In this episode of Twelve Wicker Baskets, Dr. Dan Ryan, President of Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, discusses the transformative power of servant leadership in Catholic education and fundraising. With over two decades of experience in Catholic school leadership, Dr. Ryan has served in roles ranging from special education teacher to diocesan superintendent. Since 2017, he has led Dowling Catholic through strategic enrollment growth, expanded diversity initiatives and a visionary capital campaign. His leadership is rooted in collaboration, humility and a commitment to forming students not just academically but spiritually and communally.

A devoted Catholic often described as a servant leader himself, Dr. Ryan emphasizes that leadership grounded in mission and trust can inspire both institutional change and generous support. “It’s really not a lack of funds; it’s a lack of vision or storytelling,” he explains, reflecting on how authentic relationships and student-centered narratives drive meaningful donor engagement. With servant leadership woven into Dowling’s mission and graduate profile, Ryan champions a model of education that forms confident, Christ-centered leaders prepared to serve the common good.

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Fr. Matt Lowry shares his journey as chaplain of the Holy Trinity Newman Center at Northern Arizona University, where he has led explosive growth both spiritually and financially. He reflects on how his ministry—rooted in prayer, relationship and trust in God’s providence—has transformed from humble beginnings into a dynamic mission field for evangelization. Fr. Matt emphasizes the deep spiritual hunger among college students for beauty, tradition, and authentic encounter, and how presence, personal invitation and incarnational ministry have been key to meeting them where they are. His approach has included both bold vision and day-to-day faithfulness, whether skateboarding across campus or guiding retreats steeped in silence and sacrament.

Fr. Matt also dives into the spiritual side of fundraising, drawing a parallel between inviting someone into relationship with Jesus and inviting them to financially support the mission—it’s the same act of trust and courage. Through stories of sacrificial donors and unexpected blessings, he illustrates how faith and action together fuel mission. Now overseeing a capital campaign and serving as Episcopal Vicar of the North, Fr. Matt remains grounded through daily prayer, mentorship and gratitude. His message is clear: fundraising, like evangelization, begins with mission and continues through relationship, perseverance and a deep trust in God’s timing.

To learn more about the Newman Center’s mission or to support it, visit www.catholicjacks.org.

Guest: Fr. Matt Lowry

Title: Chaplain, Holy Trinity Newman Center

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Twelve Wicker Baskets welcomes Bishop James Golka of the Diocese of Colorado Springs for a rich and thoughtful conversation on gratitude, stewardship and Eucharistic living. Bishop Golka reflects on psalm 116 and the act of taking up the cup of salvation and calling upon the name of the Lord as a gesture of profound worship and thanksgiving—an invitation to live a life rooted in the Eucharist.

Bishop Golka shares insights from his own pastoral journey and spiritual formation, shaped by years of service in the Diocese of Grand Island, Nebraska, where he was ordained a priest in 1994. Raised in a large Catholic family as one of ten siblings, he developed an early appreciation for stewardship as gratitude, and a deep sense of vocation. His background in parish ministry, combined with his early experience as pastor of a large parish and school in Seward, Nebraska, his reflections on how the Eucharist calls each person to offer his or her life in service, gratitude and stewardship.

Appointed Bishop of Colorado Springs by Pope Francis in 2021, Bishop Golka speaks with warmth and humility about the joys and challenges of episcopal ministry. He explores how living Eucharistically transforms one’s perspective on time, resources and relationships—shaping not just personal spirituality, but the communal life of the Church. Throughout the conversation, Bishop Golka’s love for Christ and the Church shines through, inviting listeners into a deeper response to God's abundant grace.

Further resources:

Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal

The Catholic Vision for Leading Like Jesus by Owen Phelps

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To contact the podcast, email twb@steiergroup.com.