From the President's Desk - May 19, 2023

Welcome back to Legatus' From the President’s Desk!

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From the President’s Desk is a chance for me to share with you what has held my attention this week. The weekly update will present a selection of observations and news stories focused on Catholic, business, and secular affairs, oriented to inform and empower Catholic professional leaders like you.

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Let’s get started:

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?? Happy Easter!

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Happy Easter! This Sunday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord! (Except for the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, Philadelphia, which marked the solemnity yesterday).

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??? Workers Fleeing Cites?

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The New York Times has new analysis from the Upshot, a product of the newspaper that uses data and charts to review news topics. Their recent piece, Coastal Cities Priced Out Low-Wage Workers. Now College Graduates Are Leaving, Too, is a deep dive into some domestic migration from cities. From the piece:

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But it appears in domestic migration data that, years after lower-wage residents have been priced out of expensive coastal metros, higher-paid workers are now turning away from them, too.

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Working-age Americans with a degree are still flowing into these regions from other parts of the country, often in large numbers. But as the pool leaving grows faster, that educational advantage is eroding. Boston’s pull with college graduates has weakened. Seattle’s edge vanished during the pandemic. And the analysis shows San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and Washington all crossing a significant threshold: More college-educated workers left than moved in.

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Lots of charts and data at the link above.

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One more quote that stood out to me:

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Expensive big metros have struggled the most to retain educated workers ages 40 to 64, who face the greatest exposure to steep mortgages, child care costs and big grocery bills. (Younger educated workers were, at first, a bulwark against that trend but have increasingly migrated away from these regions, too.)

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Jim Dalrymple II left Los Angeles when he reached that costly life stage — when the smallest, cheapest house he said he and his wife could find in the city was no longer big enough to fit children.

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Businesses have to be aware of where their potential and current employees are moving to, along with nationwide mobility trends. Let’s see where these patterns take us over the next few years, and if they are fluid.

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?? Preparing for a Happy Death

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When we consider preparing for our death, we often rightly consider getting our financial affairs in order, preparing our estate, and ensuring our family is looked after. But how often do we think about getting spiritually ready for our death? From the National Catholic Register’s article, How to Prepare for a Happy Death (Even If It Comes Upon You Suddenly):

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A provided death is one we prepare for, even if there’s no reason to believe death is near. Thankfully, the Church gives us help with this, including from the great protector of our Church, St. Joseph, who by some accounts had the happiest death of anyone in history through the loving care he received from Our Lord and his Blessed Mother.

St. Joseph is known as the patron of the dying not only because of his happy death but because he is the adopted father of Christ, our Judge, where other saints are only his friends, making him an especially powerful intercessor who can plead on our behalf, according to Jesuit Father Joseph Patrignani, who wrote about St. Joseph in the 19th century. Another reason is that St. Joseph has more power over the legions of hell than other saints, in part because he safely brought Jesus into and out of Egypt when his life was threatened by Herod, Father Patrignani wrote.

Getting prepared for our death can be joyful and bring us closer to the Lord as we get closer to our judgment by Him. Let’s remember to ponder daily the Last Four Things and use the time we have to amend our lives with joy and purpose!

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?? Orange County Legatus Chapters Honored by Orange Catholic Foundation

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Recently, the Orange County Legatus Chapters were recognized by the Orange Catholic Foundation during their 20th Annual Conference on Business and Ethics. I was unable to attend the ceremony in person; however, I was delighted to participate in the video compilation of testimonials from members in Orange County.

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I highly recommend taking five minutes to watch the video - it communicates the significance of Legatus.

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Congratulations to all members in Orange County for this achievement!

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?? Labor Market News

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Axios Macro reported that after some jobs numbers from Massachusetts got straightened out,

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Jobless claims fell by 22,000 to 242,000 last week…

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The big-picture story about the labor market remains intact: There are still relatively low levels of unemployment filings, and those who have lost work are finding new gigs quickly.

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??? Reflection on the Ascension

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Here is a beautiful reflection on the Ascension by Jeff Cavins, courtesy of Sundays with Ascension. The Ascension is a really beautiful solemnity. Use it to reflect on its meaning and place in our lives as Catholics.?

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Thank you for reading, and be on the lookout for our next From the President’s Desk!

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Stephen Henley

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P.S. Enjoy this video recording from our mental health webinar this past Wednesday, on the “Spiritual Health Link to Mental Health,“ with guest-expert Fr. Nathan Cromly of the St. John Institute in Denver.