New USCCB council member ‘honored to be a voice for my fellow lay Catholics’

February 14, 2019
Tom Burke
 
The adage to give anything you want done to a busy person certainly rings true with Tim Connors of St. Raymond Parish, Menlo Park. The husband, dad, philanthropist and venture capitalist has just donned another hat as a member of the National Advisory Council of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
NAC members are recommended for the council by his or her bishop. “I’ve gotten to know Archbishop Cordileone very well from my work on the Finance Council for the archdiocese and on shared pilgrimages to Lourdes with the Order of Malta,” Tim told me via email. “As we were discussing the church and key strategic decisions we face, the archbishop described the NAC to me and inquired about my interest.”
 
Tim is happy to expand on ways he can be of assistance to the church. “I’m excited now to be able to help at the conference level, where many of the key decisions of the church are made,” Tim said. “I can’t imagine a more important time for the U.S. bishops to have advice from laity and I’m honored to be a voice for my fellow lay Catholics.”
 
Tim will serve a four-year term and will be one of 48 members of the NAC that in addition to lay men and women includes bishops, priests, deacons, and men and women religious.
 
“The council works closely with the USCCB Administrative Committee,” Tim said. “We get the documents that will be discussed by the bishops ahead of time and give our feedback and recommendations.”
 
The NAC meets twice a year in anticipation of the spring and fall meetings of the bishops’ Administrative Committee. Tim’s first meeting will begin March 7 in Maryland not far from the bishops’ headquarters in the nation’s capital.
 
“The items on its March and September agendas are reviewed and discussed by the lay, clergy, and religious members of the bishops’ National Advisory Council who make formal, and often specific, recommendations to the Administrative Committee,” says instruction from the NAC bylaws.
 
Tim and his wife, Wendy, have been married for 24 years and have been parishioners of St. Raymond’s for more than 20 years. They have three daughters, Emma, a freshman at University of Notre Dame, Tim’s alma mater, and twins Grace and Gretchen, seniors at Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton. Wendy is an alumna of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and taught fourth grade before beginning to write content for educational software. After Notre Dame, Tim earned a graduate degree in engineering at Stanford and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His firm, PivotNorth Capital, invests in early-stage technology companies.
 
 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Mercy Sister Edith Hurley celebrated her 98th birthday with family and friends on Nov 10, 2018 at her community’s Marian Oaks in Burlingame where she now resides. Sister Edith’s former students, including retired St. Cecilia pastor Msgr. Michael Harriman whom Sister Edith taught in first grade at St. Catherine of Siena School in Burlingame, gathered around to share memories. Born in San Francisco, Sister Edith is celebrating her 80th jubilee as a religious in August. “She is legendary for her good spirits and positive attitude,” the sisters said. “Proud of her Irish heritage, she is a longstanding member of the Rebel Cork Ladies.” Sister Edith taught in elementary schools in the Bay Area and Southern California for more than 40 years including in addition to St. Catherine’s, San Francisco’s Holy Name, St. Gabriel’s, St. Stephen’s, and St. Peter’s. For a time, Sister Edith took a sabbatical in Sydney, Australia and fell in love with the country and the Sisters of Mercy Community there. “I loved the spirit of it all and the people there,” Sister Edith said. She retired from active ministry in 2005. Pictured from left with Sister Edith at the birthday fete are Joanne Quadt, Peter Stent, Peter Theriot, Mike Horowitz, Msgr. Harriman and Jim Shypertt.
 
 
GOOD NEWS: Daly City’s St. Andrew Parish St. Vincent de Paul Conference held its Christmas distribution of non-perishable food, fresh produce, and Safeway gift cards for families in need Dec. 15. In addition, there was a Target gift card for each family member from the generosity of St. Andrew parishioners. “Due to the overwhelming support of parishioners, there was an abundance of gift cards,” the conference said. “These extra gift cards were given to the San Mateo SVdP District Office to distribute to those seeking assistance at SVdP Homeless Help Centers in South San Francisco, San Mateo, and Redwood City.” Fifth Sunday SVdP second collections are a staple critical to SVdP work for the poor. “St. Andrew SVdP Conference gives a shout out to pastor Father Piers Lahey for his strong support of the conference and to St. Andrew parishioners who are consistently generous in their response to these collections,” the conference said. Fifth Sunday donations totaled $17,153 in 2018 at the parish and gave “a helping hand to those seeking assistance.”
 
 
Email items and electronic pictures – hi-res jpegs - to burket@sfarch.org or mail to Street, One Peter Yorke Way, San Francisco 94109. Include a follow-up phone number. Street is toll-free. Reach me at (415) 614-5634; email burket@sfarch.org.