Podcast Summary: "Called to Be Courageous"

Podcast: Called (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Guest: Dr. Carolyn Woo
Date: March 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the virtue of courage in responding to God’s call, especially when the path forward is unclear or difficult. Fr. Mike Schmitz welcomes Dr. Carolyn Woo—former President & CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and longtime academic leader—for a candid and inspiring conversation about how her faith shaped a life of service, resilience, and bold leadership. The discussion explores Carolyn’s journey from Hong Kong, the influence of strong and resourceful women and faith-filled missionaries, and the practical realities of service—from the deeply personal to the global scale of CRS. Throughout, Dr. Woo offers insight on discernment, surrendering fear, building community, the mission of the Church, and the call to be the living answer to people’s prayers.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Formative Years: Resilience, Love, and Action

[03:54–09:26]

• Childhood in Hong Kong: Grew up post-war, learning resilience and commitment from her mother, aunt, and other Chinese women who managed family needs with minimal resources.
  • “The driver of resilience is commitment. They had to solve those problems because they love their families.” (Dr. Woo, 05:00)
• Maryknoll Missionaries’ Influence:
  • American missionaries sacrificed comfort to educate Chinese girls, teaching them the value of social justice, voice, and action.
  • “We loved you before we even saw you...You have so much potential.” (Maryknoll Sister, recalled by Dr. Woo, 06:54)
• Early Service: Cleaned wounds and taught English to the marginalized, learning that faith is “love in action” and deeply practical.

2. Coming to America: Rising through Education and Service

[16:53–20:05]

• Personal Experience as a Refugee Student: Dr. Woo arrived in the US with limited finances, relying on scholarships and the hospitality of the church community.
• She describes herself as a “product of people’s help,” noting that this gratitude fuels her desire to serve others.
• The church was a constant source of belonging and spiritual sustenance:
  • “My home was always the church… Every day… I would stop by at the church. I left a lot of my knees skin the pew.” (Dr. Woo, 17:00)

3. Answering the Call: From Tenure to Global Mission

[20:05–35:38]

• The CRS Invitation: Began as a lay board member; later asked to consider the CEO role despite lacking international development expertise.
• Discernment Process:
  • Spiritual direction from Fr. Ken Molinaro: “If your thinking could resolve the issue, you would not be here.” (Fr. Molinaro, 25:26)
  • Used a process of journaling fears and joys; nightmares and anxieties surfaced—loss of tenure (security), feeling unqualified, potential harm befalling family.
• Defining "Enough":
  • “What is enough? … I don’t need more just to have more, but I just need more to feel safer.” (Dr. Woo, 24:17–28:54)
  • She is perhaps the first Chinese academic she knows to step away from tenure for such service.
• Trust and Faith: Surrendered fears by reframing death and insecurity in light of faith and purpose.
  • “Do you believe death is a punishment from God? … If it is not, then it doesn’t have the same fear.” (Dr. Woo, 29:09)
• Joy in Obedience: Once fears resolved, she experienced profound joy; saw herself as inheriting and continuing the legacy of the women who shaped her.
  • “The lives of all the people who loved me and raised me came into that invitation.” (Dr. Woo, 31:47)

4. The Power of Strategy and Collaboration

[38:56–55:04]

• Leading CRS Through Change:
  • CRS needed strategic leadership to adapt to major funding and operational shifts (e.g., the conclusion of PEPFAR funding, introduction of technology, cross-country programming).
  • Her outsider status in international development forced her to listen deeply and empower her team:
    • “I went in, the first thing I said… I’m only here for five years… don’t do anything because of me or what I said because I’ll be gone.” (Dr. Woo, 41:49)
  • Focused on “heads up” leadership—always looking at the big picture so as not to labor towards a dead end.
• Impact:
  • Under her tenure, CRS doubled those served, from millions to over 200 million.
  • “We went from over 100 million, now after I left, they’re over 200 million people.” (Dr. Woo, 45:13)
• The Church’s Unique Role & Necessity of Collaboration:
  • The Church’s structure and global presence make it essential for development work, but it must also partner with NGOs, local businesses, and governments.
    • “The global Church is everywhere… It doesn’t go away when CRS has to go away.” (Dr. Woo, 46:50)
  • Poverty alleviation requires economic activity, capital, and market access that go beyond the Church’s expertise—a call for humility and cooperation.

