In partnership with lay, ordained, and religious leaders and organizations across all sectors of the Catholic community in the United States and Rome, Leadership Roundtable seeks to elevate and implement best practices in management and leadership to establish a culture of co-responsible, servant leadership for a healthy, thriving Church in the U.S.
Dear Friends,
For two decades, Leadership Roundtable has had the privilege of walking alongside the Catholic Church as a partner in the shared work of renewal—identifying and elevating management and leadership best practices and supporting leaders in the field. Along the way, our work has been shaped by what we have learned: the wisdom of the clergy, the dedication of lay leaders, and the faithful witness of the religious men and women who serve the Church.
Today, we look forward with great hope. For the past few years, parishes around the country have welcomed record numbers of new Catholics, both those baptized into the faith and those received into full communion. Young Catholics are increasingly engaged in parish life, serving and leading in ways not seen in a generation. And in the early days of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, the People of God have been called to walk together, to live and lead with synodality and co-responsibility at every level of the Church.
To better understand how we can best support the Church going forward, we undertook a national listening exercise, surveying more than 3,000 U.S. Catholics. We wanted to hear from the faithful whether the seeds that have been sown over the past 20 years are bearing fruit and where Leadership Roundtable could best serve next.
What we heard is deeply encouraging; we are in a moment of hope. Catholics expressed profound trust in their local parish communities and their priests and lay leaders. There is evidence of strong engagement, particularly among young Catholics. But that trust, while real, is not unconditional. What they ask of their leaders is what the Gospel asks of each of us: honesty, integrity, and the humility to be accountable to one another as stewards of the Lord’s vineyard.
The results of our survey also reaffirmed the importance of Leadership Roundtable’s mission to promote the best practices of co-responsibility, accountability, and transparency, and we move forward with renewed commitment and sense of purpose.
None of this would be possible without you. Your partnership, your prayers, and your generosity sustain this work and, through it, the Church we all love. For that, we are profoundly grateful.
Sincerely,
What We Learned in 2025
The accomplishments of 2025 were more than
We surveyed 3,000+ U.S. Catholics and released findings showing both remarkable progress in restoring trust in the Church and persistent gaps.
We learned
Trust Lives
Seventy-seven percent of Catholics trust their pastor and parish clergy to protect children and vulnerable populations. Eighty-two percent of Catholics described their pastor as open to feedback Trust was strongest where leadership was visible, accountable, and relational.
But confidence declined sharply at institutional levels. Only 60% of Catholics believed their diocese communicated transparently about abuse, and fewer than half rated U.S. bishops highly on financial transparency (47%) or involving lay leaders in decisionmaking (49%).
Locally milestones—they were sources of insight.
TRUST IS BUILT THROUGH RELATIONSHIP, VISIBILITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY. INSTITUTIONAL CREDIBILITY REQUIRES THE SAME PRACTICES— EMBEDDED SYSTEMATICALLY.
We learned
Young Adults Lead
ENGAGEMENT IS STRONG BUT TENUOUS. RETENTION REQUIRES MORE THAN PROGRAMS— IT DEMANDS CULTURES OF BELONGING, TRANSPARENCY, AND RESPONSIVENESS.
2025 Mass Attendance:
65 60 43 42
Parish
Life
Engagement
72 62 43 35
Lead Engagement
Sixty-five percent of Catholics ages 18-29 attend Mass at least monthly—the most engaged generation, reversing a trend noted two decades earlier when adults age 65 and older were more likely to attend Mass. Yet 33% of young adults also think about leaving the Church—nearly five times the rate of Catholics age 65 and older.
I often think about leaving the Catholic Church.
33 37 19 7 18-29 30-44
I don’t give to my local parish because there is very little
financial transparency. 34 43 41 36
We
learned
Transparency Drives
Among Catholics who don’t give to their parish, 39% cited lack of financial transparency as the primary reason. Among those who do give, 61% said they would give more with greater transparency—rising to 75% among Catholics under 45. Moreover, 72% of regular donors would reduce giving if they learned of a scandal at their parish or diocese.
I would give more if the Church was more financially transparent.
Drives Generosity
TRANSPARENCY ISN’T JUST A COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT—IT’S A SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE .
DIRECTLY PROTECT MISSION-CRITICAL RESOURCES.
