Dear Friends,
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to hear
the author of the New York Times bestselling
book Tattoos on the Heart, Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., speak. If you’re unfamiliar with Fr. Boyle’s extraordinary, decades-long work rehabilitating gang members in Los Angeles, it’s quite simple. It’s all about compassion. In all he writes and speaks, he reminds Christians that “if we follow Jesus, it means you stand where he stands…in the lowly place…at the margins…and you seek, with all your heart, to dismantle the barriers that exclude. Because inclusion is the only thing that matters to Jesus.
Here at the Foundation, we understand that our work, too, must build community like Fr. Boyle describes. We seek to invite everyone in our faith community to this table of Catholic philanthropy, this table of plenty — philanthropists, leaders, grantees, and the most vulnerable.
It’s a privilege to share with you just how far our invitation to the table of plenty extends: from a small town where one person’s dream has created a valuable resource that’s empowering an entire community to a small school that welcomes low income and refugee families seeking a Catholic education for their children. It even extends beyond our lifetime, providing perpetual support for valuable missions and ministries through the power of endowment.
The further we extend the invitation, the more people respond generously. So far in this fiscal year, we’ve opened 40 new funds, setting a pace to surpass last year’s total of 49 new funds. In September, we welcomed 11 new Legacy Society members who have entrusted their charitable legacies to CCF’s perpetual stewardship. And I am thrilled to report that in November, we had a standing-room-only crowd at our Giving Insights forum. More than 120 people gathered to discuss new ways we can reach out to younger Catholics who may be struggling to find where they fit within our larger Church family.
The table of plenty is a joyous place where space is unlimited and everyone is welcome. Your participation makes it all possible. Thank you for coming and please, bring a friend.
Sincerely,
Anne Cullen Miller, MBA
President