Session 15
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Ontario
La Corresponsabilidad y la Iglesia Hispana/Stewardship and the Hispanic Church

Speaker: Armando Cervantes
Director de Jóvenes y Jóvenes Adultos
Diócesis de Orange, California

Moderator: Jose Piñones
Director de Donaciones
Arquidiócesis de Chicago, Illinois

Ud. no puede traducir la palabra “corresponsabilidad” al español y convencer a los hispanos de donar dinero. La palabra corresponsabilidad en español ya es lo suficientemente difícil de traducir, pero eso es lo que la mayoría de las personas hacen y nunca obtienen los resultados que desean. Para involucrar los corazones y las mentes de la comunidad hispana, el grupo demográfico más grande de la Iglesia Católica, uno debe aprender a involucrar a sus familias, sus talentos y su deseo de dar. Venga y descubra algunos pasos muy prácticos para involucrar a la comunidad hispana y aprovechar su maravilloso espíritu de donación.

You can’t just translate the word “stewardship” into Spanish and convince Hispanics to donate money. The word stewardship in Spanish is already hard enough to translate, but that is what most people do and never get the results they want. In order to engage the hearts and minds of the Hispanic community, the largest demographic group in the Catholic Church, one must learn to engage their families, their talents and their desire to give. Come and discover some very practical steps to engage the Hispanic community and tap their wonderful spirit of giving.

Mr. Armando Cervantes

Armando M. Cervantes graduated from the University of California at Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in public and community service. He also holds a master’s degree in pastoral theology from Loyola Marymount University. Recently, he completed an executive MBA from Chapman University in Orange, California. Mr. Cervantes has 16 years of professional experience in various ministries serving all age groups. Currently he is the director of the youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Orange. He has been a youth minister, confirmation coordinator, young adult Bible study leader, teacher, retreat leader, and has led countless missionary and pilgrimage experiences. He is a national speaker and serves as a national consultant for dioceses and national groups especially in strategy, social media and intercultural competencies.

Sr. Armando M. Cervantes

Armando M. Cervantes se graduó con un Bachillerato en Ciencias Sociales con énfasis en Servicio Comunitario y Público en la Universidad de California, en Irvine. Obtuvo también una Maestría en Teología Pastoral de la Universidad de Loyola Marymount en Los Ángeles. Recientemente obtuvo una segunda Maestría en Administración Ejecutiva de Empresas. Tiene 16 años de experiencia profesional sirviendo en varios ministerios y ayudando a católicos de todas las edades. Actualmente es el director del ministerio juvenil y del ministerio de Adultos Jóvenes de la Diócesis de Orange. Armando ha servido como ministro juvenil, asesor de jóvenes, coordinador de confirmación, maestro de catequesis, líder de estudio bíblico, maestro de teología y ha creado y guiado retiros, viajes de misiones y peregrinaciones. Es un predicador nacional y sirve como consultor nacional a parroquias, diócesis y grupos nacionales, especialmente en las áreas de estrategia, organización, redes sociales y capacidades interculturales.

Session 14
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Sheraton Ballroom III
Church Management: A “Piece of Cake” or a “Pie in the Face?”

Speaker: Helena Frazier
Business Manager
St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church
Jonesboro, Georgia

Moderator: Jennifer Clark
Director of Parish Life & Faith Formation
St. Hedwig Catholic Church
Los Alamitos, California

If the church is run like a business, managing it should be a piece of cake. But what if it’s more like a pie in the face? This session will focus on the uniqueness of church management by offering a blueprint for those new to the position and offering new ideas for those with experience. The major topics will include: managerial stewardship, helpful software options, and life/work balance.

Ms. Helena Frazier

Helena Frazier is the business manager of St. Philip Benizi Catholic Church in Jonesboro, Georgia. She holds an MBA in accounting from St. Leo University and a master’s degree in church management from Villanova University. Under the tutelage of Dr. Charles Zech and Professor Jim Gallo, she has learned and implemented various procedures that are currently in place at St. Philip Benizi Parish. In addition, she has a nine year old daughter and is very active in ministry life as the coordinator of Children’s Liturgy of the Word and the performing arts ministry.