We learned
Co-Responsible Leadership
CO-RESPONSIBILITY IS NO LONGER OPTIONAL—IT’S A WIDESPREAD EXPECTATION.
WHEN LEADERSHIP IS CO-RESPONSIBLE, INSTITUTIONS ARE STRONGER AND TRUST IS DEEPER.
I feel I have a voice in parish decisions that affect me and my family.
Leadership is a Top Priority
Seventy-seven percent of Catholics ranked having a transparent, accountable leadership culture as their top priority for the future of the Church—the highest agreement across all issues measured. Seventy-eight percent of Catholics agreed that elevating lay leaders was essential to restoring trust. This consensus spanned generations, ideologies, and levels of engagement.
Supporting Leaders in the Field
Our Partners in the Field
We worked with lay, ordained, and religious Catholic leaders, understanding their challenges and providing them training and tools, while also sharpening our knowledge of what drives lasting institutional strength. These engagements confirmed our core conviction: parishes, dioceses, and organizations need practical, fieldtested tools grounded in standards and best practices to unleash the full power of their mission.
Launched Juntos Lideramos, a national fellowship for Hispanic Catholics that provided formation for emerging and experienced leaders in the Church
Deepened our partnership with Boston College’s Nuevo Momento initiative, providing organizational assessments and support to increase the organizational capacity of national Catholic, Hispanic-serving nonprofits
Began to scale
360 within the Archdiocese of Chicago, helping to institutionalize a culture of feedback and accountability
Guided financial analyses and governance shifts for key diocesan and nonprofit partners
BY LEADERSHIP ROUNDTABLE
Provided a week-long Toolbox for Pastoral Management training for Capuchin brothers and priests in the early years of their formation from across five provinces
“Leadership Roundtable has opened my eyes to how I can be a leader in my ministries, providing clear guidelines to foster growth in many areas, especially fundraising, conflict management, and coresponsibility. Through this conference, I feel better equipped to lead in the Church, with an emphasis on being a standardsbased, professional presence—to be a listening ear to those I serve.”
BR. CJ WEBB, OFM CAP.
Standards-Driven Tools
Well-run institutions, led by well-formed, accountable, and co-responsible leaders, are the Church’s best defense against abuse and clericalism and the greatest asset in fulfilling its mission.
We’re committed to leveraging the lessons we’ve learned to develop the scalable, standards-driven tools and formation for leaders to lead through complexity and implement the best practices on the ground.
More than 16,000+ followers now engage with our resources, content, and thought leadership online.
“I have always been a pragmatist at my core, and Leadership Roundtable’s vision—grounded in the belief that pragmatic best practices can produce transformational results—propels us and our work forward.”
KATHLEEN PORTER-MAGEE
This year we built new modules on strategic pastoral planning, fundraising, and Catholic school culture and enrollment. We also developed more Roundtable Resources, a series of practical companion guides that help Catholic leaders sharpen their skills and take concrete actions toward standards-driven management.
KATHLEEN PORTER-MAGEE AND LT. GEN. (RET.) JAMES M. DUBIK
Walking Together
We deepened our work with Hispanic Catholic leaders in support of their formation, building networks and facilitating conversations that surfaced the needs of the Hispanic Catholic community in the U.S. to better inform their leadership.
Our work was carried forward through three key initiatives: the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, which incorporated feedback from our first four cohorts to scale the program; Juntos Lideramos, a national fellowship enhancing pastoral leadership skills among emerging and experienced Hispanic Catholic leaders; and the Nuevo Momento initiative, strengthening organizational capacity for national Hispanic Catholic nonprofits through our partnership with Boston College.
At the Nuevo Momento annual partner gathering, we engaged leaders in integrating synodal leadership and strategic planning frameworks into their ministerial contexts—demonstrating how these practices help advance mission and increase impact.
At our second National Gathering for the Latino Pastoral Leaders Initiative, members from all six cohorts came together for fellowship, shared reflection on the program’s impact, and a first look at U.S. Hispanic Catholics’ responses to our 2025 Survey on questions of trust, transparency, and participation. Leaders examined how these findings are reflected in the communities they serve and explored strategies for sustaining deeper engagement.
“...[Juntos Lideramos] provided a comprehensive and insightful exploration of key aspects of ministry leadership, offering valuable perspectives and practical tools to strengthen vision, collaboration, and faith formation within our organizations.”
JUNTOS LIDERAMOS PARTICIPANT
We asked
HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP CULTURE?
