Mission Statement

The ROUNDTABLE is the national association of Catholic diocesan social action directors and their staffs, providing professional support to members through education, formation, professional relationships, and management development. The association is committed to deepening the capacity of social action directors to engage in the social mission of the church.

The ROUNDTABLE Board
June, 2004

Social action directors founded The ROUNDTABLE Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors in 1985. The organization is a project of The National Pastoral Life Center in New York City. This document provides a brief introduction to the activities of The ROUNDTABLE.

Annual Social Action Summer Institute

This weeklong program offers first-time participants grounding in Catholic social teaching, biblical theology and the spirituality of social justice. Returning attendees take part in an advanced program focused on particular areas of social action ministry. The Summer Institute is planned jointly with partners USCCB-Justice, Peace, and Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and Catholic Charities, USA.

Annual Symposium

Each February, as a joint meeting with the larger Annual Social Ministry Conference, The ROUNDTABLE conducts a Symposium through which its members, with the help of resource persons, share their understanding and approach to social justice issues and diocesan social action ministry. The two-day event (covering a span of twenty-four hours) also includes the Harry A. Fagan ROUNDTABLE Award Banquet and the Annual Membership Meeting.

Annual Social Ministry Conference

In tandem with the Annual Symposium, The ROUNDTABLE is a major partner in planning the Annual Social Ministry conference, a joint project led by the USCCB’s Department of Social Development and World Peace, and co-sponsored by The ROUNDTABLE’s Summer Institute Partners and a number of other national organizations and USCCB offices.

Harry A. Fagan ROUNDTABLE Award

Named in honor of The ROUNDTABLE’s first Director, the Harry A. Fagan Award is awarded annually by the Board to a person or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the Church’s social justice mission. The award is presented at the ROUNDTABLE Symposium.

Regional Leadership Conferences

Regional leadership conferences have been held in various sections of the country through collaboration with other national Catholic social justice organizations and local dioceses. These conferences include reflection on the ecclesial and cultural contexts of social action ministry, learning about issues of local significance, and the formation of skills and strategies for effective action. Local social action directors determine the agenda and recruit participants in collaboration with the national offices.

Newsletter: ROUNDTABLE Report

This quarterly journal, geared to the needs and interests of diocesan social action offices, keeps members abreast of developments in the field, activities of member offices and resources for social action ministry.

Read the ROUNDTABLE Report and browse its archives at roundtablereport.nplc.org.

ROUNDTABLE Web Site and the Virtual ROUNTABLE

The ROUNDTABLE’s website, located at roundtable.nplc.org, provides access to the major documents published by the organization, a Speakers’ Bureau, information about members, and links to other social justice resources. The Virtual ROUNDTABLE is a discussion group, moderated by the ROUNDTABLE Director, which takes on key issues of interest to ROUNDTABLE Members. Recent topics have included working with deacons, voters guides, PowerPoint Presentations and responses to the Gulf Coast disasters.

Peer Consultation

ROUNDTABLE members and staff serve one another as consultants on issues, strategies, board and commission development and other matters of mission and management. The organization’s Secretariat serves as a source of referrals and information for members, linking people with potential allies and pertinent resources.

USCCB Policy Committees

The Chair of The ROUNDTABLE serves as the representative of diocesan social action offices on the Domestic Policy Committee and International Policy Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Interfaith Worker Justice

The Director of The ROUNDTABLE serves on the Board of Directors of Interfaith Worker Justice, representing the organization and serving as a link to interfaith efforts on worker justice issues.

ROUNDTABLE Publications

When specific needs arise, committees of the ROUNDTABLE develop publications geared toward the needs of the membership. Some current publications include: “Standards and Expectations for Diocesan Social Action Offices," an accompanying “Evaluation Tool,” “Congregation Based Community Organizing,” “Choose Life: A ROUNDTABLE Strategy Guide” on the death penalty, and the Living God’s Justice prayer book. The ROUNDTABLE also undertakes a comprehensive study of diocesan social action offices every five years. These studies, dating back to 1985, document trends and developments in the field.

Membership and Dues

Membership is currently limited to diocesan social action directors (whose duties may or may not include social and economic justice, respect life, and missions, among other duties) and their staffs. A sliding scale of annual dues, set by the members, corresponds to the budgets of the offices. The ROUNDTABLE is governed by a board of sixteen members who are elected at the annual Membership Meeting. Terms are for three years, and a member may serve two consecutive terms. The board elects the Chair, who serves a two-year term and may be elected for a one-year extension.

Staff

Ms. Hope Villella, Director
Rev. John Hurley, CSP, NPLC Director
Mrs. Aida L. Rodriguez, Support Staff

Contact

E-mail:
Phone: (212) 431-7825
Fax: (212) 274-9786

The ROUNDTABLE
18 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012