Friends of the Seminary Gala

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2025

Tim is the Founder of Catholic Leadership Institute. His passion for leadership development stems from his own leadership training experience and his love of the Catholic Church. In 1989, after attending a leadership retreat in Pecos River, New Mexico, Tim felt an incredible call to bring the best in leadership development to the Catholic Church. He partnered with Rev. Charles Pfeffer, then Director of the Office for Youth and Young Adults for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, to develop Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI).

Under his leadership Catholic Leadership Institute has reached national prominence; providing world class leadership formation and consulting to clergy and lay leaders in over 100 dioceses in the United States and around the world. Since its beginning, Catholic Leadership Institute’s programs have included the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds training program for priests, special sessions for Bishops, lay training programs for evangelization and discipleship, strategic coaching, planning and visioning sessions, and the Disciple Maker Index, which is one of the largest research projects in the Catholic Church. Currently, Catholic Leadership Institute’s vision is focused on providing leadership support and guidance to prepare the church and Her leaders to enter the Next Generation.

Tim’s professional career has spanned over thirty-eight years of award winning performance in the Financial Services Industry. He has been a national sales leader, sales manager, corporate executive and business owner. In January 2003, he sold his business to devote his energy full-time to Catholic Leadership Institute.

Tim has received training from The Center for Creative Leadership, American Management Association Leadership Program, Stephen Covey’s Principle Centered Leadership Institute and Pecos River Learning Center. Among his prestigious accolades include the designation of Chartered Leadership Fellow by The American College and the St. Augustine Award from Malvern Prep. Tim is a graduate of St. Charles Borromeo’s Seminary Church Ministry Program and has served as a lector and Eucharistic Minister, Board Member of Prayer Power, Philadelphia Chapter of Legatus and is a former member of Cabrini College’s Board of Trustees. In 2008 he was installed as a Knight of The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.



In 2019, Pope Francis named Tim a Knight of St. Sylvester in the Pontifical Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr in gratitude for sustained and exceptional service to the Church and her people. Other honors include the Legatus Bowie Kuhn Award for Evangelization, the Father Edward J. Sourin Award from the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute, and an Honorary Degree from Holy Family University in Philadelphia, PA. He and wife, Terese, were also recognized by Maynooth College in Ireland for their lives of service. Tim is a 1965 graduate of Villanova University with a degree in Economics.

Tim was married to his wife, Terese, for 60 years before her passing in 2025. They had six children and sixteen grandchildren. It’s worth noting that his brother, Fr. Brian Flanagan, is an alumnus of SVDP (1998) and is the retired pastor of St. Patrick Parish in North Palm Beach.[HE1] Tim is a parishioner of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Monsignor James R. Boddie, Jr., was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 6, 1950, to his parents, James R. Boddie, Sr., and Mattie B. Boddie. His education began in the Catholic school system, graduating from St. Pius V Catholic School in 1966 and subsequently from Bishop Kenny Catholic High School in 1970.

Monsignor Boddie broke new ground as the first African American to attend the Catholic Seminary of St. John Vianney in Miami, where he earned an Associate of Arts Degree in 1972. He continued his studies at St. Vincent de Paul Major Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida, receiving a Bachelor of Arts, a Master of Divinity, and a Master of Theology. On May 28, 1978, he achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first African American to be ordained a Catholic Priest in the history of the Diocese of St. Augustine and the State of Florida. In 2022, his dedicated service was further recognized when he received Papal Honors from Pope Francis, becoming a Monsignor in the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Throughout his extensive career, Monsignor Boddie has served in numerous pastoral assignments. He began as Parochial Vicar at St. Paul Catholic Parish in Jacksonville from 1978 to 1979, during which time he also taught at Bishop Kenny High School and served as Master of Ceremony for Bishop Paul F. Tanner. He then served as Parochial Vicar at Christ the King Parish in Jacksonville (1979-1980) and St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Orange Park (1980-1982). His first appointment as pastor was at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Green Cove Springs, where he served from 1982 to 1994. In 1994, he was appointed pastor of his childhood parish, St. Pius V Catholic Church and School. He later returned to St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Parish as pastor in 2002 and, since 2014, has been the pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church and School.

Beyond his parish duties, Monsignor Boddie has held a vast array of leadership positions. Within the Diocese of Saint Augustine, he has been the Coordinator of Priest Personnel, Moderator of the Black Catholic Commission, the first Director of the Office of Black Catholics, and Spiritual Advisor for the DCCW. He has served on numerous committees and councils, including the Human Sexuality Education Committee, Clergy Personnel Committee, College of Consultors, Diocesan Stewardship Council, Presbyteral Council, Vocations Committee, and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Schools. He has also been a Spiritual Director at Bishop Kenny High School, Chaplain for the Legion of Mary, Chaplain for Boys and Girls Scouts, and the Defender of the Bond in the Diocesan Curia.



His influence extends to national and community roles. He was the Provincial Representative for the Diocese to the National Federal of Priest councils and a member of the National Advisory Council to the United States Catholic Bishops Conference. He also served on the Board of Trustees for St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary. In the Jacksonville community, he is a member of the Unity Group of religious leaders, the board of Directors for the Interchurch Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment (ICARE), and the Mayor's Victims Advocate Advisory Council. In recognition of his contributions, Monsignor James R. Boddie, Jr. is also a member of Who's Who Among Black Americans.