• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • CR Radio
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, bows her head in prayer during an Aug. 1, 2017, Mass celebrated by Bishop Denis J. Madden for the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors. The liturgy was held at St. Mary Church in Annapolis. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Russell joins archdiocese as community affairs director

June 4, 2018
By Christopher Gunty
Filed Under: Feature, Local News, News

Archbishop William E. Lori appointed Mary Ellen Russell, currently executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, to a new position with the Archdiocese of Baltimore as director of community affairs.

The archbishop said he created the new position “to assist the archdiocese in building partnerships within and beyond the Catholic Church in Maryland to strengthen the Church’s service to local communities.”

The appointment was announced June 4. Russell will begin her position July 2.

Archbishop Lori noted that the Catholic church, most notably through Catholic Charities, is the largest nongovernmental provider of social services in the state providing health care, education, safety-net programs, counseling and spiritual support.

“The church already provides tremendous assistance to the communities served by the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Together with the implementation of our new parish and school planning initiative, I believe we can do even more by investing in a position dedicated solely to working strategically to strengthen our partnerships wherever possible, especially in communities where the needs are greatest,” he said.

Russell has spent more than 20 years representing the Catholic dioceses that serve Maryland – the Baltimore and Washington archdioceses and the Diocese of Wilmington, Del. – working on behalf of people in the state.

In her new role as director of community affairs for the archdiocese, she will oversee outreach to local elected officials, business leaders, clergy, nonprofits and other community partners.

Sen. James DeGrange recognizes Mary Ellen Russell with a resolution acknowledging her for advocating on behalf of the Church in Maryland and for those most in need for more than 23 years. (Courtesy Maryland Catholic Conference)

“I am honored to be asked to serve the archdiocese in this capacity and thrilled to have the opportunity to support the good work of the church,” Russell said. “There are so many impressive programs operated by the church and other organizations in the archdiocese. It’s exciting to contemplate how much more we can accomplish by enhancing our opportunities to work even more collaboratively.”

The administrative board of the MCC had previously announced that Russell would leave her post as executive director at the end of June, tapping Jennifer Briemann, current deputy director for Respect Life, to succeed her.

In an interview after the end of the 2009 legislative session, Russell called her time at the MCC an incredible blessing. “I don’t think there are a whole lot of people who get to have their profession also be so closely aligned with what they care about so deeply and their values and their faith,” she said.

She said working with committed colleagues who are passionate about their faith and professional in their work was also a blessing. She appreciated the support from the bishops, who cared about the MCC’s work and were committed to the church having a presence before the state Legislature.

“I think frankly, people have such a dismal view of politics these days,” Russell said, “but I really don’t find that at the state level you are really looking at the same kind of acrimony or stalemates that you may find at the congressional level.”

She said those who work in Annapolis care about the issues and want to listen to both sides. “You’d just be amazed at the relationships and the camaraderie that exists – not only among the legislators but the lobbying corps and the people down here. I would like to think the church has played a really active role in bringing people together in Annapolis.”

The church’s stance on various issues is not partisan – neither red, nor blue. “We call ourselves the ‘purple’ organization,” she said a few days after the session ended. “It gives us a real advantage over other groups because we have relationships throughout the Legislature because of one issue or another where we work hand in hand with either the Republicans or the Democrats.”

Asked what she says to those who say bishops and the church should stay out of politics, she laughed and said, “It would be a dreadful world if the church stayed out of politics,” noting that the Catholic conference reviewed every single proposed bill and sometimes works to help halt some legislation before it even comes to a committee vote.

“We often say that people have no idea how many bad bills are stopped by the fact that the Catholic Conference is reading every one of these 3,000 bills that’s been introduced, figuring out what we need to do on them and then making sure that we are vigilant about things that don’t get through that people never hear about.”

Reflecting on her service at the state level and looking toward her new position, she said in April, “I’m very proud of the voice that the church has in the public square and the respect people have for the church and what we stand for.”

After her new appointment was announced, Russell said she is “excited to be working with the team at the archdiocese, for whom I have great admiration. I feel strongly drawn to working more closely to addressing the significant needs of Baltimore City and I hope I can make some small difference in doing so.”

Email Christopher Gunty at editor@CatholicReview.org.

 

 

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Christopher Gunty

A Chicago-area native, Christopher Gunty is associate publisher/editor of The Catholic Review and CEO of its parent publishing company, The Cathedral Foundation/CR Media. He also serves as a host of Catholic Review Radio.

He has spent his whole professional career in Catholic journalism as a writer, photographer, editor, circulation manager and associate publisher. He spent four years with The Chicago Catholic; 19 years as founding editor and associate publisher of The Catholic Sun in Phoenix, Ariz.; and six years at The Florida Catholic. In July 2009, he came to Baltimore to lead The Cathedral Foundation.

Chris served as president of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada from 1996 to 1998, and has traveled extensively learning about and reporting on the work of the church, including Hong Kong, Malaysia, Haiti, Poland, Italy, Germany and finally in 2010 visited the Holy Land for the first time.

View all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • All are welcome: Finding a home at Mount St. Joseph
  • Priest who offered up cancer for clerical abuse victims says he was healed at Lourdes
  • Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck acquitted of federal charges
  • Pope clarifies remarks about homosexuality and sin
  • New translation tweaks to sacrament of penance take effect this Lent

| Latest Local News |

Clarksville school shapes educators in faith formation

From robotics to hip-hop: Elementary schools offer wide range of clubs

Tuition at Catholic high schools in Baltimore archdiocese significantly lower than other area private schools

| Latest World News |

Affordable child care key component of post-Roe response, advocates say

Ukraine’s embattled religious orders keep faith and hope alive amid war

Speakers address how local churches can protect lives of mothers, unborn children from domestic violence

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • 4 tips for building a media-smart family
  • Affordable child care key component of post-Roe response, advocates say
  • Movie Review: ’80 for Brady’
  • Ukraine’s embattled religious orders keep faith and hope alive amid war
  • Here is the simplest way to share faith with kids
  • Speakers address how local churches can protect lives of mothers, unborn children from domestic violence
  • Clarksville school shapes educators in faith formation
  • Papal farm, gardens will be home to new center promoting sustainability
  • Pope, Anglican, Presbyterian leaders push South Sudanese to make peace

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2023 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED