Kerry Alys Robinson (Jennifer Rector / Hawaii Catholic Herald)
By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Before Kerry Alys Robinson officially began her role as president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA last year, she was already working to support Catholic Charities Hawaii in the wake of the deadly wildfires on Maui.
Robinson then paid a visit to Catholic Charities Hawaii’s Maui office and Honolulu headquarters this past March. She expressed gratitude for the agency’s hard work and outlined how the national organization has assisted the relief effort and is continuing to do so.
Robinson will return to Honolulu this month to speak at the annual Red Mass, a liturgy in which the church prays to the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom for Hawaii’s public servants.
Invited to the Red Mass — so named for the color of the vestments worn by clergy during a Mass of the Holy Spirit — are public leaders including Gov. Josh Green, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, state senators and representatives, and members of the Honolulu City Council.
The Red Mass will take place at 9 a.m. Jan. 14 at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu. Bishop Larry Silva is the principal celebrant.
In her address, titled “Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Reflections on Servant Leadership,” Robinson will reflect on society’s yearning for “moral heroism” — in her words, “virtuous, merciful public servants … (who) in some way lead lives of service to others.”
In a description of her talk provided to the Hawaii Catholic Herald, Robinson explained that disillusionment and distrust in institutions are pervasive in society today, and “across the country, heartbreaking levels of loneliness and mental health challenges cause untold suffering.”
These are signs that people are ready to seek and uphold examples of moral heroism, she said.
“By identifying our own moral heroes and striving to live as they do, we can find deep purpose, fulfillment and joy,” Robinson said. “I hope that my remarks will serve as a helpful reminder of just how nourishing it can be to encounter and comfort our fellow human beings.”
Robinson is an expert in Catholic philanthropy and leadership and has written a prize-winning book, “Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy, and A Spiritual Call to Service.” She was the founding executive director of Leadership Roundtable, which works to promote excellence and best practices in the management, finances and human resource development of the Catholic Church, and now is on its board of trustees.
As a member of the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities and FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities), she has advised and been a trustee of more than two dozen grant-making foundations, charitable nonprofits and family philanthropies. She has also served as executive director of the Opus Prize Foundation, which manages an annual $1 million prize that honors people of faith who devote their lives to easing human suffering.
Robinson is married to Dr. Michael Cappello, a professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale School of Public Health and a professor of pediatrics and microbial pathogenesis at Yale Medical School. They have two children, Christopher and Sophie.
