Founded on a Powerful Vision
Catholic Leadership Institute was founded in 1991 by a successful Catholic businessman, Tim Flanagan, on the simple vision that God’s gift to us is our potential, and what we do with it is our gift back to God.
Tim saw all of the money and resources being invested into leaders in the corporate world, academia, and the military, and asked the question: why not for the Catholic Church? Nothing is more important or deserving of our support that deserves the best in leadership development and training than our Church.
Humble Beginnings
Tim felt a profound sense of calling to bring to the Catholic Church the very best in leadership development programs. Partnering with Father Charles Pfeffer, they began by impacting young adults in the Church, inspiring them with courage, confidence, faith, and leadership skills. One of those young adults, Dan Cellucci, is now Catholic Leadership Institute’s CEO.
A Call from the Holy Spirit to do MORE
Almost ten years later, Catholic Leadership Institute felt the call to expand our leadership curriculum. This was the beginning of our nationally prominent priestly leadership training program, Good Leaders, Good Shepherds.
Good Leaders, Good Shepherds, combines the science of leadership with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Through this process, priests are taught more efficient and effective ways to lead, inspire, and motivate their flocks.
A Catalyst for Igniting the Fire of Leadership
Good Leaders, Good Shepherds became the catalyst and foundation for the services Catholic Leadership Institute offers today:
- Supporting leadership through programs for bishops, lay leaders, seminarians, and a variety of Church leaders, diocesan consulting services, vision planning, goal setting, and evangelization and discipleship training
- Bringing technology and data to the Church, specifically through the use of the Disciple Maker Index survey tool, one of the largest research projects in the Catholic Church
- Paving the way for parishes of tomorrow through our Next Generation Parish programs and sharing of best practices
One Idea Transforms Many
An organization of prominence extending from our home in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, across the country, and around the world, Catholic Leadership Institute is privileged to walk alongside Church leaders today and into tomorrow. This organization has transformed lives of so many bishops, priests, lay leaders, seminarians, and parishes, and we are blessed to walk alongside Church leaders into the Next Generation of our Church.
“I went on my first Catholic Leadership Institute program over 15 years ago and that experience taught me not only that I had a purpose, but that God created me perfectly for that purpose. It was a pivotal moment in my life. We have been blessed over the past almost three decades to offer those moments to thousands of people throughout our country and around the world.”
Dan Cellucci, CEO
“On the Road to Emmaus” By Renowned Catholic Artist, Robert McGovern
The Board of Directors of Catholic Leadership Institute commissioned this work pictured above in honor of Catholic Leadership Institute’s founders, Fr. Chuck Pfeffer and Tim Flanagan, both of whom are symbolized in the two servants standing behind Jesus.
