Advancing Catholic Formation

Working for a charitable foundation isn’t always easy, but for us, the blessings overcome any difficulty. For example, a couple of years ago Kent Schmitz, from Catholic Education Ministry (just one flight above our offices), came to talk to me about middle and high school-aged Catholics who couldn’t attend retreats and faith-forming events because of the cost. Kent said the parishes often take care of such things, but a number of them are stretched as well.

Shortly after that meeting, the Catholic Foundation joined ladies of the DCCW to host a variety show that became “ACT-Oberfest.” We were able to raise about a thousand dollars from goodwill offering that first year. The thousand dollars became the basis of a fund that we named, “Generation Next.” Today we are able to ensure students a “seat at the table” for events and retreats.

Similarly, when we learned that there are twelve crisis pregnancy organizations within the sixteen counties of our diocese—and some of those organizations are quite small and short-staffed—we created a fund named, “Mother Mary’s Fund for Life.” We’re still working on promotion, but if God wills it, we hope to provide assistance for these champions of life.

The Catholic Foundation: Advancing Catholic Formation!