$5,000,000 Gift Inspires Transformation & Leadership

Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) is blessed to announce a milestone gift that will help bring our ministry to 30 dioceses. Outstanding Catholic philanthropist, Kate Craft Mowry, has blessed our mission with a tremendous gift of $5,000,000. The impact of this philanthropy and the souls it will touch is exceptional; Kate’s faith, dedication, and generosity to Catholic Leadership Institute and the Church are equally as extraordinary.

When Catholic Leadership Institute thinks of Kate, we call to mind the beautiful image of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. Just as Mary so gracefully works to untie the knots in our lives, Kate has a special passion and dedication for helping untie the knots of leadership in our Church, particularly amongst our priests. Her great love for these shepherds motivates so much of her generosity.

A Partner in Prayer & Philanthropy

CEO, Dan Cellucci, shares, “Kate is a friend, a valued advisor, a partner in prayer, and one of the kindest and most generous souls. Truly, she is a gift to all who know her. Catholic Leadership Institute is profoundly humbled that she has chosen to share her many gifts of grace, generosity, and true care for others with Catholic Leadership Institute. She has challenged us, prayed for us and with us, and loved us… and not just CLI, but all those leaders we serve, particularly our priests. Kate has a heart for the Catholic faith, a heart that serves and leads simultaneously.”

Even the most tangled knots are loosened and smoothed by God’s grace. So too, the Church’s journey into the next generation will be made smoother and less tangled thanks to the great faith and philanthropy of Kate Craft Mowry.

Generosity Paves a Smoother Path for 30 Dioceses

With Kate’s generosity comes a bold aspiration – to bring CLI’s ministry to 30 dioceses.

When reflecting on her support of Catholic Leadership Institute, Kate shares, “I just think it is so important to make sure this incredible apostolate can do all the good possible at this time for our Church." Involved in our mission since 2012, Kate has truly been a catalyst for helping our apostolate evolve to meet the needs of the Church.

Kate’s gift will untie many knots of leadership. It will ease the stresses of priests yearning for leadership support. It will help parishioners discover and cultivate the gifts of lay leaders. It will blaze a path forward for parishes searching for vision. It will aid bishops in better placing their priests and preparing them for new assignments.

But the most important knots Kate’s gift will untie are the difficult knots, challenges, fears, and obstacles that keep people from growing in their relationship with Christ. For many souls, the path to our Lord’s loving embrace will be smoother, more purposeful, and further rooted in faith because of Kate.

A Gift Dedicated to leadership

We know that for Mary, Our Mother, no knot is too tough or too complicated to be undone. At CLI, we know that with Kate’s belief in us, deep passion for our faith, and profound love for priests and all Church leaders, our work – no matter how challenging – is always possible and is always capable of the most amazing transformation.

As stated by our Founder Tim Flanagan “As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary as an apostolate, I must acknowledge the invaluable philanthropy, love for our Church, and dedication to Christ that Kate has so generously shared with CLI and me personally. It seems providential that this goal of transforming 30 dioceses should fall in the anniversary year; we simply could not do that without Kate. When I founded CLI, I wanted to give Church leaders the support they need and deserve, particularly our priests. I am honored that Kate shares that same desire. Mary’s hands never cease serving and untying knots – so too, Kate’s heart remains steadfast in supporting Church leaders and our faith.”

About Kate

Kate was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She has a degree in Speech Pathology from the University of Kentucky. Sharing her talents for the Lord, Kate offers her time, talents, and treasures to several organizations where she has been involved in strategic planning, program development, and inspiring other philanthropists. She is currently on and has previously served on various faith-based organizations throughout the country.

Since 2012, Kate has created a beautiful legacy and tradition of supporting Church leaders, serving on our National Advisory Board and newly created Task Force. Fittingly, Kate was first introduced to CLI through Fr. Gary Kastl, President of Bishop Kelly High School and Rector of Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, OK. Fr. Kastl is a graduate of and now colleague within Catholic Leadership Institute; he is a wonderful example of taking the learnings of Catholic Leadership Institute and using them as a catalyst to move parishes and organizations forward. We are blessed that he shared his love for Catholic Leadership Institute with Kate.

In addition to her beautiful faith and philanthropy, we are always so amazed at Kate’s focus on family. Kate and her husband, Bryan, began their love in faith; they met while walking the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage. Kate is the mother of four adult children and grandmother to eight grandchildren. We admire Kate’s limitless love for her grandchildren and her creative ways of showing that love to them. Without a doubt, we know Kate’s concern for her grandchildren’s faith and future shapes and inspires her generosity.

30 Dioceses; Countless Priests

Kate Craft Mowry’s gift is dedicated to a national seed funding effort as Catholic Leadership Institute is aiming to impact 30 dioceses over the next five years. CLI will bring our three signature endeavors – Next Generation Parish, Called For More, and the Disciple Maker Index – to these 30 dioceses. This is a daring goal; Kate’s generosity gave CLI the courage to dream big with this vision. Within those 30 dioceses, this gift will touch countless priests and their parishioners. Kate’s love for priests will have a tremendous impact not only on our priest and bishop leaders as shepherds, but their flock in ways that will resonate for generations to come.

Untying knots takes patience, commitment, skill and working through challenges. Leadership requires the same. If faith and hard work untie the knot, Kate’s philanthropy is the guiding hand.

Eyes on the Lord; Hope in our Souls; Gratitude in Our Hearts

Catholic Leadership Institute thanks Kate for believing in, supporting, and fostering leadership in the Church and through Catholic Leadership Institute’s ministry.

As Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, works on untying knots, she points us to Jesus. We, the leaders we humbly serve, Kate, and all of the generous benefactors, staff, participants, and friends of CLI, are always working on these knots of leadership with an eye on our Lord. He tells us nothing is impossible; every knot can be eased and untied.

With Kate Craft Mowry in our corner, CLI knows that our great hopes for the Church are certainly “knot” impossible…!