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Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 24, 2018 / 03:10 pm (CNA).- As part of a fundraiser to support elderly religious, Philadelphia sisters are challenging area Catholics to a battle of wits.
CBS 3 Philly reported that a team of religious sisters will host a trivia night at 7 p.m. Aug. 28 at Maggie’s Waterfront Cafe, along the Delaware River in northeast Philadelphia.
A variety of appetizers will be provided for free, and the drink special, “Sister Mary Margaritas,” will be available for purchase.
In addition to the trivia competition, the religious sisters will also share about their lives and ministries to attendees. Bonus questions will feature trivia on Catholic sisters.
Organized by Supporting Our Aging Religious or SOAR, the sisters hope to raise awareness and funds for the needs of retired religious. The organization distributes grants to support the immediate needs of elderly religious sisters, brothers, and priests throughout the United States. Grants may go toward nurse call stations, hospital beds, handicap accessible renovations, and other necessities.
SOAR hosted a trivia night in Arlington, Virginia earlier this year, drawing a crowd of about 100.
The need for financial support for retired religious is significant, according to the U.S. bishops’ National Religious Retirement Office. A report commissioned by the office has predicted that 2034, religious organizations may face a $9.8 billion deficit in retirement funds.
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Washington D.C., Feb 2, 2018 / 05:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Dr. Tom Burnford, president and CEO of the National Catholic Educational Association, spoke to CNA’s Jonah McKeown during Catholic Schools Week 2018 about his Catholic education and the evangelizing mission of Catholic schools in the United States.
How did your own Catholic education lead you to work in this field?
I was blessed to attend Catholic primary school in England, where I grew up: St. Joseph’s in Storrington, in Sussex. And then I also went to Catholic high school: Ampleforth College in Yorkshire. My experience was a rigorous academic curriculum, and a study of the Catholic faith with a particular focus on scripture, and also living at the high school, a boarding school, in a community permeated by the gospel spirit. For me, the witness of the teachers, some of whom were Benedictine monks, others were lay people…they witnessed a Catholic faith that made me believe what they said when they talked about their Catholicism and their faith. Secondly, there were rigorous academic expectations, which led me to work hard and grow. And now I love Catholic schools because they integrate faith and knowledge in the life of the student and the adult.
How has the shift toward more lay teachers, rather than teachers who are members of a religious order, changed Catholic education in the U.S.?
Catholic schools in the United States were founded on the work of religious brothers and sisters, and today the staffing of schools, as we know, is predominantly lay teachers, lay faculty, and lay principals. However, it is the same faith that moves teachers today to teach in a Catholic school, and to do this work of integrating knowledge in the life of the student. What can be difficult is that in the past, the sisters were in a religious community setting 24 hours a day, focused on the school. And therefore we seek new and fresh formation opportunities for teachers, particularly as the society around us changes and becomes less faith-filled. So many diocese are doing great work in faith-formation programs, many colleges and universities do great work in helping to form teachers and leaders who can do this critical work of integrating faith and knowledge in education.
Along with an increasingly secular society, what are some of the other challenges that Catholic schools are facing today?
TB: Catholic schools face challenges today in terms of the financing … in the United States, the parental choice legislation is growing, and yet there is still huge need for fixing the injustice of the public school monopoly on tax funds that come from everybody. I think another challenge is helping the general population understand that Catholic schools don’t just teach religion. They form the whole person, with excellent academics and with values that come from and are rooted in a deep Catholic faith. Our research shows that the vast majority of all parents want a values-based education for their children…that’s what Catholic schools do, and so much more. They form young people with solid values as well as providing a great academic education.
It sounds as though you’re really trying to make evangelization an integral part of this. Would you say the whole mission of Catholic schools is one of evangelization?
Absolutely. Catholic schools are instruments of the new evangelization. They are evangelistic communities of faith, that serve as a witness not only to the parents who come to the school, but to the entire parish geography and surrounding neighborhoods.
For someone reading who may not be aware of how Catholic schools benefit the United States, what would you say to that person?
Catholic schools form great citizens. For example, Catholic school graduates vote more than the general population. Our academics are, overall, better than public education. We have higher graduation rates, by far, and higher college success rates. The graduates of Catholic schools are contributing citizens who are formed for success in life and contribution and service to society.
