The Orange Catholic Foundation’s Conference on Business and Ethics celebrates business leaders, philanthropists, corporations and educators who use their Catholic faith as the guiding principle in their work.
Held Feb. 28 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, the conference also serves as fundraiser for the Diocese of Orange Catholic Schools Fund and School Tuition Assistance Endowment.
TUITION ASSISTANCE DONORS WITH JESUS I LOVE YOU BEARS. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA RENEE
The 21st annual conference raised just over $1million, which will be used to make a Catholic education accessible to all families regardless of their financial means.
“Many parents in our Diocese want to send their children to Catholic schools, but we know it is impossible for them,” said Fr. Angelos Sebastion, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Orange and pastor at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo.
“Some of us are fortunate, while others are not. Imagine a future where every Catholic parent would be able to send their children to Catholic school. Is that future possible? It’s a question to you.”
Diocese of Orange Catholic Schools educate more than 17,000 students from preschool through high school, said Dr. Erin Barisano, Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Orange.
The pillars of those schools are always Catholic identity and faith formation and every aspect of school operations stem from that perspective, the superintendent said.
“Catholic schools are places where young people are known and they are loved,” Dr. Barisano said. “They are affirmed in the love of Christ every single day. They are known not only to one another, to themselves and to their peers, but to their Lord who created them in His image.”
Bishop Kevin Vann presented the Bishop’s Award for Exemplary Business Integrity to Mike Merchant, founder and chief executive officer of Codazen, a digital innovation and engineering consulting firm in Irvine, and Laura Ramos, chief executive at Providence St. Jude Medical Center.
Honorees are recognized for demonstrating ethical practices in their business and personal lives.
BISHOP KEVIN VANN AND LAURA RAMOS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT PROVIDENCE ST. JUDE MEDICAL CENTER, WHO RECEIVED THE 2024 BISHOP’S AWARD.
Ramos graduated from Rosary High School where she was taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. She serves on the Providence St. Jude Community Benefit Committee which supports and provides funding which support programs for homeless and medically underserved individuals, food banks, seniors, schools and mental health initiatives.
Ramos and her husband Gene are parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Placentia, where their four children attended school.
Prior to her current role, Ramos had served as the hospital’s chief operating officer, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services.
She also built a Magnet-recognized nursing team that is among national leaders in certification and advanced education.
“It has been an honor to play a role in seeing St. Jude’s mission and ministry succeed, whether earning a spot as one of America’s top 100 hospitals in overall quality or creating a comprehensive medical clinic in an underserved community, one that offers free and subsidized care to thousands of families,” Ramos said.
“The guiding principles of the Sisters of St. Joseph created, when they opened the doors to this new hospital is one of purpose and bringing dignity to the vulnerable. This has been a privilege to help sustain.”
Over his 25-year career, Merchant has played a significant role in the development of hundreds of digital practices and software applications.
BISHOP KEBIN VANN WITH MIKE MERCHANT, RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 BISHOP’S AWARD.
The business leader has also been engaged in the launch of Kaiser Permanente’s electronic medical record software, oculus.com for Oculus VR, Instagram’s Family Center and was Kelley Blue Book’s Price Advisor.
Merchant and his wife of 20 years, Angela, are active in their parish, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where they have been involved with high school ministry, vacation bible school and the revival of a youth-led Mass.
The couple’s four children have attended Orange County Catholic schools through elementary and high school.
The Merchants also serve as volunteers and donors for tuition assistance programs at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and St. Junipero Serra High School.
“I know that those Catholic school principles that I learned from my parents, my faith, and my wife … those are what have led me to success,” Mike Merchant said.
The 2024 Farmers & Merchant Lifetime Achievement Award, given to those who make a significant contribution to the Orange County community and beyond, went to Croul Family Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to support Orange County organizations that participate in improving educational outcomes for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The nonprofit also supports organizations that help the homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals in the county.
Fr. Michael Schmitz, widely known for his “Bible in a Year” and “Catechism in a Year” podcasts was the keynote speaker for the conference.
FR. MIKE SCHMITZ ADDRESSES ATTENDEES OF THE ORANGE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION’S CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ETHICS HELD ON FEB. 28 AT THE J.W. MARRIOTT HOTEL IN ANAHEIM.
Also known for his weekly homilies streamed on iTunes and bulldogCatholic.org, Fr. Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota.
Fr. Schmitz’s talk focused the Christian perspective on work and careers.
Next year’s Orange Catholic Foundation’s Conference on Business and Ethics will be held on March 19, 2025. Featured guest will be Jim Wahlberg, the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. To learn more about the Orange Catholic Foundation, visit https://orangecatholicfoundation.org/