Session 13
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Chicago Ballroom VIII
Holy Collaboration: Growing a Stewardship Parish from the Ground Up

Speaker: Reverend Drew Wood
Pastor
St. Laurence Catholic Church
Sugar Land, Texas

Speaker: Pennie DeGroot
Director of Social Concerns
St. Laurence Catholic Church
Sugar Land, Texas

Speaker: Sharon Ehrenkranz
Director of Parish Life
St. Laurence Catholic Church
Sugar Land, Texas

Speaker: Tony Oltremari
Parish Administrator
St. Laurence Catholic Church
Sugar Land, Texas

Moderator: Mary Ann Otto
Pastoral Minister for Missionary Discipleship
St. Joseph and St. Mary Parishes
Appleton, Wisconsin

With God, all things are possible, including growing a vibrant parish based on strong stewardship principles. Just as a gardener carefully plans, fertilizes and plants good seed, a pastor must know his parish and grow it from the ground-up through inspiration, invitation and intentional ministry, all in God’s time and abundant grace. Hear from Fr. Drew Wood and his parish leadership team how they approach this holy collaboration at St. Laurence Parish.

The Reverend Drew Wood

Raised in Houston, Texas, Father Drew Wood is a graduate of St. Thomas High School and the University of St. Thomas. He entered St. Mary’s Seminary and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1973. He served at many parishes throughout the Houston area. In addition to fulfilling the roles of vocations director and vice chancellor for the archdiocese and spiritual director at St. Mary’s Seminary, he was assigned to the large, suburban parish of St. Laurence in 1998. In 2002, he became pastor and subsequently led the parish through two major building initiatives to keep up with the needs of the growing parish. Inspired by the Steubenville Youth Conferences, Father Wood created Heart of Worship, an annual, day-long spiritual event at St. Laurence, which set the standard for hospitality, unity and participatory worship for 14 years. Today, he is recognized in the archdiocese and throughout the community for his leadership and stewardship of this vibrant parish, comprised of over 7,700 families, from nations all over the world, united in the love of Christ and glorifying God in all they do.

Ms. Pennie DeGroot

Pennie DeGroot is the director of social concerns at St. Laurence Catholic Church. Her primary responsibility is the development and coordination of outreach programs for this large Sugar Land parish. She provides oversight to 21 separate initiatives under the umbrella of social concerns and coordinates the support of 16 outside agencies. Ms. DeGroot has received numerous recognitions, including the Catholic Charities Charity in Action Award, Parks Youth Ranch True Believer Award and Fort Bend Family Promise Service Award. She has been married to her husband, Tom, for 35 years and is the mother of two and grandmother of three. Devoted to her family and to her parish, she considers it a great privilege to “serve at a parish where the support and love from parishioners is overwhelming and enables us to reach so many lives in our community.”

Ms. Sharon Ehrenkranz

Sharon Ehrenkranz is the director of parish life at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston, Texas. In serving this large parish of over 7,700 families, she draws from previous experience as executive director for the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation and ten years of sales management at Procter & Gamble. She and her husband, Doug, and their three children moved from Ohio to Texas, which they have been happy to call home for 24 years. She jumped right into parish life at St. Laurence, with its beautiful liturgies and thriving ministries, 11 years ago. She was hired as communications director, which was, at the time, the first job of its kind in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Today, she is responsible for parish life and ministry coordination, stewardship, and communications and is active in the Stewardship Networking Group and serves on the board of directors of the Catholic Strengths and Engagement Community.

Mr. Tony Oltremari

As parish administrator for St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land, Texas, a parish of over 7,700 families and 90 plus ministries, Tony Oltremari understands the importance of the spiritual mission of the church and the need for the material resources for fulfilling that mission. He previously served as director of stewardship and vice-chair of the Evangelization Commission for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He is a graduate of the ICSC Institute for Stewardship and Development. Through his efforts the archdiocese was awarded first place recognition by ICSC for Excellence in Materials Promoting Diocesan Stewardship in 2001. After leaving the archdiocese, he beccame vice president for Cavan Corporation, conducting increased offertory initiatives and capital campaigns for parishes and diocesan annual appeals. He is on the ICSC board of directors, is actively involved with the Stewardship Networking Group in the Houston area and is a member of the Archdiocesan Stewardship Advisory Committee. Mr. Oltremari was born in Memphis, Tennessee but has been in Houston since 1960 where he was educated at St. Thomas High School and the University of Houston. He and his wife of 49 years, Peggy, have four children, ten grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Session 12
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Chicago Ballroom IX
Good Parish Stewardship Starts in the Rectory

Speaker: Chuck E. Zech, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Villanova University Center for Church Management
West Chester, Pennsylvania

Moderator: Linda Maccarone
Director of Parish Mission
St. Mary Catholic Church
Royal Oak, Michigan

It is important that parish leadership models good stewardship for the parishioners by showing respect for their contributions and demonstrating that they are used efficiently. This means that the leadership must be transparent and accountable in all parish financial dealings and exhibit co-responsibility in their spending decisions. It also means that leadership takes care to protect parishioner contributions through the implementation of sound internal financial controls. Specific recommendations will be included in the presentation.

