CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Parish will have four events in September, and all are welcome to attend:
- Elisa Torres-Neff: “The Catholic Church and the Crisis of Meaning,” 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, in Aquinas Hall. Torres-Neff is a visiting instructor for the Honors College at Belmont Abbey College, where she aims to cultivate the moral, spiritual and intellectual virtue of young people. In this public lecture, she will explore how the Church provides compelling answers to the fundamental questions about life and a viable solution to modernity’s crisis of “meaning.”
- St. Thomas Aquinas University-Area Farmer’s Market: In the courtyard of the church from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11.
- Shane Page: ”Crossing the Tiber,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in Aquinas Hall. Page, a Gastonia native and former Methodist pastor who now serves as evangelization director at St. Michael Parish, will talk about his conversion journey and coming home to the Catholic Church.
- Art and Laraine Bennett: “The Temperament God Gave You,” on Saturday, Sept. 24, after the 8:30 a.m. Mass in the church. Q&A to follow. Art Bennett is a licensed marriage and family therapist and former head of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Arlington, Va. This talk is based on some of the popular books that the Bennetts have co-writtten dealing with the four temperaments, marriage and family.
— Tim Flynn
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Sharon Kucia of Charlotte has been named one of two vice presidents of steward development for The Papal Foundation, which supports the pope’s priorities to serve the poor in developing nations around the world. The foundation has provided more than $200 million in grants since its founding in 1988.
Kucia will serve the Midwestern region of the United States. The second vice president, Ian Rangel of California, will serve the Western region.
In their roles, they will work with Foundation Trustees, current donors, and staff to invite Catholic philanthropists across the country to become Stewards of St. Peter, a select group committed to supporting projects and initiatives prioritized by the Holy Father around the world, including the building of churches, schools and hospitals, as well as comforting those experiencing issues such as hunger, abuse, hopelessness and trafficking.
“Our Board of Trustees is committed to increasing the foundation’s service to the Church by growing its community of Stewards of Saint Peter and its charity to the poor,” said David Savage, executive director of the foundation. “The addition of Sharon and Ian to the foundation’s team is an important step in our plan to expand the foundation’s impact around the world.”
Eustace Mita, president of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, added, “We welcome Sharon and Ian to The Papal Foundation. Their breadth of experience and philanthropic expertise, coupled with a genuine love of the faith and authentic leadership qualities, will help drive our mission to serve the most vulnerable in developing nations.”
Kucia and Rangel have extensive experience serving the Church, with the proven ability to cultivate strong relationships and raise funds to support the poor in dioceses throughout the U.S.
Kucia comes to the foundation with more than 20 years of experience serving the Church, leading major gift initiatives in the Archdioceses of Milwaukee, Chicago and Indianapolis. She has raised more than $175 million for Catholic education, served more than 1,500 Catholic organizations, and led high-performing teams that raised more than $700 million for the Church. She is a founding member and president of the Charlotte Chapter of Legatus and serves on the board of St. Joseph College Seminary.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and has studied at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.
“I look forward to bringing my expertise in nonprofit strategy and philanthropic business development to The Papal Foundation, supporting the needs of families, widows, orphans and children in developing nations around the world,” Kucia said.
For more information, visit www.thepapalfoundation.org.
— The Papal Foundation