Ahead of my visit to Europe, the Portuguese online magazine, VER, which stands for Values, Ethics and Responsibility, interviewed me about the mission of our organization, among other things. I liked the questions they asked, so I decided to share with you an English translation of the interview. Enjoy!
About Tepeyac Leadership
What is the mission of Tepeyac Leadership, and what inspired its creation? Tepeyac Leadership was born out of the need to invest in forming faithful lay Catholics who are willing to lead in civil society, influence the world with the values of the Gospel, and create fertile ground for people to know God. The bishop emeritus of Phoenix, the Most Reverend Thomas Olmsted, had the vision for the program. With his blessing, what started as a diocesan initiative became a national program in the U.S. and is now a global apostolate, with graduates on every continent.
How does Tepeyac Leadership equip Catholic professionals to become leaders in civil society? Our formation is action-oriented and very practical. While participants in our training will find some catechesis, theology, or even philosophy sprinkled throughout the content, what we focus on is bringing the teachings of the Catholic Church down to the application level. Throughout our sessions, we explore concrete ways to be a lay Catholic leader in areas such as education, healthcare, business, and government.
How does your organization engage with business and civic institutions? We have stakeholders in both the business community and civic institutions, in both faith-based and purely secular spaces. We invite Catholics in the professional world to experience our formation. After they graduate from our flagship program and return to their careers, they may be invited to become mentors to the next generation of participants or even become speakers at some of the sessions. Graduates of the program also give back through financial support.
While our primary mission is to form leaders in civil society, a second important objective for our organization is to become a resource for institutions of all kinds that need to recruit new talent for leadership roles. Gradually, both for-profit and nonprofit organizations are reaching out to us to inquire about candidates for jobs, volunteer, or board positions. We are glad to supply that need. In this way, Tepeyac Leadership serves both the Church and society.
About the Book: Catholic Leadership for Civil Society
What motivated you to write this book, and who is your intended audience? If you search for Catholic leadership on Amazon, our book will appear at the top of the list. I mention this to point out that there hasn’t been much written on the topic of specifically lay Catholic leadership, nor much on Catholic leadership in general. There’s a void. The Church has implied and suggested much. There are leadership principles in the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, but there’s little literature specifically about Catholic leadership. We wrote our book first to provide the recipients of our formation with a guide or resource they can always refer to after completing our training. But we also intended it for a wider audience, encouraging the Catholic Church to consider the simple principles we propose in the book. It has now become an important asset for advancing the vision of Tepeyac Leadership.
The book emphasizes leadership beyond church settings—why is it crucial for lay Catholics to take leadership roles in civil society? Because that is the authentic nature of the lay vocation. We find that too many lay Catholic men and women do not understand what it means to be a lay person. They do not know their place and mission in the Church and in the world. They may have ideas, but not a clear understanding of their identity and purpose within the Church and civil society. As the book explains in detail, it is proper and necessary for the lay vocation to lead in the world. This isn’t optional; it is the essence of being a lay Catholic.
It is said that Catholic professionals often underutilize their leadership potential. What holds them back, and how can they overcome these obstacles? Several factors hold them back. First, lay Catholics struggle to see themselves as leaders. This is often for sincere reasons. Catholics understand they are followers of God. When they think of Catholic leadership, the first thing that comes to mind is the hierarchy of the Church. They envision a pyramid and see themselves at the bottom. But this is a misunderstanding of how lay Catholic leadership must be exercised. It’s not about getting involved at the parish or serving at the altar, although both are positive. Lay Catholic leadership, particularly for professionals, should be a force for good, infusing society with the values of the Gospel. We find that this is the neglected call from the Second Vatican Council to the laity. We’ve made it our mission to rescue that message from the Council Fathers and share it with the laity.
Can you share key leadership principles from the book that Catholic professionals should adopt? We have identified three fundamentals of lay Catholic leadership—things an effective lay Catholic leader in civil society must have a solid grasp of. These three areas should be committed to for lifelong growth.
- Human Dignity: Understanding the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person
- Catholic Social Doctrine: A Catholic leader’s compass and source of principles to lead with prudence
- Virtue: A Catholic leader must commit to interior growth through a structured prayer and sacramental life
What role does faith play in shaping ethical leadership in secular environments? There’s a multimillion-dollar industry around the concept of leadership, worldwide. It is most prominent in the business world, but not exclusive to it. Most of these programs, books, videos, workshops, and conferences miss the most important component of leadership: faith. It’s not enough to lead others out of stoicism. Grounded in our Catholic faith, we can lead as the greatest leader of all time led—by serving others. At its heart, leadership is service.
About the future
How do you see Catholic leadership influencing society in the next decade? One of the tragic outcomes of the sex-abuse scandal in the Church worldwide is the diminished credibility of the clergy. This is the hour of the laity. Our Lord never said that leadership should be the exclusive realm of the clergy. By virtue of our baptism, all of us are called to lead. If we are followers of Christ, we must be leading others to Christ. As the Church adapts to the post-Christian era, lay people will play a greater role in renewing the temporal order and evangelizing the world.
What advice would you give to young Catholic professionals who want to integrate faith and leadership? The time for shy Catholicism has passed. We cannot remain complacent in the comfort of our Catholic bubbles. We must go out. Young Catholic professionals live in a time when men and women are called to heroic witness. Their young lives, minds, hearts, souls, and bodies have been equipped with a special fire that can set the whole world ablaze for God. Nothing is more exciting, and no adventure is more fulfilling than a life dedicated to serving God through service of others. This is lay Catholic leadership for civil society.
How can Catholic leaders navigate the tension between faith-based values and the secular workplace? This is a much longer conversation and a more intricate area. Tepeyac Leadership has identified several principles to guide Catholic leaders as they navigate the turbulent waters of secularism in the workplace. Let me start by making two things clear. One, there isn’t a magic pill or formula that works for everyone, every time, to survive the forces of secularism in the workplace. Two, sometimes, despite our best efforts, there will be casualties.
However, God has given us so many gifts for a reason. We must be very strategic about when and how we attempt to influence society with the values of the Gospel. It takes a commitment to the three fundamentals I mentioned above, and it’s easier when one is supported by a network of peers who share our values—like the global network we are building at Tepeyac Leadership.
An Invitation: The Tepeyac Leadership Gala will take place on April 12, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona! Be part of this effort by registering to attend the Gala or making a gift now. No amount is too small/large. THANK YOU!
