Catholic Bishops in the United States

Father Stephen J. Fichter is the Pastor of Saint Elizabeth Church in Wyckoff, NJ. Besides his pastoral duties, he is a CARA Research Associate specializing in clergy research and a professor at the Immaculate Conception Seminary located at Seton Hall University. He also facilitates diocesan priest convocations for Cultivating Unity, a joint program sponsored by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) and the National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy. Father Thomas P. Gaunt, S.J. is the Executive Director of CARA. Previously, he served in Jesuit governance as the Socius/Executive Secretary of the Jesuit Conference for nine years and the Formation and Studies Director of the Maryland and New York Jesuits for seven years. After ordination, he spent ten years as a pastor and as Director of Planning in the Diocese of Charlotte. Father Gaunt is actively involved with the L'Arche Communities in Washington, DC. Catherine Hoegeman, C.S.J. is a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, originally from Los Angeles, and currently an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Missouri State University. She researches nonprofit organizations and leadership, focusing on religious organizations. She teaches statistics, research methods, nonprofits and civil society, and sociology of religion, and serves on the board of The Kitchen, Inc. in Springfield. Paul M. Perl is a researcher for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, where he has worked on national surveys of lay Catholics and diocesan surveys of priests. Much of his academic research examines how religiosity varies in different areas of the country. He has a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame.