Leadership Roundtable

07/07/2026

In our latest edition of First Fridays, we explore new research that suggests the emerging picture of faith renewal in America is more nuanced.

A study by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows congregations across many denominations are experiencing signs of renewed participation, stronger volunteer engagement, and greater resilience after the pandemic, when all of these dipped sharply. As the picture continues to take shape, we see that recovery is uneven, but the data points to reasons for cautious hope.

Read more: https://open.substack.com/pub/leadershiproundtable/p/christian-congregations-are-rebounding?r=4llzam&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

06/30/2026

Pope Leo XIV offers a simple but profound question for leaders considering AI: Does it uphold and center the dignity of the human person?
One place to start is distinguishing between information and formation. AI can summarize documents, process data, and answer questions. It cannot discern, accompany, or bear responsibility for the consequences of its advice.

Before adopting AI, leaders should ask: Does this require judgment? Trust? Human presence? Vulnerability?

The answers may reveal where technology belongs and where it does not.

New blog out now! Read more: https://open.substack.com/pub/leadershiproundtable/p/the-important-distinction-between?r=4llzam&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

06/25/2026

Tomorrow, Pope Leo XIV opens his second Extraordinary Consistory with the College of Cardinals—focused on relaunching Evangelii Gaudium and rethinking how the Church communicates its mission.

Synodality in action—listening, consultation, discernment, and shared responsibility—is shaping how the Church is governed at the highest level. ⛪

Read more about the consistory from our Renewal blog: https://leadershiproundtable.substack.com/p/one-year-in-pope-leo-xiv-and-synodality?r=4llzam

06/23/2026

Artificial intelligence can generate religious language. It can answer questions about Church teaching. It can even sound authoritative. What it cannot do is exercise prudential judgment or bear responsibility for the spiritual consequences of its advice. As AI becomes increasingly present in religious life, Pope Leo XIV challenges Catholic leaders to discern what belongs to technology and what must remain deeply human. Human dignity, moral judgment, relationships, and spiritual responsibility can never be surrendered to machines.

Read more in our latest blog out now: https://bit.ly/4eC6z7g

06/18/2026

Hope is not waiting for certainty. Hope is acting before the outcome is guaranteed.

Record numbers entered the Catholic Church this Easter. Bible engagement is rising. Church attendance has rebounded in many communities. Gen Z is attending Mass more frequently than any other generation. Signs of renewal are all around us. History reminds us that renewal often begins with small signs that only become part of the bigger picture in hindsight. Yes, the challenges facing the Church are real. But so is the opportunity we have to capture this moment and build, in hope, toward greater renewal. Leaders can shape the future by investing in people, building trust, and strengthening communities today, not when the data confirms renewal.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4fUcTt4

06/17/2026

Canon law requires anyone entering the priesthood or religious life to be free of debt they can't repay. Student loans are making that harder to meet.

A 2024 CARA study found 80% of U.S. dioceses have priesthood applicants carrying student debt, and 18 institutions have turned candidates away because of it. The USCCB's 2026 Ordination Report put the average debt load at just over $33,000. This obstacle is becoming common enough that it's shaping who gets to answer the call and when.

Read more on our Renewal blog: https://bit.ly/44eIsql

06/16/2026

Michael Joncas wrote "On Eagle's Wings" during a moment of private grief. Five decades later, the hymn has become one of the most recognizable religious songs in the English-speaking world.

06/16/2026

We join Vocation Ministry in praying for vocations to consecrated life and for the women discerning where the Lord may be leading them. Lord hear our prayer!

And we also call on our Church and our society to address the barriers that have kept some from pursuing a vocation. Our recent First Fridays shared about the role of debt in preventing some from answering God's call. Read more: https://leadershiproundtable.substack.com/p/debt-remains-a-barrier-to-vocations

06/12/2026

Thank you Cardinal Pierre for your leadership, service, generosity, and most notably, your friendship during your years as Nuncio to the U.S. You have made a profound impact on our Church and our organization. National Catholic Register

‘We talk to everyone — even the Department of War,’ Cardinal Christophe Pierre says in an exclusive interview about his tenure as the Pope’s man in Washington.

06/10/2026

AI is reshaping how we work, search, and connect. In his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV offers Catholic Social Teaching as a lens for understanding what AI offers and where it puts human dignity at risk.

Read more on our Renewal blog on substack: https://leadershiproundtable.substack.com/p/magnifica-humanitas-calls-for-a-catholic