Rebuild My Church Campaign Impact

Elevating Catholic Entrepreneurs

By Jessica Walker

God calls men and women to rebuild the Church throughout society. Sometimes, following this call mean doing something completely new—maybe opening a business, creating a product, or spearheading an initiative. That’s why Franciscan University started its interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship Program, which received funding through the Rebuild My Church Capital Campaign. At the helm is Bob Olson, Franciscan’s executive director of Entrepreneurship and Growth, who is a lead-ing tech entrepreneur and business thought leader. During a Pittsburgh Regional Alumni Chapter kick-off event in March, he gave an inspiring talk about entrepreneurship to Franciscan alumni. Here, Franciscan Magazine shares some of his thoughts about being a faithful entrepreneur.

What made your own entrepreneurial experiences meaningful?

I’ve been privileged to be a part of five early-stage technology companies that were all successful. A couple of them were multi-billion-dollar companies that still exist today in some format, including GoDaddy. However, it was not the notoriety of the company, the accolades for overcoming the odds, or the financial rewards that made it special. What made it so special were the stories of our people. I remember Tyler who had never stepped in a college classroom. He started working with us for $12 an hour. Six years later, he was managing 2,000 people, and he’s one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever seen. Or Marco, who was homeless. He got a job with us, and he became our number two salesperson and taught all of us the gift of gratitude. It’s creating a platform and environment where people can do their best work and create their own special stories while making a difference in the lives of others. Some call it achieving the impossible. For me, it is centered on having faith.

Why do we need Catholic entrepreneurs?

Love is at the center of our faith, and our work makes this love visible. When entrepreneurs live by their values and faith, they can be authentic leaders who make a difference in people’s lives and serve others. Integrating our faith into our work also helps us develop resilience. Every company I’ve been a part of has had a near-death experience. Embrace your faith because, when you do, you’re not afraid. Our faith empowers us to confront conflicts without fear, seek the truth diligently, and maintain a growth mindset.

What are practical steps to become a better leader?

First, self-care. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’re certainly not going to help others be the best versions of themselves. So, what are your sleep and nutrition habits? That also includes learning to forgive and being kind to yourself. Accept compliments because, if you can’t take a compliment, you also can’t take feedback.

Second, show up. Many people are just going through the motions. As a leader, you have to show up and be present because other people and their families are relying upon you.

Third, focus on the people you surround yourself with. Outside of your faith, the most important thing is who you surround yourself with. Are you surrounding yourself with people who are going to make you better, tell you the things you need to hear, and pick you up when you need it?

What’s one piece of advice for future entrepreneurs?

I want to give people the confidence to go for it. What I’ve learned from spending time with people who work in hospices is that people don’t get upset about the things they did so much as the things they didn’t do. Follow and listen to God, surround yourself with good people, and then go for it. Have a plan but know, ultimately, it’s God’s plan. My favorite quote regarding entrepreneurship is from St. John Paul II: “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

From One Hill to Another

By Gregg Miliote
Photography by Herrera Photography

At an event to celebrate a major expansion effort to prepare, connect, and engage students in the political and cultural work of the nation’s capital, Franciscan University officially dedicated the new Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald Franciscan University Homeland Mission in Washington, D.C., on February 28.

The Homeland Mission will play an integral role in equipping students to serve as joyful disciples in the public arena, advancing the missionary cause of positively impacting the principles and policies guiding the United States government.

About 175 people attended the dedication event, which was held immediately after the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

“We at Franciscan University are invited to be light. So, we are spreading that light from one hill in Steubenville to another hill here in Washington, D.C.,” said Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR ’89.

Through the Homeland Mission, students will have access, support, and encouragement to participate fully at the highest levels of the legislative process—and to do it with a missionary spirit. The initiative has been made possible thanks to a transformative $10 million donation by Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald. The donation, made during the highly successful Rebuild My Church Capital Campaign, allowed the University to acquire the residential and learning facilities that will serve as a dedicated hub for the University’s mission in Washington, D.C.

Ward Fitzgerald, CEO and senior managing principal at ExCorde Capital, was inspired by the Christ-centered mission of the University and said he and his wife, Kathy, felt called to participate.

“We are hollow vessels for the Lord. We want to thank you at Franciscan University for being who you are, so that we can participate in glorifying God through you and through the vessels that we become,” Fitzgerald said. “It really is a gift for us to be able to give to a place like Franciscan.”

