Advancing Our Church

With the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval of the Bitcoin Spot ETF in January 2024, Catholic institutions now have the opportunity to make Bitcoin part of their investment portfolio. Mark Yusko is a highly respected and sought-after voice on Bitcoin. He is a devoted Catholic, and he spoke at the 2022 Catholic Crypto Conference. Mark answers many questions CEOs of Catho...

Lisa Hough joins Jim Friend for an expansive conversation on a variety of Bitcoin topics, including social justice, national security, preserving energy that is unalterable, and Bitcoin’s compliance with our values as Catholics. She begins by giving an overview of the case for Bitcoin and offers some advice on how Catholic institutions can understand Bitcoin’s value and how it aligns w...

Dave Baranowski rejoins Jim Friend for a conversation about working in parish Stewardship in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis . Dave discusses how parishes are working together to regionalize ministries and create more opportunities for all parishioners. As a result, parishes are becoming more creative, collaborative, and welcoming than ever before. Dave also talks about how he trains disciples (not...

Fr. Allen Hoffa is on the Leadership team for Integrity Restored , a ministry to help restore the integrity of individuals, spouses, and families that have been affected by pornography and pornography addiction. In this episode, we learn more about how this ministry provides education, training, encouragement, and resources to break free from pornography, heal relationships, and assist parents in...

Will Murley is a Financial Advisor who specializes in helping Catholics make a holistic financial plan, give to charitable organizations, and invest according to USCCB guidelines. Will shares his experience of being a missionary and how he used to raise money. He also shares how he helps Catholic families choose investments that align with the Church’s teachings and values. Learn some of the commo...

Deacon Ed Shoener returns to Advancing Our Church to talk about how the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministry has grown over the past two years since we last met with Deacon Ed on AOC in Episode 110 . Deacon Ed also speaks about his recent trip to the Vatican for the first Vatican-sponsored Catholic Mental Health Conference. The goal of Deacon Ed’s organization is to accompany peopl...

Jim Friend is joined by Colleen Scariano , one of the founders of SoulCore , a movement born from the desire to nourish body and soul through prayer and core strengthening and functional movements. The story of SoulCore began with a devastating loss that led Colleen to a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother and eventually to the conception of SoulCore. Jim and Colleen discuss the creation of Soul...

This is not a headline that we’re accustomed to seeing in Catholic Education; the “ Diocese of Venice has grown Enrollment by 30% ” in the past year. Fr. John Belmonte, S.J. , Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Venice, has waiting lists at most of his schools, and now the diocese is planning for expansion. Fr. Jeff Putthoff, S.J. serves as a strategic consultant for the...

The report, Why Catholic Schools in Florida Are Growing: 5 Things to Know , aims to amplify the success of Florida’s Catholic schools and offer lessons for Catholic education everywhere. Lauren May and Ron Matus from Step Up for Students join Jim Friend on today’s episode to discuss this remarkable data and why Catholic Schools throughout the state of Florida are growing enrollment and expan...

The back-to-school season was once filled with exciting anticipation as children embarked on a new learning adventure. However, in recent years, schools have become ground zero in an attempt to fundamentally transform America. Traditional academics, like reading, writing, and arithmetic, have been replaced with agenda-driven curricula to reform the values of our youth and less to provide them with...

Today, we are joined by Rob Faughnan, CFRE , who will share some of his recent research on parish giving and some strategies to enhance offertory and increase engagement. Rob is a seasoned organizational leader with 20+ years of fundraising and operations management experience in the nonprofit sector. He is recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for managing effective major gifts, annual...

Jim Friend talks with Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J. , National Director for the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network . Fr. Joe became the national director in 2020. He lives in Milwaukee and travels widely to offer talks and retreats for this ministry. He is also a National Eucharistic Preacher for the Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Joe was ordained in 2011 and he previously taught at all-boys high schools in...

Join Jim Friend and this expert panel for a conversation about giving to Catholic parishes, dioceses, and other organizations. Our panel includes Bevin C. Kennedy , Cabinet Secretary, Development and Communications for the Diocese of Manchester, Joseph M. Gillmer , CFRE® CSPG CAP, Executive Director of Development for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC and Scott Whitaker , Secretariat Director of S...

