Advancing Our Church

Published: September 26, 2021 How has the pandemic impacted Stewardship for Catholic organizations? What strategies are Catholic leaders implementing to navigate these uncertain times? How have donors stepped up in a meaningful way through the light of their faith? Join Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend as he discusses these questions and more with participants of this year’s International Catholic...

Published: September 19, 2021 In December 2020, Dan Cellucci , CEO of the Catholic Leadership Institute, offered a compelling talk entitled “ What If They Don’t Come Back? ” What if Catholics who have been away during this pandemic simply do not return to Mass after the restrictions have been lifted? Dan’s predictions and the data collected by the Catholic Leadership Institute were correct. There...

Published: September 10, 2021 Join Jim Friend as we celebrate the 100th Episode of Advancing Our Church with his special guest, Fr. Benjamin Roberts , author of the new book on homiletics, The Voice of the Bridegroom . Fr. Roberts discusses his story of conversion, the artistic renovations made to his parish at Our Lady of Lourdes, Monroe, NC, his new book, and his devotion to St. Dymphna. Fr. Rob...

Published: July 19, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend hosts a conversation with experienced Catholic podcasters and social media experts on the topic of podcasting for Catholic organizations. Learn how these experienced podcasters got started and what recommendations they have for beginning your podcast with a mission. Jim’s guests include Dr. Tim Uhl , Superintendent of School, Diocese of Buf...

Published: June 20, 2021 Jim Friend welcomes his Uncle, David C. Friend , veteran, entrepreneur, author, banker, teacher, pastor, and now podcaster of the popular new show Quality Christian Living . David shares his story and experience of touring Vietnam, the early days of his career as a successful banker and entrepreneur, and how he became a full-time pastor of a growing Church in Scottsdale, A...

Published: June 15, 2021 Join Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend and cohost Anna Vallez for a panel discussion with three pastors who share their experiences of adapting to a virtual environment over the past year. What lessons have they learned? What new parish practices have brought their communities closer together, and what will they carry forward into a post-pandemic Church? As parishioners beg...

Published: June 10, 2021 How have diocesan appeals changed since the start of the pandemic, and how will diocesan professionals continue to adjust their strategies in 2021/22? Join Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend as he hosts a panel of top-notch experts who discuss the evolving landscape of Diocesan Appeals. Today’s guests include Brian Niebrugge , Executive Director of Stewardship and the Annual...

Published: June 01, 2021 Bishop Alfred Schlert , Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown, joins  Jim Friend  on today’s show. Bishop Schlert discusses growing up in the Lehigh Valley, how the region has evolved, and the Bishop’s own vocation story. He describes how his vocation was the culmination of an internal journey with God and was encouraged by his family and mentors. As a lifelong...

Published: May 26, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend welcomes Fr. Thomas Dailey , the inaugural John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics & Social Communications at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. Fr. Dailey has a new book, Behold This Heart: St. Francis de Sales and Devotion to the Sacred Heart , available on Amazon. In the book, Fr. Thomas Dailey transports the reader beyond...

Published: May 18, 2021 We are pleased to welcome Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, S.T.D. , Shepherd of the Archdiocese of Hartford, to our program this week. Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend and Fred Roberts talk with Archbishop Blair about welcoming back the faithful to Mass this coming weekend after a long pandemic. The three men also discuss the Diocesan Young Adult Conference (taking place the we...

Published: May 05, 2021 On today’s show, Jim Friend interviews Patrick Markey , the former Executive Director of the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference, who begins this year as the Leadership Roundtable’s inaugural Managing Partner. Markey officially assumes his new role in May 2021 and will lead the nonprofit in its next phase of growth and service to the Catholic Church. Get to know Patrick M...

Published: March 22, 2021 Our guest today is Mark Conzemius , President of the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota. Mark has been president of the Foundation since 1994, and during that time, he has significantly grown the assets by inviting the faithful of the Diocese of Sioux Falls to leave a legacy of love and faith. Mark has a long history in leadership, relationship develop...

