Strengthening Our Parishes

We are a trusted partner in financial stewardship.

The spirit of our Catholic community lies in the strength of our parishes. Across northern Colorado, our parishes are where everyday, faithful people come together to celebrate, to learn, to serve and to find support for raising kids and making life’s most significant decisions.

At The Catholic Foundation of Northern Colorado, we understand that good financial stewardship helps make all of that possible.

We manage special program and endowment funds that support the unique needs of individual parishes. We can also help a parish establish a new fund or set up gift planning opportunities through wills and trusts.

Alan’s Story

“I wanted to give back to the church, which has given so much to me.”

Alan’s simple statement reveals something we often take for granted: that Sundays counted in ordinary time add up to something far more than ordinary in our lives—because our local parish is where we experience the gift of sacramental grace.

PARISH PICNIC SNAPSHOTS

On a beautiful summer day, pictures of the parish picnic show faith and fellowship at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Greeley.

In one snapshot, families gather first for noon Mass, lining the sanctuary’s wooden pews, embraced by the criss-cross of dark beams high overhead and focused forward toward the altar. Next, they congregate for lunch—all ages, all smiles—with elbows on red-checked tablecloths as they lean in to enjoy corn on the cob and burgers hot off the grills on the sidewalk outside.

Like other parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver, opportunities at St. Mary bring many more scenes to mind too: the sacraments, faith formation classes, youth ministry gatherings, adult Bible studies and marriage enrichment groups—just to name a few.

GIVING BACK

As these experiences express the rich colors of our Catholic community, we are compelled to give in ways that will strengthen our parishes for generations to come. Alan encouraged St. Mary, his local parish, to consider giving programs available through The Catholic Foundation.

“Bud Laber and Mary Morroni from the Foundation came to Greeley and made presentations that helped to convince the finance council and the school foundation of the merits of these programs. The pastor at St. Mary was open to new ideas, and it wasn’t long before he was directing us to explore them in greater depth.”

FOR THE FUTURE

The Catholic Foundation provides stewardship expertise and options that parishes may not be able to offer on their own. St. Mary established a fund through the Foundation to receive and invest gifts on its behalf. And interested parish members are using the Foundation’s free planning services to create thoughtful gifts for the future.

“For instance, one parishioner assigned a life insurance policy to St. Mary through the Foundation. Another used the Foundation’s resources to write the parish into their will. Others are considering naming the parish as the beneficiary of retirement accounts. So the program opened some doors to the parish’s future financial security that had been previously closed.”

A GIFTED LIFE

At his local parish, Alan can picture the benefit yet to come: “planned giving activities that will result in financial ‘windfalls’ far into the future” and “allow St. Mary to provide for capital expenditures, scholarships and ministries that otherwise might be impossible. And it will give parishioners a chance to support the parish long after they are gone.”

In the years ahead, there will be new faces at St. Mary’s annual picnic table—but the same commitment to faith and family, strengthened by the gifts of those who value the blessing of parish life.

Alan’s name has been changed to respect privacy.

Giving Catalog

If you are inspired to support The Catholic Foundation in bridging the gap, please browse our Giving Catalog of opportunities.

Or, if you are still exploring your options, take a few moments to consider: What Inspires You?