October 14, 2009

Foundation marks 10 years promoting the mission of the Church in northern Colorado

On Oct. 2, trustees, donors and friends of The Catholic Foundation gathered to celebrate 10 years of promoting the mission of the Church in northern Colorado by inspiring and facilitating gift giving and planning that promotes the Gospel, transforms lives and glorifies God.  

The evening celebration began with a Mass offered by Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., in Christ the King Chapel of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in south Denver. The homily was delivered by Auxiliary Bishop James Conley.
The liturgy was followed by a reception in the seminary refectory. Wayne Murdy, former chairman and CEO of Newmont Mining Corporation and current chairman of the board of trustees of The Catholic Foundation welcomed the guests and recognized foundation board members and former board chair Mark Bauman as well as foundation grant recipients in attendance, including: Msgr. Michael Glenn, rector of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary; Father Florian Martin-Calama, rector of Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary; Jonathan Reyes, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Denver Archdiocese; and Richard Thompson, superintendant of the Office of Catholic Schools.
Remarks by Bud Laber, president the foundation, highlighted the impact of the foundation on the local Church.

“Thanks to the generosity of northern Colorado Catholics, Catholic schools can afford talented and dedicated teachers who provide faith formation to the next generation of Catholics in a rigorous academic setting,” noted Laber. “St. John Vianney Theological and Redemptoris Mater seminaries are supported in their mission of priestly formation, ensuring the vitality of the priesthood. Local parishes receive funding to build and maintain lasting communities of faith. Religious education programs bring people closer to Christ and his Church and support of charitable organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of low-income individuals, such as Catholic Charities, help bring the light of Christ to the poor and broken in our world.”

Laber then announced that the foundation is collaborating with various parishes and ministries to make gift planning services available to those individuals and families with a desire to make a deferred gift to the foundation benefitting their parish, school, seminary or other ministry.

“I look forward to working with the parishes and various ministries in the archdiocese,” Laber said, “to establish planned giving programs which will give expression to the desire of these donors to build a legacy of faith.”
Archbishop Chaput, expressed his personal gratitude to The Catholic Foundation and its donors.

“The Church in northern Colorado owes so much to the extraordinary efforts of the Catholics who brought the foundation into existence and built it into what it is today,” the archbishop said. “I’m very, very grateful to John Saeman who was the first chair of the board of the foundation and Jan Zapapas who was the first staff person. We worked together to develop a foundation that was secure and energetic in the service of God and our fellow citizens.”

THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION

Established: 1998
What: an independent nonprofit corporation that offers a wide variety of charitable planned giving opportunities that aim to help the faithful both meet their current and future financial goals and provide support for Catholic causes and charitable organizations.
Support: The Catholic Foundation distributes an average of $5 million per year to Catholic religious, educational and charitable organizations that depend on the support of donors to carry out the mission of the Church.
Contact: visit www.thecatholicfoundation.com or call 303-468-9885