Milroy steps down as leader of archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development

By Sean Gallagher

David Milroy, who served as the archdiocesan executive director of stewardship and development for nearly four years, stepped down from that position on Jan. 31.

He left to return to work at the Columbus-based Flatrock Capital Management, a firm that he established in 2006 prior to coming to work for the archdiocese.

“I am grateful for all the good work David has done leading our stewardship and development efforts as well as his management of the Catholic Community Foundation,” said Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin in a prepared statement. “David has sharpened the focus of the annual United Catholic Appeal, and made great strides at increasing the number of members of the Miter Society.

“While we appreciated his organizational skills and strategic thinking, we were truly touched by his generous witness to his faith in Jesus Christ and his love for the Church.”

As he looked back on his four years working for the archdiocese, Milroy said he saw many blessings come his way.

“It has been a blessing,” he said. “We work so very hard at the Archbishop [Edward T.] O’Meara Catholic Center to support our parishes and help provide some leadership for our shared ministries.

“But clearly the Church is lived locally. In my role, I was able to spend a lot of time with our pastors and their core groups of volunteers. You can’t help but be inspired by the care and commitment of our hard-working priests and parishioners.”

At the same time, Milroy is thankful for how he and his former co-workers in the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development helped foster stewardship as a way of life in the lives of Catholics across central and southern Indiana.

“We as Church do not always do the best job of helping people understand how their faith life needs to intersect with every other area of their lives—family, work, service in the community, what we do with our resources,” Milroy said. “When you can help someone begin to make those connections, it is very rewarding.”

Before working for the archdiocese, Milroy volunteered to help lead several stewardship initiatives and bodies for the Church in central and southern Indiana, including serving as a co-chair of the United Catholic Appeal: Christ Our Hope annual appeal, on the steering committee of the Legacy For Our Mission: For Our Children and the Future campaign, as president of the Catholic Community Foundation and on the archdiocesan financial council.

He also served as interim archdiocesan chief financial officer after the resignation of Jeffrey Stumpf last spring.

Milroy holds high hopes for the future of the archdiocese, and foresees volunteering in archdiocesan stewardship efforts in the future.

“My hope for the archdiocese is that we will continue to find ways to bring the Good News to people that desperately need to hear it,” Milroy said. “We see so much brokenness around us, and I firmly believe that the answer to those challenges is Jesus Christ.

“I’m excited about the appointment of Archbishop Tobin. In the short time we have worked together, I’ve found him to be a warm, joyful, prayerful man. He has many great skills, and I believe that the next chapter of the Church’s story in central and southern Indiana is in good hands.” †