Global Catholic Seminar

What is Catholic Education and What Are We Trying to Accomplish? 

Catholic education is a noble and challenging work. These schools and universities make a powerful difference in the world and for the students who trust their education to our hands. This session takes an appreciative and critical look at the reasons and purposes for all we do each day for so many.

Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM
President, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities

Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM is president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. For over a century, the ACCU has provided thought leadership on the issues facing Catholic higher education as well as training, representation and consulting on a wide array of matters to help these institutions flourish. Now in his 32nd year as a Vincentian priest, Fr. Holtschneider has worked in Catholic education and Catholic healthcare, serving most recently as president of DePaul University (2004-2017) and chair and then chief operations officer of Ascension, the nation’s largest non-profit health system. He teaches higher education strategy and governance in Harvard University’s programs in professional education, and holds degrees in mathematics, theology and a doctorate in higher education policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Introductory Remarks

A. Gabriel Esteban, PhD
President, DePaul University

Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, is the 12th president of DePaul University and assumed the presidency in 2017. Under his leadership DePaul developed its current strategic plan, “Grounded in Mission: The Plan for DePaul 2024.” It calls for deepening the university’s commitment to its Catholic, Vincentian, and urban mission. Before arriving at DePaul, Dr. Esteban had extensive experience in higher education. Most recently, he served as president of Seton Hall University, a Catholic institution in New Jersey, where he led strategic planning and campus master plan initiatives, strategic changes in enrollment management, and financial aid strategies that enhanced the university’s reputation. Aside from DePaul, he serves on the Chicago History Museum board and the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic School Board. A celebrated leader and advocate for minorities, Dr. Esteban has received multiple honors throughout his career.

Vincentian Global Education

The Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) is a worldwide religious community inspired by the life and mission of St. Vincent DePaul. Their mission is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ through word, service, advocacy, education, and systemic change. Vincentians strive to assist people and communities to discover their power and to help them develop the necessary skills to form coalitions and partnership to build a more peaceful and just society for everyone. As we face the future educational demands, it is more imperative today that Vincentian educators work internationally and in solidarity developing partnerships that strive for academic excellence.

Rev. Partrick McDevitt, CM
Provincial Superior of the Western Province of the Vincentians

Fr. Patrick McDevitt was born and raised in Chicago. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1986 and is a member of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). Fr. McDevitt began his teaching career at DePaul University’s Counseling Program in 1996. Fr. McDevitt was appointed the Rector of the Vincentian Seminary (DePaul Centre) in Nairobi Kenya in 2019. He was elected the Provincial Superior of the Western Province of the Vincentians in March 2020, and he began his tenure as Provincial on July 1, 2020. Fr. McDevitt was previously the President of All Hallows College (2011-2016) in Dublin Ireland.

Building Capacity for Service Learning

Service learning pedagogy has been widely adopted in schools and universities as a means to guide students toward integrating academic learning with challenges faced by under-resourced communities. In Catholic higher education, groups such as UNISERVITATE have emerged globally to support institutionalization of service learning to ensure an integral education that builds students' capacity to become active in addressing systemic social problems. This session will explore a brief history of service learning as a teaching method, discuss successful service learning practices including the importance of reflection, and introduce an asset-based framework for community engagement through various service learning modalities.

Howard Rosing, PhD
Executive Director, Steans Center for Community-based Service Learning & Community Service Studies, DePaul University

Dr. Rosing is the Executive Director of the Steans Center overseeing the work of Academic Service Learning and the Egan Office for Urban Education and Community Partnerships and supports DePaul's partnership with the Asset-Based Community Development Institute. He works with faculty to develop scholarship on service-learning and community-based research and serves as a faculty member in Community Service Studies and an affiliate faculty member in Geography, Sustainable Urban Development (MASUD as co-director) and Community Psychology. Dr. Rosing ‘s teaching directly supports DePaul's Minor in Food Studies and Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Urban Food Systems. Dr. Rosing is a cultural anthropologist whose research focuses on sustainable food systems development, urban food access, economic restructuring, and food justice movements in Chicago and the Dominican Republic.

Catholicism and Culture

In his exploration of Catholicism and Culture, Father Stan will draw on his personal experience and scholarship, touching on changing cultural landscapes and the need for transformative faith-based educational leadership.

