USCCB - (Office of Media Relations) - Patrick Markey Named Executive Director of National Collections Office

Patrick Markey Named Executive Director of National Collections Office

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2007)—Patrick Markey has been named the first Executive Director of the National Collections Office in the newly reorganized United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The appointment was announced by Msgr. David J. Malloy, USCCB General Secretary. "Patrick Markey has done outstanding work for the Conference during the past four years," Msgr. Malloy said. "I am confident he has the ability and the vision to make this important new office an efficient and successful part of the mission of the Bishops as it relates to their various collections and grant assistance."

Mr. Markey has worked seventeen years in Catholic publishing, including five years as publisher of New City Press. He will receive an Executive MBA from Loyola College in Baltimore in May 2008 and has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Pace University in New York City. He spent six years as an Eastern and mid-Atlantic regional director of the Focolare Movement and is currently its representative on the Executive Council of Religions for Peace, USA. Focolare is one of the new ecclesial movements in the Church. It strives to serve the Church in its work to bring Christ's message of unity and understanding to the world. Other work with Focolare has included leadership development, fundraising, and youth and adult faith formation. Having spent two and a half years working at one of the Focolare centers in Italy, Mr. Markey is fluent in Italian.

Patrick Markey has been Associate Director for Marketing, Sales and Inventory for USCCB Publishing since 2003. During this time he has helped the Publishing office utilize technology and brand awareness to move to a new level in promoting Conference resources, including the National Collections.

The strategic reorganization of the USCCB which the Bishops approved last November called for the creation of a Committee on National Collections (CNC). The committee will assist the bishops, both collectively and individually, in promoting the stewardship dimension of the collections, and in coordinating, supporting and increasing the revenues of the national collections. The Executive Director of the National Collections Office (NCO) will serve as staff to the Committee.

The Committee on National Collections will come into being in November, 2007. It will take the place of the previous standing committees for distinct national collections. The office will help the committee to build a new awareness of the needs of the Church, both locally and around the world, that these Sunday collections address. It will stress the stewardship dimension of Catholic collections while coordinating the time and materials that parishes need to make the collections a success. It will also continue to ensure accountability in the solicitation, collection, and use of funds.

The National Collections Office will combine all of the existing offices that oversee the various national or second collections which take place in parishes throughout the country every year. These collections include Peter's Pence, Catholic Relief Services, Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, the Church in Latin America, Catholic Communications Campaign (CCC) and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD).

Although staffed by the NCO for collection purposes, the grant making activities, relationships, and education work of CCC and CCHD will be carried out under related subcommittees of other standing committees, the Communications Committee and the Human Development and Justice and Peace Committee.