Chuck E. Zech, Ph.D.

Dr. Chuck Zech is professor emeritus of Church Management at Villanova University where he served as the founding director of the Center for Church Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Thomas University, Minnesota and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author or co-author of more than 50 articles and 12 books on church management.

Dr. Zech has served as the keynote speaker at over 60 diocesan convocations. In 2008 the International Catholic Stewardship Council awarded him The Christian Stewardship Award in recognition of his unique and extraordinary witness to Christian stewardship as a way of life. In 2010 he was awarded the Lumen Gentium Award by the Conference for Pastoral Planning and Council Development in recognition of his leadership in the utilization of planning and consultative processes in the church. He has been named recipient of The Monika K. Hellwig Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Intellectual Life by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. He is the father of four grown children and lives in a Philadelphia suburb with his wife Ann.

Session 11
10:30 am – 11:30 am

Chicago Ballroom X
In All Seasons: The Liturgical Year as Stewardship Formation Framework

Speaker: Leisa Anslinger
Associate Department Director for Pastoral Life
Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio

Moderator: Karen Gilman
Associate Director of Communications and Development
Diocese of Beaumont, Texas

One of the most challenging things for stewardship leaders is sharing the stewardship message year-round. By using the liturgical year as our framework, we draw on the rich wisdom of Sacred Scripture, and help people connect their lives with the rhythm of the liturgical cycle of Sundays and seasons, bringing faith to life.

Ms. Leisa Anslinger

Leisa Anslinger is the associate department director for pastoral life for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. She brings extensive experience in parishes and schools to her ministry as an author and speaker. She is a frequent presenter at national and diocesan gatherings on topics ranging from parish leadership, stewardship, evangelization, and strengths development. Her most recent publications include Grateful Disciples, leader development for forming stewards in community and 30 Days on Stewardship, published by Twenty-Third Publications. She is the author of Impact, a monthly resource to form people as disciples who live and grow as good stewards.

Ms. Anslinger holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, a master’s degree in secondary school counseling from Purdue University and a master’s degree in religion from the Athenaeum of Ohio.

Session 10
9:00 am – 10:00 am

Michigan
So Much More Than Money: The Impact of an Effective Feasibility Study

Speaker: Steve Michalek
Vice President & Director of Church Division
Ruotolo Associates Inc.
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Moderator: Stephen Nicholl
Director of Development
Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey

Feasibility studies are often considered to be just another step in the planning of a capital campaign. However, when approached as a marketing analysis of an institution’s ability to fulfill its mission, so much more can be revealed and utilized. A thorough examination of potential through quantitative and qualitative analysis will ensure success not only in a capital campaign, but in all future philanthropic endeavors.

Mr. Steve Michalek

Steve Michalek has spent his career in fundraising and development, with more than 13 years of experience working with faith-based and higher education organizations. His expertise includes capital campaigns, major gifts, annual fund programs, alumni programs, board stewardship and training, pre-campaign studies, strategic planning and volunteer training. Mr. Michalek brings commitment, energy and professionalism to each project. In total, he has raised more than $150,000,000 in philanthropic support. He has worked with many of RA’s faith-based clients and is currently assisting with a major capital campaign for the Diocese of Phoenix.

Session 9
9:00 am – 10:00 am

Sheraton ballroom II
The Spirituality of Stewardship: The Heart of Catholic School Development

Speaker: Mary Ann Otto
Pastoral Minister for Missionary Discipleship
St. Joseph and St. Mary Parishes
Appleton, Wisconsin

Moderator: Patty Vande Voort
Business Administrator
Holy Spirit Parish
Kimberly, Wisconsin

The true inspiration for advancing the mission of the Church through Catholic schools comes from Jesus. Our call to model his lifestyle as the ultimate steward is always the starting point of the conversation when we look to invite people to Christian generosity. This session will offer the opportunity to be re-invigorated with the Gospel stewardship message and provide some practical ways to share it with current donors and perspective givers.