5. Community, Generosity, and Reimagining Parish Life

[56:07–63:35]

• Building Real Community:
  • Modern Catholic parishes and institutions must first learn authentic community—care within and beyond their walls.
    • “The boundaries of ‘we’ and ‘other’… we have to keep on expanding that boundary so that… there is no other.” (Dr. Woo, 56:25)
  • Collaboration within dioceses is often lacking; parishes and Catholic institutions can be overly competitive and self-focused.
• Generosity and Openhandedness:
  • CRS modeled partnership by supporting local Caritas organizations, sharing resources and expertise openly—even with former partners.
    • “We need to have a broader thinking of… how do we become more gracious, more generous?” (Dr. Woo, 62:35)

6. Personal Discernment and the Invitation to Serve

[64:45–69:43]

• Advice for Ordinary People Seeking to Respond:
  • The next best step in service always begins with listening—especially to those you are called to serve.
    • “Every next best step comes with listening… Really listening to the people you’re supposed to serve.” (Dr. Woo, 64:46)
• Uniqueness of Christian Ministry:
  • Beyond general humanitarianism, Christian service must “invite that sense of the sacred” and see Christ in every person.
    • “God told us that he is in that person… We are meant to channel the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Dr. Woo, 65:24)
• Strategic Mindset for Faith-Based Institutions:
  • Begin not with “what could we do” but “what should we do,” trusting the Holy Spirit to stretch imagination and efforts.
    • “With faith, you should begin with what should we do.” (Dr. Woo, 67:19)
• Becoming the Answer to Prayer:
  • Serving others means becoming God’s answer to someone’s cry for help.
    • “When we show up, we show up as answers to people’s prayer to God… The angel didn’t show up, but we showed up.” (Dr. Woo, 69:24–69:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Faith is about action and faith is joyful.”
  (Dr. Woo, 11:30)

• “Love washes your feet because if you don’t get them washed… it’s going to get infected. Love washes the hands… that’s what practical faith looks like.”
  (Fr. Mike, 13:12)

• “I may not have university-level knowledge… but I grew up in that culture. I felt like I knew the people, I knew the beneficiaries, I grew up among them.”
  (Dr. Woo, 37:43)

• “If thinking could solve the issue, you would not be here.”
  (Fr. Ken Molinaro, relayed by Dr. Woo, 25:26)

• “When we work in the name of Christ… we invite the sense of the sacred into our work… God working in us to be the answer to prayers made to God.”
  (Dr. Woo, 65:05 & 69:24)

• “A failure is not a failure. A success is not the end.”
  (Dr. Woo, 68:23)

Timestamps for Key Sections

• Formative years in Hong Kong, mission influence: 03:54–09:26
• Arrival in US, finding community in Church: 16:53–20:05
• CRS calling and discernment, facing fears: 20:05–35:38
• Strategy, leadership at CRS, mission impact: 38:56–55:04
• Church and partnerships, why collaboration matters: 45:57–55:04
• Reimagining parish life, generosity, collaboration: 56:07–63:35
• Advice for listeners, discerning the next step: 64:45–69:43

Takeaways for Listeners

• Courage is saying “yes” not when it’s easy, but when it’s uncertain or demanding.
• Real community—and renewal in Church life—means expanding the circle of care beyond the boundaries of comfort.
• Each person, parish, and institution has a role in becoming God’s answer to another’s prayer: start by listening, then act.
• The journey from fear to joy in service is one of surrender, trust, and discovering “enough” in God’s will.