New group hopes to network Catholic business leaders, Archbishop Cupich - Assembly of Catholic Professionals will meet four times a year over lunch

In an effort to network Catholic business and professional leaders and to promote dialogue between them and Archbishop Cupich, the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Stewardship and Development recently launched the Assembly of Catholic Professionals.

This membership group met for the first time on Oct. 29 for a luncheon where they networked, heard Archbishop Cupich talk about the recent Synod of Bishops on the Family and took time to ask him questions.

It’s not a fundraising group, interim director of development Peter de Karetry told the gathering of more than 80 people. During the lunches, the group will also be able to interact with archdiocesan senior staff.

Similar groups exist in Austin, Texas, and Brisbane, Australia, where de Karetry previously worked.

Following his talk at the City Club of Chicago last February, Archbishop Cupich told reporters that he was creating a group of local business leaders with whom he could consult. The Assembly of Catholic Professionals grew out of that idea.

Membership costs $2,500 per person and includes four luncheons a year with Archbishop Cupich.

When Joe Starshak, principal of the Starshak Winzenburg companies, first heard of the assembly idea he was all for it.

More than 80 Catholic leaders in Chicago business, financial and philanthropic communities attended this initial gathering, which “is a chance for them to meet and get to know each other,” Starshak said, adding that many are chairs of boards for Catholic institutions or former board chairs.

Organizers also wanted these leaders to hear, directly from the archbishop, his thoughts and his ideas.

“He has huge challenges on his hands. And even giving him the opportunity to use this group as a sounding board,” Starshak said. “This is a very networked group. These are people who have run things for the archdiocese.”

“I would say, based on what I’m seeing here, it is a great success,” said Starshak, who himself is serves as financial chair for Sacred Heart Schools.

“I think the archbishop’s approach is very open. He wants to know Chicago and the archdiocese in general and one of the better ways to do that is to meet people at all levels of life, whether they are parents, parishioners, government leaders or business leaders and I think this is a very wise move,” said Mary A. Dempsey, president of the Philip H. Corboy Foundation, which provides scholarships and grants to individuals and institutions that promote core principles of social justice and equality.

Reaching out to the business community for advice in his first year, was a wise move by the archbishop, Dempsey said.

“I think we’ve got a great wealth of financial and technology expertise, marketing expertise in the City of Chicago and I think any non-for-profit — and the archdiocese would be a major one — would benefit from wise counsel from people who do this for a living.”

For information about the Assembly of Catholic Leaders, visit www.archchicago.org/assembly.