Dear friends of Catholic schools,
As David Faber announced last May, this school year will be his final one as superintendent of Catholic Schools in our diocese. I am grateful for the many ways in which he has positioned the diocese as a national leader in Catholic school education. His heart and passion for Catholic schools are unrivaled.
Recently, we have retained Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions to serve as our search counsel to help us find the most mission-aligned candidates to serve as our next superintendent. Partners in Mission is a nationally recognized full-service consulting firm focused exclusively on delivering excellence in Catholic school leadership development and recruitment, advancement, and enrollment management. A search committee composed of leaders in our diocese will provide local expertise to assist Partners in Mission in these efforts.
On Oct. 10 and 11, Kyle Pietrantonio, our lead consultant, will make his first visit to the diocese to meet with focus groups of Catholic education stakeholders. Your insight is valuable and while we are unable to accommodate everyone in a focus group, we invite you to complete this brief seven-question survey to ensure your input is included in this search process. The survey will close on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m. to ensure that data can be collected and analyzed ahead of his visit.
We look forward to sharing this journey with you. Our goal is to secure our next superintendent by late 2024/early 2025, with a start date in July 2025. Please watch for additional communications detailing the progress of our search efforts. I remain grateful for your insights as the search moves forward, and I am confident that this process will identify a candidate who is able to continue and enhance the outstanding work David Faber has done for the past 14 years as superintendent.
We ask you to join us in prayer that the Lord reveals his will for the future leader of Catholic schools in the diocese.
Respectfully in Christ,
Rev. Msgr. William Duncan
Vicar General, Diocese of Grand Rapids
Chair, Superintendent Search Committee