On today’s show, Brian Crimmins and our host, Jim Frien d , discuss the recent Giving USA 2023 report. The two discuss why philanthropy and the number of donors in 2022 is down from the previous year and what can be done about it. Join this discussion for insights on how religious and nonprofit leaders can take action to be successful in fundraising in 2023. Brian and Jim discuss relationshi...

Published: August 7, 2023 Join us for a discussion about the relationship between Development and Communications. How do we optimize those roles to work in unison toward the goals of your nonprofit organization? Join Jim and Jennifer Melville Trefelner, APR, CPRC , the Director of Communications and Development for the Diocese of Palm Beach. Jennifer has been a guest on Advancing Our Church many t...

Published: May 14, 2023 Today we welcome  Katie Boller Gosewisch , the Executive Director of the  U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking , which was founded in 2013 by a group of Catholic Sisters who were committed to ending human trafficking and supporting survivors. They’ve created a national network of resources and support made up of 110 congregations of women religious and...

Published: May 01, 2023 Today we will be talking about Evangelization with our special guest  Tom Quinlan . As Catholics, we are called to spread the Good News of the Gospel and share the love of Christ with others. This is what evangelization is all about, and it’s a crucial aspect of our faith. Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of evangelization, calling on all Catholics to be miss...

Published: April 10, 2023 We’re pleased to have  Dr. Laura Sicola   on the podcast this week because communication is a common thread in the work of Advancing Our Church. Laura talks with us about communicating through storytelling, using common and accessible language with our audiences, and she touches on crisis communications. Laura also speaks about the importance of aligning our ver...

Published: March 26, 2023 We welcome  A ndy Lesnefsky , the President of  Vagabond Missions , a national organization that shares the Gospel with inner-city teens by equipping young adults to serve as Catholic missionaries. Since 2018, Vagabond Missions has quadrupled its footprint by opening missions in 4 new cities. Vagabond has staff serving inner-city teenagers in Pittsburgh, Wichita...

Published: March 12, 2023 A partnership between ACS Technologies and Villanova University’s Center for Church Management in the Villanova School of Business examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on church giving. With over 1000 U.S. Catholic parishes participating nationwide, the findings were revealing. Join   Jim Friend  and ACS Technologies’  T erry Poplava  to learn...

Published: February 26, 2023 Jim Friend speaks with  Dr. Matthew Whelan , the ninth president of  Caldwell University  and the first male lay president in Caldwell’s history. Prior to joining Caldwell, Dr. Whelan served as Vice President for University Enrollment Strategy and Relationship Development at Stony Brook University, where he held a variety of key leadership roles in under...

Published: February 12, 2023 Jim Friend  speaks with  David Savage , Executive Director of  The Papal Foundation , whose mission is to serve the Holy Father and the Roman Catholic Church through faith, energy, and financial resources. In this role, David leads the organization’s focus on addressing Pope Francis’ priorities to build the Church, educate and prepare leaders, and care f...

Published: January 29, 2023 An increasingly post-Christian world is forcing parishes to re-envision how they “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).  Jim Friend  speaks with  Susan Windley-Daoust , theologian and director of missionary discipleship for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in southern Minnesota, who provides a roadmap to pastors and parish staff to make sense of it al...

Published: January 17, 2023 The  Saint John Vianney Center  (SJVC) brings 76 years of service to Catholic Clergy, Consecrated Men and Women Religious, and Clergy of other Christian denominations worldwide.  David Shellenberger , President, and CEO, joins Jim Friend to discuss how SJVC helps to identify and navigate the areas of stress and anxiety, emotional and addiction concerns, s...

Published: December 20, 2022 On our last episode of 2022,  Jim Friend  speaks with  Richard Lanahan , the Director of Stewardship and Development for the  Diocese of Metuchen . Rich’s broad experience includes development in Higher Education, Catholic Parishes, schools, and healthcare institutions. In the Diocese of Metuchen, Rich oversees the Bishop’s Annual Appeal and assists...