Rev. Stan Chu Ilo, PhD
Associate Professor, Catholic Studies

Rev. Stan Chu Ilo is a Research Professor of World Christianity and African studies at the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology, DePaul University, Chicago. He is an honorary Professor of Religion and Theology at the Durham University, Durham, England and the 2017 winner of the Afro-Global Excellence Award for Global Impact. He is the Founder of the Canadian Samaritans for Africa, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Concilium International where he also serves as one of the editors of Concilium Catholic International Journal. He is the Coordinator of the Pan-African Theology and Pastoral Network. Some of his most recent books are: Church and Development in Africa (2014); A Poor and Merciful Church (2018); Wealth, Health, and Hope in African Christian Religion; (2019), and Someone Beautiful to God: Finding the light of Faith in a Wounded World (2020). He co-edited the three-volume work, Faith in Action in Africa and is the author of the forthcoming book: Where is God in Africa? Discourse on Theology, Church and Society in Africa vol I.

Importance of Bi-Lingual and Bi-Cultural

Immigrants and children of immigrants are assets to United States, bringing a wealth of cultural, linguistic, economic, and entrepreneurial contributions that enrich our society in innumerable ways. As a nation, we benefit greatly and therefore we must provide the necessary access, equity and inclusion for linguistically and culturally diverse students to succeed.

Sonia Soltero, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum, DePaul University College of Education

Dr. Sonia W. Soltero is Professor and Chair of the Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum and former Director of the Bilingual-Bicultural Education Graduate Program at DePaul University in Chicago, and a former bilingual education teacher and dual language coordinator. Soltero's scholarly work on bilingual/dual language education, developing bilinguals, Latino education has been published in English, Spanish, and French, and includes three books: Dual Language Education: Program Design and Implementation, School-Wide Approaches to Educating English Language Learners, and Dual Language: Teaching and Learning in Two Languages. She has been involved in dual language and bilingual education for more than thirty years as a dual language teacher, university professor, researcher, professional developer, and advocate. In addition, she has served on numerous national, state and city education commissions/committees, including Chicago Mayo Lightfoot Education Transition Team and on the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Executive Board of Directors. She is also the co-founder and current co-chair of the English Learners Advocacy Council in Higher Education (ELACHE).

The Imperative of Inclusion

Drawing on his experience as a teacher, director and professor of special education, Dr. Zionts details the imperative for Catholic schools to be truly “catholic” in the inclusion of all students. Serving students with special needs has proven challenging for many schools; this talk speaks to some of the ways this “shared responsibility” of understanding and acting that can lead to “education for all.”

Paul Zionts, PhD
Dean, DePaul University College of Education

Dr. Paul Zionts earned his PhD in 1979 from the University of Connecticut in the field of Educational Psychology and Special Education. His research has focused on how to educate children with emotional and behavioral disorders, cognitive behavioral interventions, and classroom management. He has published 5 books and multiple articles and chapters. Before coming to DePaul, Dr. Zionts taught students with emotional and behavioral disorders in an institution for adjudicated delinquents and an inner-city high school in Hartford, CT. He also served as faculty and chair at Central Michigan University and Kent State University, and as Dean of the school of education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. We has been Dean of the College of Education at DePaul since July of 2009.

Catholic Global Mission in the Context of Formation of Leaders

A number of Catholic theologians have reminded us “…the Church does not have a mission; rather the mission of Jesus has a Church.” In fact, this profound truth is at the heart of our understanding of our Church and the task of education and formation of future leaders. Jesus proclaimed his mission clearly in LK 4: 18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free …” Thus at the heart of Jesus’ mission, and so of Catholic formation is a goal to enable true human flourishing in every student, to set every student free to grow in their identity as the imago Dei, the image of God in which they were created. It is hard to imagine a more lofty goal for Catholic leadership formation. While all formation is and must be culturally contextual, all Catholic formation shares in the one mission of Jesus Christ. This Mission is truly global yet its articulation is particular, contextual and culturally sensitive. The formation of future leaders is then organically united with the global mission of Jesus but is done with a creativity that invites the celebration of diversity so that Jesus’ mission is translated in a way that deeply respects every student as an individual and prepares them to do the same. Acknowledging a global mission is not a reduction to a neocolonial vision of “one size fits all” but rather a recognition that the worldwide community is united as sisters and brothers, equal to one another, yet remaining unique individuals committed to a vision of lived interdependence.

Rev. Richard Benson, CM
Former Academic Dean, Catholic Theological Union

Rev. Richard Benson, CM is a Vincentian Father, a member of the Congregation of the Mission, Western Province. He has served as the Vocation Director for the Province of the West, Superior of St. Vincent’s Seminary and the director and superior of Amat House of formation for Vincentian seminarians. He obtained a STL a PhD and STD from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He served at St. John’s Seminary for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 18 years as the Vice Rector, Academic Dean and Chair of the Moral Theology Department. His primary areas of teaching and research are fundamental moral theology, Catholic social teaching (social justice), and Catholic bioethics. He has offered continuing education courses to priests and deacons in the Archdioceses of Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Dioceses of Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino and Monterey, among others. He also has served as a bioethics consultant to several Catholic hospitals. He was the superior of the Vincentian Mission in East Africa. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at several institutions including DePaul University.

