Study Groups

Preparing Recommendations to the Assembly

January 2026

Following the Pre-Assemblies, in January, the Paulists will convene study groups made up of Paulists, collaborators, and national experts to continue to explore key topics and move toward possible recommendations for the General Assembly to consider.

Study groups will meet this Spring and produce reports in advance of the 2026 General Assembly to assist the Assembly in their discernment.

Their reports will be published here as soon as they are available.

Study Group topics include:
(1) Mission & Charism, (2) Community Life, (3) Lay Leadership & Lay Collaboration, (4) Mission Fields & Priorities, (5) Vocations, (6) Governance, and (7) Real Estate.

The goal of each Study Group is to produce a short 2-3 page report for the Paulist community and General Assembly that includes:

  • The US Catholic landscape on the topic (outside of the Paulist Fathers)
  • Paulist realities on the topic (SOAR analysis)
  • Recommendations for the General Assembly’s discernment (or possible resolutions to be considered)
  • Open questions for the General Assembly’s discernment
  • List of resources for further study

Study Groups

Mission & Charism

Fr. Dave Dwyer
Presidential Board & Busted Halo

Fr. Dan Macalinao
Old St. Mary’s Church, Chicago

Jonathan Lewis
Paulist General Office

Fr. Frank DeSiano
Senior Ministry, New York

Dr. Dave de la Fuente
Church of St. Paul the Apostle, New York

Jennifer Kozakowski
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community, Los Angeles

Elsie Miranda
Paulist Lay Advisory Board

Fr. Mike Cruickshank
Cathedral of St. Andrew, Grand Rapids, MI

Community Life

Fr. Ron Franco
Paulist Motherhouse, NY

Fr. Bob Cary
Senior Ministry, Los Angeles

Fr. Ivan Tou
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco

Fr. Evan Cummings
Busted Halo

Fr. Matt Berrios
St. Patrick’s, Rome

Matt Reichert
Paulist Lay Advisory Board

Vocations

Fr. Dat Tran
Cathedral of St. Andrew & Catholic Information Center, Grand Rapids MI

Heather Kinney
Formation Team, DC

Fr. Rich Whitney
St. John XXIII University Parish, Knoxville, TN

Fr. Chris Lawton
Church of St. Paul the Apostle, New York

Ernie Garrido
Vocations Office

Fr. Ed Nowak
Vocations Office

Fr. Jamie Baca
UCLA University Catholic Center

Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M.
National Religious Vocation Conference

Mission Fields & Priorities

Fr. Ricky Manalo
Paulist Missionary & the Communion Project

Fr. Rich Whitney
St. John XXIII University Parish, Knoxville, TN

Fr. Gil Martinez
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community, Los Angeles

Fr. Ryan Casey
Cathedral of St. Andrew, Grand Rapids, MI

Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey
St. John XXIII University Parish, Knoxville, TN

Jennifer Sawyer
Busted Halo

Rosie Chinea Shawver
Catholic Campus Ministry Association

Lay Leadership and Lay Collaboration

Fr. Chuck Kullmann
Senior Ministry

Susan Timoney
Paulist Lay Advisory Board

Mary Martin
Catholic Information Center, Grand Rapids, MI

Susan Rutkowski
Paulist Center, Boston

Rachael Smit
Old St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco

David Rooney
Paulist Associates

Lisa Willek
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community, Los Angeles

Fr. Chris Malano
St. Austin Catholic Parish, Austin ,TX

Cathy Walz
Paulist Lay Advisory Board

Governance

Fr. John Ardis
Presidential Board

Fr. René Constanza
Presidential Board

Fr. John Hurley
Senior Ministry, San Jose

Fr. Jimmy Hsu
St. Austin Catholic Parish, Austin ,TX

Fr. Seán Foley
Senior Ministry, NY

Fr. Steve Petroff
Formation Team

Brother Ernest Miller, FSC
Paulist Lay Advisory Board

Real Estate

Fr. Chuck Kullmann
Senior Ministry

Fr. John Ardis
Presidential Board

John Tortollani
Paulist Treasurer

Fr. Ruben Patino
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Horseshoe Bay, TX

Trish Dolese
Regulatory Compliance Services

Anna Sklut
Plante Moran