In what ways are the NCEA and Catholic schools in general reaching out to the changing demographics of the Catholic Church in the United States?
A critical opportunity is to collaborate within the Hispanic and Latino community to fully welcome Hispanic and Latino Catholics to Catholic schools, because this is the future of the Church. So, the NCEA is working hard to reach out to Latino organizations around the country to ensure that Catholic schools are available and accessible to the greatest extent possible to all Catholics…particularly to minority students in urban areas. This week we just completed the Many Gifts, One Nation program, and through social media invited all alumni of Catholic schools to contribute, in a 24-hour period, to Catholic schools. We raised $750,000 in 24 hours, our first year. This is a significant initiative of NCEA to help, in a small way, with funding issues at Catholic schools.
Is there anything you’d like to say about this year’s Catholic Schools Week?
I started Catholic Schools Week on Monday morning at the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and I was blessed to be able to pray for Catholic school educators and families in the room where Mother Ann Seton died. This was a great blessing to me, and how appropriate to start this celebration of Catholic schools nationally at the place where, in one sense, it all began with Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was so influential in founding this gift of Catholic schools in the United States.
Are you hopeful for the future of Catholic schools in the U.S.?
Absolutely. Catholic schools have a bright future in the U.S. We have challenges, and we have great successes. These schools work, Catholic schools work, in the formation of the whole person, and they’re such a gift to the country because of the quality of graduates, who then contribute to society and to the Church.
Legatus President Stephen Henley is pictured here speaking at the organization’s 2025 annual conference last month in Naples, Florida. / Credit: Courtesy of Legatus
Miami, Fla., Mar 13, 2025 / 07:20 am (CNA).
In today’s culture, often hostile to expressions of faith, many Catholics struggle with how to hold true to their values within the workplace. That’s why, in 1987, Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan started the Catholic organization Legatus.
From the Latin word for “ambassador,” Legatus aims to empower Catholic presidents, CEOs, and managing partners to become what St. Paul coined “ambassadors for Christ,” explained Stephen Henley, president of Legatus.
Offering peer support groups, networking, speakers, pilgrimages, and an annual international summit, Legatus’s goal is to “inspire members to live out their faith in all aspects of their life.” There are currently about 90 Legatus chapters in North America.
Chapter meetings are held once a month, providing the opportunity for members and their spouses to participate in confession and Mass, the recitation of the rosary, a cocktail reception dinner, and a speaker’s presentation.
“All of this is to help fortify the members’ marriage, the peer support group, the networking of this group, and then embolden them to go out and live their faith,” said Henley. “Tom felt that if we can bring together these Catholic CEOs, how much more can we change society with these people that have high impact and high influence?”
In interviews with Catholic News Agency, Hawkins, Dean Abela, and Henley covered three tips for bringing the Catholic worldview into the workplace.
Commit to your priorities
Dean Andrew Abela’s Catholic faith wasn’t always as important to him as it is now. As a teenager, he even stopped practicing.
“I came back in my mid-20s, funnily enough, while I was in business school,” he recalled. As a student in 1991, he encountered Pope John Paul II’s new encyclical letter Centesimus Annus, and the pope’s reflection on economics changed the trajectory of his life.
“Just a few months after, I returned to the Church,” he said. “When I reverted to the faith, I wanted to know what my newly rediscovered Catholic faith meant for a life in business.”
Andrew Abela is dean of the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America. Credit: Legatus
After working for companies including Procter & Gamble, McKinsey & Company, and the Corporate Executive Board, in 2002 Dean Abela eventually began teaching at the Catholic University of America. He is also a consultant to Fortune 100 corporations.
“The reason I left business and switched to academia was that I wanted to dedicate myself full-time to studying questions about what it means to be a faithful Catholic in the workplace,” he explained.
A member of Legatus since 2000, Dean Abela mentioned that members can follow what the organization terms a “spiritual plan” to attend daily Mass, recite the rosary daily, and do monthly confession.
Known as Tres Magna, or the “Big Three,” this plan was inspired by Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, who “attributed the perfect season to him going to daily Mass,” explained Stephen Henley. “Tom [Monaghan] thought, well, if he can go, there’s no reason why I can’t go.”
“Daily Mass, daily rosary, and monthly confession will align your life and priorities,” added Henley.