Leadership of Lay Women in Catholic Education

This session will provide an overview of the history of women as lay leaders in the Catholic church tracing to our current Catholic school principals A panel of three experienced lay Catholic school principals will respond to questions about their roles in relation to the church and other leaders in their settings. They will provide recommendations for training practices of lay leaders within their systems along with implications for leadership preparation programs.

Barbara Rieckhoff, PhD
Associate Dean, DePaul University College of Education

Dr. Barbara Stacy Rieckhoff began her career in education as a middle school teacher and special educator. She served in a variety of administrative roles assistant principal, special education director and principal in public and Catholic school settings. Currently an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership Program at DePaul, Dr. Rieckhoff also serves as Associate Dean for Curriculum and Programs. Her research interests include mentoring and coaching of principals, creating and sustaining quality professional development communities and K-12 higher education partnerships.

Perspectives on Funding the Vision of Education

While the context varies by a the governmental policy in each location and climate of individual schools, all Catholic school leaders are charges to find the needed resources to better serve their students. This session explores the ministry of institutional advancement and best practice in the cultivation of donors in the ongoing context of the shared work of Catholic education.

Sr. M. Paul McCaughey, OP
Instructional Assistant Faculty; Coordinator Catholic Educational Leadership, DePaul University College of Education

Sister M. Paul McCaughey, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Springfield IL who spent nearly thirty years in secondary administration in three high schools after years of elementary and secondary teaching. She served for almost seven years as the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago in oversight of 250 schools and the largest Catholic school enrollment in the country before assisting with the $350M To Teach Who Christ Is capital campaign. Currently an instructor and the coordinator of Catholic educational leadership programs, Sister consults widely across the country in matters of leadership, strategic initiatives, and school improvement planning.

Sally Julian, PhD
Associate Dean for Development, DePaul University College of Education

Dr. Sally Ann Julian has been with the DePaul University’s College of Education since 2002. She began her tenure in the College of Education as Assistant Dean for External Relations and then moved into the role of Assistant Dean for Advising and Student Teaching and Field Experience. Currently, Dr. Julian serves as the Associate Dean for External Relations and Advancement. In this position, Dr. Julian works with the Dean, faculty and colleagues in the university Office of Advancement to secure resources for the college working with donors, foundations and organizations. In addition, she oversees the college’s scholarship process and communication vehicles.

The International Baccalaureate and Global Catholic Education: Shared Commitments. Inspired Purpose

Global Catholic education and the International Baccalaureate program share a mission and vision to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. This shared commitment creates an inspired purpose that is operationalized in academic programs with service at the core. This session will describe the alignment of Global Catholic education and IB and offer practical strategies to use this alignment for enhanced learning, scholarship, and unity.

Donna Kiel, EdD
Director, Office of Innovative Professional Learning, DePaul University College of Education

Dr. Donna Kiel is the director of the Office of Innovative Professional Learning in the College of Education and an Instructional Assistant Professor in in the Educational Leadership program of the College of Education at DePaul University. Dr. Kiel has worked in Catholic education for over 30 years beginning as a school counselor, moving to Assistant Principal, and to the role of Principal. Dr. Kiel’s Catholic school experiences have consistently focused on social justice and serving marginalized communities. In that capacity, Dr. Kiel has led professional development in Catholic schools in areas of best practices in teaching, assessment, and curriculum development, Catholic identity, social justice, restorative practices, and racial equity. Dr. Kiel is a pioneer in the field of competency-based models of professional development through micro-credentialing. Dr. Kiel created the RISE Micro-credential which supports Catholic school educators in developing cultures that are grounded in racial equity. Dr. Kiel brings a passionate commitment to supporting teachers and school leaders to transform our world into a place of understanding and peace.

Impact of Immigration on Catholic Education

Catholic Education and the Immigrant Experience: This presentation examines the impact of Catholic immigration from the early 19th Century through the mid-20th Century has had on the development of Catholic education in the United States. While the immigration movement and the Catholic understanding of mission have changed drastically since Vatican II, many of the impacts that immigration has had on Catholic Education still impact and can still be a value to Catholic Education today.

Rev. Anthony Dosen, CM
Mission Officer, Congregation of the Mission Western Province

Fr. Anthony Dosen, C.M. is a retired Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at DePaul. He holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership from Marquette University (1997) and a License in Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake (2011). His research interests focus on Catholic Identity and Catholic Education (PreK – University) and Leadership Theory. He currently serves as the Mission Officer for the Congregation of the Mission Western Province.