Mrs. Mary Ann Otto

Mary Ann Otto is minister for missionary discipleship at St. Joseph and St. Mary parishes in Appleton, Wisconsin where her responsibilities include the areas of evangelization, discipleship and stewardship. She returned to her ministerial roots in parishes after serving for nine years as the stewardship and special projects director for the Diocese of Green Bay. She has spent many hours with parish leaders talking about the spirituality and practicalities of Christian stewardship. She has assisted parishes in fostering plans for infusing the stewardship message to help create a culture of grateful generosity as well. Mrs. Otto has written many stewardship resources including a six-week small group process, Be Not Afraid-How to Follow Jesus. She has given stewardship presentations and parish missions nationally and was blessed with two fruitful stewardship mission trips to the Philippines in 2017. Mrs. Otto holds a master’s degree in theology and serves on the ICSC board of directors where she is a past board secretary. She currently chairs the ICSC Parish Stewardship Education and Services Committee. She and her husband, Jeff, have five children and nine grandchildren.

Session 8
9:00 am – 10:00 am

Huron
Picture Your Legacy: How to Get Donors to Engage in the Planned Giving Conversation

Speaker: Renée Underwood, CFRE
Associate Director of the Advancement Foundation
Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas

Moderator: Denise Dobrowolski
Director of Charitable Giving
Diocese of Rockford, Illinois

Discussions about philanthropy and a person’s legacy should be important to every foundation officer. In this engaging and very interactive session, the presenter will model for you and have you participate in an activity that can transform your thinking about how you approach a group at a parish, school or similar gathering and open up conversations with potential planned gift donors about their respective legacies.

Ms. Renée Underwood, CFRE

Renée Underwood has served in stewardship, development and Catholic foundation management roles for dioceses since 2009. She currently has responsibility for annual and planned giving for the Diocese of Fort Worth as associate director of its Advancement Foundation. Current vice chair and board member of ICSC representing Region X, she has extensive experience in leading high performing teams. Prior to her nonprofit career, she served in advertising, marketing and executive management roles. Ms. Underwood holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, an MBA from The University of Texas at Dallas and has completed additional graduate studies toward a master’s degree in pastoral studies from Loyola University New Orleans. Ms. Underwood is a widow, a mother and grandmother. She is a spiritual director, a Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Commander and a Lay Dominican.

Session 7
9:00 am – 10:00 am

Erie
Lessons We Learned in Our First Capital Campaign

Speaker: Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, S.T.L., D.D.
Archbishop of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Speaker: Peter de Keratry, CFRE
Director of Stewardship and Development
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Moderator: Brian Doyle
Director of Development
Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida

Covering more than 44,000 square miles, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City recently completed its first ever comprehensive capital campaign in 107 parishes. The campaign was launched in July 2017 with a goal of $55 million. As of June 2019, more than $90 million in pledges, 165% of goal, has been secured. This session will review key lessons learned and identify key strategies leading to success in the effort.

Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, S.T.L., D.D.
Archbishop of Oklahoma City

Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, S.T.L., D.D. is the Archbishop of Oklahoma City, an archdiocese with more than 120,000 Catholics in central and western Oklahoma. The archdiocese is comprised of 46 counties and 42,470 square miles.

Archbishop Coakley was born in Norfolk, Virginia to John and Mary Coakley in 1955. He and an older brother and younger sister spent their formative years in Metairie, Louisiana and Overland Park, Kansas. He attended the University of Kansas where he completed his undergraduate studies in English and classical antiquities in 1977. During this period he was a student in the university’s Integrated Humanities Program.

Upon completing university studies Archbishop Coakley traveled in Europe and briefly considered a monastic vocation at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in France. He returned to the United States to begin priestly formation in 1978 at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland for the Diocese of Wichita. He was ordained a priest in 1983.

After serving as a priest of the Diocese of Wichita for 21 years, he was ordained to episcopal ministry and installed Bishop of Salina, Kansas in 2004. In 2011 he was called to become the fourth archbishop of Oklahoma City.

Archbishop Coakley has selected “Duc in Altum” as his episcopal motto (“Put out into the Deep”). It is found in St. Luke’s gospel when Jesus invites the apostles to “put out into the deep” and lower their nets for a catch (Lk.5:4). Obedient to Jesus’ command, Simon Peter and his companions cast their nets as directed, and “caught such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point” (Lk. 5:4). Jesus calls the Church today, as always, to “put out into the deep,” as a witness to hope, and to respond joyfully to his word with faith and confidence. It is a call to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the New Evangelization.