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| January 21, 2000 Over Eighty Catholic Foundation Trustees to Discuss Laity and Board Leadership within Catholic Institutions Washington, D.C. Over eighty foundation presidents and trustees will meet to discuss trusteeship and governance issues within Catholic institutions January 28-29 when FADICA meets for its midwinter session in Palm Beach, Florida. The meeting, according to FADICA President, Francis J. Butler, is intended to explore how church institutions at the leadership level are weathering the transition from reliance on clergy and religious to lay people. Comprising panelists and speakers will be Catholic university, health care, and school leaders as well as representatives from Catholic charities. William J. Byron SJ, Rector of the Jesuit Community at Georgetown, Nathan O. Hatch, Provost of the University of Notre Dame and Joseph A. Appleyard, Vice President for Mission at Boston College will be among those outlining what they consider to be essential ingredients for today's Catholic trusteeships. Dr. John S. Lore, President and CEO of one of the nation's largest Catholic health systems, Ascension Health Corporation, will talk about protecting Catholic mission in a corporate context. Catholic Charities USA President Fred Kammer SJ, and Vincentian Father David Nygren CM, on the senior leadership team of Catholic Health Care West, are panel respondents. Dependence on laity to oversee the religious mission of Catholic institutions has accelerated in recent years with the dwindling pool of available priests and religious. Almost half of the nation's 230 colleges and universities rely on lay presidents and mostly lay boards. Some 92 percent of Catholic school faculties are comprised of laity. The Florida based meeting will also examine specific programs aimed at improving the understanding of Catholic mission and deepening the spiritual framework for lay trustees. Marsha V. Whelan, Director of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools, Dr. Judith A. Dwyer, Vice President of the University of St. Thomas, and Joseph F. O'Connell SJ, President of the Jesuit Secondary Association will discuss effective approaches to board development. Also speaking to the foundations gathered will be Bishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield Cape-Girardeau diocese, who will talk about the spiritual dimensions of governance for lay boards. FADICA is an organization of forty-six private foundations with grant making programs benefiting Catholic causes. It was founded in 1976. Return to List of News Releases | Back to Top |