Two new staff members have started in their roles with the Diocese of Madison this summer.

Daniel De Ramos

Daniel De Ramos has recently been hired as the associate director of stewardship and development for the Diocese of Madison.

Asked why he was drawn to work here, he said, “For me, it all goes back to St. Augustine, Augustine’s quote of ‘our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee,’ and that’s very much the universal experience, and so many people have that. It’s only Christ [who] can fulfill that, and having the governing body of the diocese serving that is very much a motivator for me.” 

That motivation is partly from his own experience. 

“I was born and raised Catholic, but it never really became real until I was 24.” 

After living in Southern California, “[I] found myself doing missionary work for years in Minnesota, and then I kind of just stayed in the Catholic nonprofit space since 2014.” 

It was in that context that his Faith became personal. “It really came to life.”

He’s eager to work in the diocese, which he sees as a dynamic one. 

“Seeing what the Diocese of Madison has done, and is doing, is very exciting, because I think there are a lot of great resources for all the souls in Madison that Bishop Hying is in charge of. It’s a pretty crazy reality to think that he is in charge of all those souls. Catholic or not, right? Every single soul that is walking around, whether they’re farmers, or they work at Epic.”

De Ramos is married with two sons, both toddlers. After some time working in Texas, he’s happy to be in the Midwest again.

“I’ve always wanted to move back to the Midwest, mainly because I found my Faith in the Midwest . . . Texas was good for us to start our family, but we didn’t have a lot of community there. And it was, man, it was so hot. It was so, so, so, so, so hot. I’d rather be in sub-zero temperatures than heat.”

Compared to the “manufactured beauty” of Dallas, he loves being here, where the beauty just “is.” He lives in Cottage Grove.

He also enjoys the more manmade aspects of the culture. “You could just say I moved for Spotted Cow. You could just say that, and that wouldn’t be too far from the truth.” 

One thing he wants to pursue in his new role is encouraging his own generation and younger to give. 

“Just reading the data . . .  Millennials, like me, and Gen Z-ers make up the majority of the diocese, and yet we don’t give a lot of money to the diocese. So that’s kind of a personal mission of mine . . . I want to ensure the diocese’s success for the future.”

His immediate goal is simply to meet people. “Coffee, lunch, beer,” he said. “Happy to just meet.”

His goal is to help supporters see their impact. 

He knows many times a donation is like a small piece in a mosaic — beautiful, but the person giving doesn’t necessarily get to see the whole picture. He wants people to get a chance to know how much their gift matters and how much good they do. 

Charles McCall 

Charles McCall is the Diocese of Madison’s new director of buildings, real estate, and construction.

McCall has a background in architecture and construction, having done project management for both. He initially came to Wisconsin to attend Taliesin, the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

McCall converted 13 years ago and feels he learns more about the Faith every day. 

A member of Sts. Joachim and Anne Parish, he attends St. John the Evangelist Church in Spring Green. He lives in Spring Green with his wife and three children, and is passionate about volunteering in his community.

The town has an annual fundraiser, 4PeteSake, which helps those in financial need due to medical conditions, an event that McCall has volunteered for.

He’s involved with the Knights of Columbus and has served as Grand Knight. He sees the Knights as there to give back to “in order, I always say: church, the school, and then the community.”

He was drawn to this job in part because of his volunteer work for the Church, which has included being on, and then chairing, a buildings and grounds committee, and helping run a capital campaign and its ensuing projects.

“I was kind of looking for a forever job, something I could love going to work every day . . . and I saw this posting, and [I thought], ‘Wait, that’s what I do out of passion and volunteering. I can do that full-time?’” 

He sees the combination of construction and serving the Church as perfect. It’s “everything I enjoy.” 

His current project is helping parishes fund security cameras. 

“I’m working on grant work right now, so I found a grant that’s for houses of worship. I’m like, that’s us. Up to $200,000 for security cameras. We all need them. If you don’t have them, you need them, and they’re expensive. So I’m putting that out there to all the different parishes, and as they’re getting back to me, I’m filling out the information for them.” 

He’s eager to be a resource for parishes, hoping to offer his expertise and help them navigate the bidding process, structure contracts, determine if they’re getting a fair deal, assess whether they qualify for the historic registry, and more. 

“Are you getting the best bang for your buck? . . . Do you need another contractor because you don’t like the one you’re working with, or how do you structure your contracts from the beginning?”

Ultimately, McCall’s aim is “just being a resource for everybody . . . I want to help you as much as possible.”