All programs and events at the Homeland Mission are centered around challenging students to work and witness for ongoing, systematic change in government, placing the human dignity of all people at the center.

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg ’01, president emeritus of the Victims of Communism Foundation, highlighted how different the University’s D.C. mission will be from other institutions that expand into the city.

“This initiative is not just an expansion of Franciscan University. It is a bold step forward in forming faithful Catholic leaders who will serve our country and the Church in a time of great need,” he explained.

The first group of students to take part in the Homeland Mission initiative were also in attendance at the dedication ceremony. Senior political science and philosophy major Amelia Abdalla said she was excited to see all the great work Franciscan students were going to do in Washington, D.C., in the years to come.

“Washington needs what we have to offer. As a student who feels called to take my next steps here in D.C., it is incredibly exciting to know that the Franciscan University community will be here to walk with me,” Abdalla said. “Please know that not only is the gift of this beautiful property valued with appreciation, but we students also understand it to be a call to action—an invitation to leave one hill empowered to serve another.”

Homeland Mission is part of the new Franciscan University Encounter initiative, which works to bring together the University’s academic, administrative, and evangelization resources to spread its mission and impact far beyond the Steubenville, Ohio, campus.

Executive Director of Franciscan University Encounter Stephen Catanzarite MSE ’12, who leads programming and operations for the Homeland Mission in partnership with the Political Science Department, the Institute for Catholic Humanitarian Service, and many other University departments, said he cannot wait to see what Franciscan students can do in a city sorely in need of truth, beauty, and goodness.

“Through the Homeland Mission, we are creating new opportunities, relationships, and encounter that will prepare and equip our students to be joyful disciples while working in and around the federal government,” Catanzarite said.

Hope & Joy

Shine Bright

By Gregg Miliote

Steubenville Conferences continued to expand its offerings both in person and virtually with a Night of Hope during the Advent season and a Night of Joy during the Easter Octave that together drew 6,000 attendees.

The two special evenings of prayer, worship, uplifting music, talks, and eucharistic adoration were held in the Pope St. Paul VI Event Center in Christ the Teacher Hall and were broadcast live to an online audience.

On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December, inter-nationally acclaimed Catholic author, speaker, and television host Chris Stefanick ’98 delivered a rousing keynote presentation on the hope that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

He detailed the ills of the modern world, asserting we live in the first era where humans have lost a sense of the sacred and do not know if there is anything to worship aside from ourselves.

The cure for the hopelessness of modern man, he said, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stefanick exhorted the audience to preach the Gospel, not let fear get in their way, and rejoice in hope.

“We are in a fight for our lives in Western Civilization. It is time to return to the beating heart of Western Civilization, and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Stefanick said.

Franciscan University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR ’89, led eucharistic adoration and shared spiritual reflections. “We can’t live a moment without hope,” Father Dave said during the December event. “No matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, this is not the end of the story.”

In April, during the Night of Joy, author, speaker, podcaster, musician, and Franciscan catechetics professor Deacon Bob Rice MA ’97 spoke poignantly about the joy of the Resurrection just days after the Church began to mourn the death of Pope Francis.

Rice focused on Jesus’ words to his Apostles at the Last Supper when he told them, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

“Jesus often talked about the joy he wants us to have. It is the gift that perseveres even in the midst of sorrow. This is the joy Jesus wants to give us.”

Calling upon the late pope’s own writings about rejoicing, Rice urged the audience to find the joy Jesus wants for them by doing three things: regular loving prayer to Jesus through Scripture and sacrament, loving Jesus in others through family and the fringes of society, and loving Jesus in ourselves through humility and humor.

“We should cast all our anxieties on God and remember that joy comes from the resurrected Christ. It comes from loving Jesus,” Rice said. “The invitation of Easter is to get out of Lent allow ourselves to rejoice and be glad.”

Night of Hope and Night of Joy were both emceed by Executive Director of Conferences Brian Kissinger ’04 MBA ’05, who announced that both events will now become regular annual offerings of the University and Steubenville Conferences, which celebrates its 50th season this summer. The expansion effort is a direct result of the recently completed Rebuild My Church Campaign, which earmarked donations for more outreach and evangelization efforts at the University.

Kissinger wrapped up Night of Joy with his own reflection. “Joy is not something we can manufacture, create, or earn. It is a fruit and a gift that comes from the Father above. So we ask, we seek, and we knock.”