Find a supportive community
When Kristan Hawkins first encountered Legatus, she was not a Catholic. Hawkins was raised an Evangelical. After Students for Life’s 2006 launch, she began speaking at Legatus events.
In 2014, Hawkins decided to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, “a pilgrimage Legatus had sponsored.” “I was the only Protestant there,” she recalled. “I decided there that I was going to enter RCIA.”
She became a full-fledged member of Legatus soon after becoming Catholic.
“As a pro-life activist who starts a pro-life organization, I want to save babies, I want to end abortion, I want to help as many families and women. You don’t start a non-profit because you’re necessarily a great business leader or have all these skills. You started this non-profit, this mission, because you want to see this mission accomplished,” Hawkins said. “For me, that’s one of the powerful benefits of being in Legatus, is having friends and mentors who were successful in the for-profit world who I can call on and ask questions.”
Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins. Credit: Legatus
“It’s very powerful and important to have those relationships. For me, in the work I’m doing, it’s a constant spiritual attack,” she added. “One of the best things about Legatus is I can call any of my Legatus friends at any moment, and they’ll be there for you. They know the power of the work we do and the resistance we face.”
Dean Abela also finds a sense of community in Legatus and also strives to build a supportive Catholic community at the Catholic University of America.
“We share with students the principles of Catholic social doctrine, things like human dignity and solidarity, and try to embed these principles into all of our classes,” he explained. “We’re also increasingly trying to give them opportunities to practice different virtues as part of their studies and schoolwork.”
For instance, Dean Abela explained, “To teach graduate students about decision-making, we go through a couple of survivor simulations, where you crash land in the north of Canada and you have to decide what you’re going to do. We have them go through decision-making exercises explicitly practicing the virtue of prudence or practical wisdom, the habit of making wise decisions. We break apart the components of practical wisdom, which include things like alertness, preparedness, and reasoning, and we have them try to exercise those as part of the decision-making process.”
These skills built in the classroom can be applied not only in business, but also in students’ personal lives.
Model the behavior you expect from others and celebrate your co-workers’ integrity
For Henley, giving authentic witness to the Catholic faith in the workplace can start with a simple “hello.”
“First, live the golden rule,” he said. “When you’re walking down the hall, say hello to the janitor, to the executive, and to everyone in between. It matters a lot.”
He added: “Another practical thing: take the opportunity to pray before meals. If you’re going on business lunches, you’ll be surprised at how many people say, ‘Yeah of course, let’s pray.’ It’s more common than not for people to pray before meals. The fact that you’re doing it shows that you’re a bold leader and that you’re spiritual.”
Dean Abela agrees that these types of habits make all the difference, and were the subject of the presentation he made of his book Superhabits: The Universal System for a Successful Life last month during the 2025 Legatus Summit.
“The main focus of the book is understanding that things like diligence, honesty, and resilience are not genetic characteristics. They are habits that anyone can acquire through practice,” Dean Abela explained. “Companies can focus on one of the most important virtues and give employees opportunities to practice those virtues.”
For instance, Dean Abela explained the GrowVirtue App, an AI-driven app “based on the work of the book,” which organizations can use to evaluate which virtues their company has already made a habit of, which virtues they might target, and tips for how to make progress.
“The important thing is that the company would choose a virtue that they think would be directly beneficial to the company right now,” said Dean Abela. “Although personal results are private, the whole company can see what employees as a whole are weakest in. So, if you’re trying to grow in customer service, you might encourage the virtue of friendship or friendliness.”
Dean Abela discussed the value of recognizing virtue both inside and outside the company.
“See examples in action or read about examples,” he suggested. “You can have employees watch videos or you can share articles that demonstrate examples of a particular virtue in action. And you can make sure senior folks are role models for junior employees.”
“Most importantly, give the employees the opportunity to practice the virtues, and give feedback,” he added. “When companies give awards, they tend to do this more with core values. They should shift to core virtues and give it to people who are exemplars of that virtue.”
Ultimately, the goal for Catholics is to live authentic lives that draw others to Christ.
“Stay true to who you are, don’t give in,” said Hawkins. “They’ll know you by your fruits. I think that’s very important. You don’t have to work in the pro-life movement or specifically in an apostolate to be a good Catholic, a faithful Christian in the workplace. You can do that in any job, in any position you have – in McDonald’s or in a Fortune 500 company.”
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