October 7th in Washington DC. The Seton Award is NCEA’s highest honor, given in recognition of significant contributions to Catholic education. B.J. Cassin founded the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation in 2000 to establish quality Catholic college preparatory middle and high schools in economically challenged communities. The Foundation has made significant impact through the Cristo Rey Network, the Nativity Miguel Network, and Catholic higher education.   Robert Healey, whose daughter Christine Healey recently joined FADICA for the Healey Education Foundation, is also being honored with the Seton Award for helping insure the future of the Catholic school network in the diocese of Allentown, PA.  Congratulations to the Cassins and the Healeys!  http://www.ncea.org/news/national-catholic-educational-association-will-present-six-ncea-seton-awards-october-7