Published: March 08, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend talks with Cande de Leon , Executive Director of the Office for Mission Advancement in the Diocese of Phoenix, about his new book, Heart of the Mission: Simple Ways to Bring People to Jesus. In the book, Cande shows what it takes to get back on track. With wisdom and humor born of his own experience, he shows how our Christian mission alwa...

Published: March 02, 2021 Advancing Our Church visits the beautiful state of California again this week through a conversation with the Most Reverend Ramón Bejarano , Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, and Deacon Jose Reyes , Parish Life Coordinator of St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto, CA. Bishop Bejarano and Deacon Reyes discuss their ministries and service to parishioners through justice and peace,...

Published: February 22, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend interviews Nancy Padberg , President & CEO of Catholic Education Arizona , a scholarship organization based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a mission to make it possible for underserved families in Arizona to have a quality Catholic education for their children. Nancy has been in her role for two years.  She has her Bachelor of Scien...

Published: February 17, 2021 2020 forced us to reimagine many of our longstanding fundraising best practices, from major gifts to direct marketing and events to grant writing. What did we learn, what new ideas will we keep, and how will our strategies need to evolve as we emerge into a post-pandemic world? Join Changing Our World ’s Jim Friend , host of the Advancing Our Church Podcast, for this c...

Published: February 10, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend interviews Fr. Frank S. Donio , S.A.C., D.Min., Director of the Catholic Apostolate Center and a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers and Brothers). Fr. Frank is also Executive Director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men of the United States (CMSM), the national organization r...

Published: January 31, 2021 Happy Catholic Schools Week! On today’s show, Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend and Fred Roberts have a conversation with Alex Urrea , Managing Partner and Director of Educape and, CEO of The Procedo Project and Andrea Chavez-Kopp , Chief Learning Officer for The Procedo Project . The Procedo Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop, implement and cu...

Published: January 27, 2021 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend interviews Margaret Kaplow , Director of Marketing and Communications, Public Relations and Publications Manager for the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA).  Today, we’ll learn about the important role that Margaret plays for the NCEA and how the NCEA supports Catholic Schools through Marketing programs, Catholic Educa...

Published: January 20, 2021 How are you leveraging Catholic Schools Week for your enrollment and philanthropic efforts? Join us for this informative conversation with our experts Jennifer Melville Trefelner , Diocese of Palm Beach, Kristin Moore , Archdiocese of Seattle, with Gavan Mooney and Jim Friend from Changing Our World . For more information about Catholic Schools Week, please visit NCEA’s...

Published: December 23, 2020 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend , Anna Vallez , and Fred Roberts talk with Fr. Anthony Mongiello and Fr. Giuseppe Esposito from St. Anne Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Fr. Mongiello and Fr. Esposito have been creating fun and, in some cases, hilarious videos on Facebook for the children of their parish elementary school as a way to reach out to their community dur...

Published: December 21, 2020 Changing Our World ’s Jim Friend , Anna Vallez , and Fred Roberts host a discussion with Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the Diocese of Allentown for a conversation on their strategies for #GivingTuesday. Our guests today include: Rebecca Arcarese, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School, Seattle, WA Paige Banks, Bellarmin...

Published: November 30, 2020 Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend welcomes Msgr. Andrew Baker , Rector for Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg , Maryland, to talk about his success of recruiting 47 new seminarians to the University for the 2020-2021 Academic year in the middle of the pandemic. We discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for recruitment and fundraising for this national s...

Published: November 23, 2020 The Christmas Mass is a joyous time that will require special care and preparation this year, as will our year-end giving strategies. Today, we welcome special guests Fr. Ron Bagley and Msgr. Louis Marucci to discuss creative ways to plan for a fulfilling liturgical experience in your parish this Christmas and the importance of year-end giving to a healthy parish budge...

Published: November 16, 2020 How do we transform our parish communities in the season of Advent? What would it take for our parishes to be communities where divine mercy is experienced and shared? How do we engage our parishioners in this sacred season of preparation for the birth of Jesus? Join Changing Our World ‘s Jim Friend and Anna Vallez with special guests Annie Sarlo and Fr. Boniface Hicks...