Helping Catholic organizations optimize culture, strategy, and leadership.
Together, we can shape a culture of joy and trust throughout the Catholic Church.
How can we serve you?
Bishops
Tools for Visionary Leadership, Strengthening Clergy Culture, and Strategic Planning
Priests
Clergy Culture built on Happiness, Confidence, and Fraternal Unity
Curia & Diocesan Teams
Optimizing Culture and Leadership Effectiveness for Curia, Schools, & Apostolates
Archbishop Coakley
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
A vision for the diocese has to be received in a shared culture. The 4 Levels of Happiness helps us do that. It gives us a common language and understanding and the ability to look at motivations and ways of making decisions.
Jim Sinegal
President & CEO, Costco
Fr. Spitzer has drawn a blueprint for ethical consideration and conduct. Our relationships with our customers, fellow employees, suppliers, and the communities in which we do business will be positively impacted by his work.
Bishop Olmsted
Diocese of Phoenix
The Journey to Excellence program speaks to everyone, no matter where they are in their life journey. The solid philosophical principles rooted in our Catholic tradition foster personal insight for us individually and improve our ability to collaborate together for common goals.
Fr. Jim Thermos
St. John Vianney Theological Seminary
Our seminarians found the exploration of the virtues to be illuminating, inspiring and practical for their growth in maturity and holiness.
Jeff Smith
President of The Word Among Us
We’ve become a much more intelligent company, thinking better, communicating better, planning better, and making fewer mistakes. The Spitzer Center has greatly helped us improve our culture.
Bishop Gries, OSB
Diocese of Cleveland
The more I study Fr. Spitzer’s insights about building the Kingdom of God, the better do I realize the impact it would have on the Church…
Winifred Williams
Sisters of Charity Leavenworth
People told me they’ve had similar thoughts and reflections, but they didn’t know how it all came together. The Spitzer Center’s framework provides a way to pull it all together mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Fr. Fred Adamson
Vicar General & Moderator of Curia, Diocese of Phoenix
Our staff particularly appreciated the rich Catholic intellectual heritage upon which the programs are founded, especially the virtuous life and the formation of habit.
Bill Newland
Chairman of Hercules
The Spitzer Center process enabled us to identify 12 specific areas in which our culture needed attention. After focusing on behaviors that optimize happiness, the second survey validated improvement in 11 of the 12 areas.
Bishop Wall
Diocese of Gallup
I find myself continually going back to Fr. Spitzer’s concepts, especially on the higher levels of happiness. They help me to check my own motivations and to direct others.
Monsignor Torgerson
Pastor, St Monica Catholic Community, Santa Monica
Fr. Spitzer’s Journey to Excellence has had a wonderful effect on our parish and school staffs. It is spiritually uplifting, humanly insightful, and eminently practical. We hope to spread this message to our parishioners.
Take the Journey to Excellence
The Spitzer Center’s core program, Journey to Excellence, provides a roadmap for visionary Catholic leaders and staff to build better habits for more dynamic and effective cultures of evangelization.
From regular seminars to create fraternity, a thorough culture inventory, and ongoing training and support, we apply timeless truths in innovative ways.
Journey to Excellence: PHASE 1
The Four Levels of Happiness®️
The foundation of the Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership is a curriculum built upon Fr. Spitzer’s Four Levels of Happiness.
Happiness is the one thing we desire in and for itself.” -Aristotle
Journey to Excellence: PHASE 2
Culture Assessment
In order to achieve greater happiness, harmony, and achievement in fulfilling the mission of your organization, the Spitzer Center offers some short surveys that will help you measure your ideal, along with your current styles of working together.
Journey to Excellence: PHASE 3
Planning & Execution
Using the Culture Assessment, the Spitzer Center assists organizations and leaders in developing plans to reach their goals.
With regular touchpoints to discuss and evaluate progress, we walk with you on that journey.
Interested to see how the Spitzer Center can help you and your organization?
Give us a call today. We’ll be happy to explore your needs and discuss a plan of action.
About the Spitzer Center
The Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership empowers thousands of Catholic individuals, dioceses and organizations to optimize the quality and delivery of their pastoral and spiritual services, and to strengthen morale and team behaviors within the organization.
We are founded on the inspiration and guidance of Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D, a theologian, philosopher, author, speaker, and former president of Gonzaga University for 11 years.
Recent & UPcoming Spitzer Center Events
Journey To Excellence Academy
February 2019 Cohort
Feb 6 to May 22
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New Dates Added Soon
Cardinal Newman High School, Santa Rosa, CA
Four Levels of Happiness Workshop and Culture Inventory
Feb 22 and June 4-5, 2019
Diocese of Las Cruces
Priest Assembly
April 8-9, 2019
Diocese of Bismark
Spring Clergy Conference
Apr 30 to May 1, 2019
Diocese of Toledo
Deacon Retreat
Four Levels of Happiness
June 28-29, 2019
Diocese of Pueblo
Confidence and Providence Seminar for Priests
Aug 27 and 28, 2019
Diocese of Grand Rapids
Clergy Retreat
Sep 23 to Sep 26, 2019
Diocese of Richmond
Clergy Conference
Oct 14 to Oct 15, 2019
Our Latest articles
How Do You Cope with Unhappiness When Surrounded by Sin and Ignorance?
Perhaps you’re surrounded, maybe by your colleagues, or something’s going on in your family that really is persistently sinful and ignorant of God.
read more
What is the Whole-Life Confession? with Fr. Bill Watson
I want to introduce you to the Whole-Life Confession, which happens at the end of Part 1 of 40 Weeks: An Ignation Path to Christ, with Sacred Story Prayer.
read more
My Employer Won’t Let Me Take Good Friday Off
I want to take time off for Good Friday, but my employer won’t let me. Don’t I have the right to do this under my freedom to practice my religion?
read moreNews on happiness & healthy cultures from the Spitzer Center — Join the community!
Contact us today
We look forward to working with your organization and/or diocese.
Please call (734) 677-7770
24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Suite J3000 Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
Please email [email protected]
© 2017 Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership