Diocese of Joliet to partner with Leadership Roundtable

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois will partner with Leadership Roundtable for the inaugural cohort of the organization's Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative.

Leadership Roundtable selected the Diocese of Joliet following a nationwide search for a diocesan partner to launch the Initiative. Leadership Roundtable will work closely with the diocese and its Hispanic Ethnic Ministries Office to begin training the first cohort of Hispanic/Latino Catholic leaders in January 2021.

The national Advisory Committee of the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, along with Leadership Roundtable staff, reviewed applications submitted by dioceses across the nation and selected the Diocese of Joliet for its demonstrated commitment to listening to members of its Hispanic/Latino community and working collaboratively to foster leadership that recognizes and represents the community in decision-making structures.

"We appreciate that even amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Diocese of Joliet saw the powerful impact that this Initiative will have for Hispanic/Latino Leaders," said Andrea Blanco, program manager of the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative. "We were delighted with the quality and thoughtfulness of their application and their commitment to ongoing leadership development for Hispanic/Latino leaders in the diocese."

"Formation is one of the priority areas identified by the V Encuentro process in the Diocese of Joliet, and we have been offering courses and workshops to form parish leaders and laity who serve in Hispanic ministry," said Bishop Richard E. Pates, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet. "This Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative will provide the Diocese with a great opportunity to continue developing and enhancing the leadership skills of priests, religious, and lay leaders within the Hispanic community."

Leadership Roundtable's Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative aims to increase access to critical leadership development and pastoral management training, coaching, peer support, and pastoral mentors utilizing Leadership Roundtable's proven integrated leadership development solutions, including Catholic Leadership 360 and Toolbox for Pastoral Management. The Initiative both seeks to positively impact Hispanic/Latino leaders and to promote a new culture of co-responsible leadership to better serve the Catholic Church in the United States.

Newly appointed to the Diocese of Joliet, Bishop Ronald A. Hicks noted that: "Leadership Roundtable believes it is critical that Catholic parishes and dioceses support Latino/a pastoral leaders to thrive in their vocations and, thus, support the well-being of the parishioners they serve. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Leadership Roundtable to provide this important formation."

Leadership Roundtable launched the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative with support from a $1 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Thriving in Ministry initiative. With Thriving in Ministry, Lilly Endowment is encouraging various religious organizations across the nation to create or strengthen programs that help pastoral leaders build relationships with experienced colleagues and guide them through key leadership challenges in parish ministry. Lilly Endowment has provided nearly $70 million in grants to 78 organizations through Thriving in Ministry.

"The launch of the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative in the Diocese of Joliet is an important step forward for the formation of Hispanic/Latino leaders and for carrying out a top priority of the Church," said Mar Muñoz-Visoso, who is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, and serves as Executive Director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church for

the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The members of the Advisory Committee are pleased to work with the Diocese of Joliet in this Initiative and look forward to the positive impact this will have in the lives of participants and those they serve."

Leadership Roundtable promotes best practices and accountability in the management, finances, communications, and human resources development of the Catholic Church in the U.S., including greater incorporation of the expertise of the laity.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet was established by decree of Pope Pius XII and formed out of parts of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Diocese of Peoria and the Diocese of Rockford. The Diocese of Joliet presently serves 616,000 parishioners in 118 parishes and 7 missions across DuPage, Will, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Ford and Iroquois counties in Illinois.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company.

While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the endowment, the endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders' wishes, the endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion, and it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. For more information about Leadership Roundtable and the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, visit leadershiproundtable.org/latino-pastoral-leaders-initiative/.