BOTTOM, LEFT TO RIGHT (PAGES 24–25): PATRICK KELLY, TARA KELLEHER, AND ROY ZUCKERBERG • SR. MARIS STELLA KARALEKAS, SR. MARY KAREN TOOMEY, AND CARDINAL CHRISTOPHE PIERRE • JOHN CAHILL AND ROBERT NIEHAUS • KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN, JEAN MCLAUGHLIN, ROBERT GASSER, AND LIZ DAIBER
KATHLEEN PORTER-MAGEE, LT. GEN. (RET.) JAMES M. DUBIK, KERRY ROBINSON, CARDINAL JOSEPH TOBIN, CSSR, AND CATHLEEN KAVENY
2 Years
2005 - 2025
At our 20th Anniversary celebration, a panel of speakers discussed the implications of our survey results, considering how the U.S. Church moves from recovery to enduring renewal.
HOW DO WE EQUIP LEADERS FOR BOTH PASTORAL CARE AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE?
ELIZABETH MCCAUL
KATHLEEN PORTER-MAGEE AND PETER LYNCH
20th Anniversary
Thank you for your partnership and support, and for two decades of shared commitment to a healthy, thriving Church built on co-responsible, transparent, and accountable leadership.
KERRY ROBINSON
Celebration
CRISLER AND PETER QUICK
JOHN MEDITZ AND JOSEPH REGAN
KEN LANGONE, PEGGY NOONAN, AND TIMOTHY CARDINAL DOLAN
Investing in Renewal
In 2025, more than 120 supporters invested $2.8M in Leadership Roundtable’s mission—including 62 new supporters who committed more than $500,000.
THIS GROWING SUPPORT REFLECTS A SHARED COMMITMENT TO REBUILDING THE TRUST ESSENTIAL TO ADVANCING THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH.
“The [20th Anniversary] event and entire evening was outstanding—very informative and inspiring. It is very important and necessary to get Leadership Roundtable’s message out to everyone.”
BOB DEVLIN, A NEW SUPPORTER
DAVID HAYES, PETER LYNCH, AND BOB DEVLIN
INCOME
Donations and Sponsorships Grant
INCOME
EXPENSES
Donations and Sponsorships
$2,839,000 $509,000 $442,000 $289,000
$ 4,079,000
EXPENSES
$509,000 $863,000 $753,000 $896,000
3,021,000
20th Anniversary Leadership Gifts
VISIONARY ($100,000+)
Alphadyne Asset Management
Boisi Family
Dee and Kevin Conway
Kate and Bob Devlin
Kevin Fee
The Lynch Foundation
Elizabeth McCaul and Frank Ingrassia
The Paul and Sandra Montrone Family
Jim and Molly Perry
Joseph Regan
CATALYST ($50,000+)
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Dan and Kathleen Denihan
Dick and Cathy Herbst
Steve Klinsky
Elaine and Ken Langone
Janet and Robert W. Postma Foundation
The Raymond Crile Quick Foundation
Paul C. Reilly
SUPPORTER ($25,000+)
Cahill Family
John and Maria Chrin
Leon and Toby Cooperman
The Dooley Family Foundation
John and Cyndy Fish, Suffolk Cares Charitable Foundation
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Healey Family Foundation
Susan and Michael King
Stephen and Sandra Lessing
Robert Niehaus
David and Maureen O’Connor
Terry and Polly O’Toole
Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation
Mark and Karen Rauenhorst Foundation
2 Years 2005 - 2025
GEOFFREY T. BOISI
LESLIE AND EILEEN QUICK
2025 Supporters
Amaturo Family Foundation, Inc.
Anonymous Bank of America
Steven Barry
Rev. John P. Beal
Mary Blaufuss
Geoffrey T. Boisi
Mark and Barbara Boisi
The Eric and Keri Carlstrom Family Fund
Joseph and Maria Carney
The Casaly and Parent Charitable Trust
Robert Catell
Alyssa Caulfield
Calvin Colbert
Sean Collins
Francis Coughlin
Rob and Jacqueline Crisci Family Foundation
Kenneth and Laureen Cron
Richard F. Czaja
Peter and Cornelia Dagher
John and Norah Daly
Dcn. Keith Davis
Del Vecchio Family Foundation
The Frank and Janet Dellafera Family Foundation Trust
