Yearly reports
February 2010 Organizational Report - 25th Anniversary of the Roundtable
2009: A Year of Transition
Since the Roundtable’s inception 25 years ago, it had been a program of the National Pastoral Life Center (NPLC), which provided a wonderful home for our work. However, in the fall of 2009 the NPLC closed its doors, and the Roundtable began to transition to an independent organization. Much was accomplished in the last half of 2009 toward this end, including:
-Selecting a new home for the Roundtable’s office, the Center of Concern in Washington DC. The Center is an organization rooted in Catholic Social Teaching that works “to bring a prophetic voice for social and economic justice to a global context,” and its location and related mission made it a great choice for this arrangement.
-Hiring interim coordinator Jennifer Svetlik as support staff for 20 hours per week. Jenn comes to us from Sojourners, and was previously a diocesan CRS Global Solidarity Intern. She began on December 1, 2009 and is eager to continue meeting members and learning about and supporting the organization’s identity and programs.
-Securing a fiscal sponsor, Catholic Charities of Houma-Thibodaux, of which board member Rob Gorman is Director.
-Moving forward on the process of becoming incorporated as a 501c3 organization
Roundtabling: Members Helping Members
-The Virtual Roundtable: Many members continue to identify this email discussion group as the most useful tool that the organization offers. 2009-10 discussions included human trafficking awareness programs, training in PSM certification, collaboration with Latino/Hispanic ministry offices, reflections on Charity in Truth, and organizing PSM committees in Spanish.
-Switchboarding: Connecting members through phone, email, and personal contact remains an important service by Roundtable staff.
-Roundtable Report: Issues in 2009-10 included pieces on climate change and environmental justice, hunger issues, statewide support of Social Action offices, an interview with Rev. Bryan Massingale and more.
-Reformatting our Standards & Expectations Evaluation Tool for easier use
Events: Social Action Summer Institute and the Roundtable Symposium
2009 Symposium: The Right to Food in the 21st Century: Responding Locally to the Global Food Crisis
Our Symposium on February 21-22, 2009 drew 90 participants and featured Fr. David Power who led a conversation about the relationship between Eucharistic theology, social action, and creation care. Director David Beckman and Adlai Amor of Bread for the World also joined us to share how to communicate the urgency of the food crisis to our communities. The Symposium also featured a panel on Systemic Issues in Food Production led by Jim Ennis about the National Catholic Rural Life conference and Hope Villella, then Director of the Roundtable. With 120 attendees on hand, we awarded the Harry A. Fagan Roundtable Award to Joan Rosenhauer, who at the time was Associate Director of JPHD at USCCB.
2009 Social Action Summer Institute (SASI)
The 2009 SASI was held on July 19-24, 2009 in Newark, NJ with 115 participants. The Advanced Track was on Economics and the Common Good and included sessions by Fr. Al Barrera, Chuck Collins, and Dr. Kishor Thanawala. Other great sessions were led by Fr. Alan Deck, Fr. Fletcher Harper, Fr. J Bryan Hehir, Tricia Hoyt, Fr. Jack Martin, Fr. Clarence Williams and Dr. Megan McKenna. Evaluations for the event for overall very positive.
Finances and Membership
The Roundtable had 85 dues-paying offices in 2009. This number was lower than in recent years and the decline can be attributed to the economic downturn as well as the transition that the Roundtable faced in the last half of 2009. Several offices encountered vacancies, restructuring, and many others reported cutbacks that forced them to pay less in dues memberships. However, many offices continued to faithfully pay their dues despite growing budgetary pressures and we are thankful for their support.
