At the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF), among the most rewarding activities we do is providing grants to help various good and worthy causes. These grants support a broad range of activities such as helping with school tuition, supporting the homeless, and funding crisis pregnancy centers throughout the Diocese of Madison. Causes such as these are at the heart of our mission here at the CDMF, as we seek to spread Jesus’ message of love throughout the diocese.
One of the largest grant-making funds at the CDMF is the Heart of Mercy Endowment (HOME). This fund provides assistance to various ministries and programs in the diocese as directed by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, with the purpose of addressing Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy.
Corporal Works of Mercy, as defined by the Catholic Church, include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and prisoners, burying the dead, and giving alms to the poor. Spiritual works of mercy include counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, admonishing the sinner, comforting the sorrowful, forgiving injuries, bearing wrongs patiently, and praying for the living and the dead.
The HOME fund was started by the Diocese of Madison with the CDMF in 2016, and was originally known as the “Saint Mother Teresa Mercy Endowment”. The original idea for the fund came at the urging of Pope Francis to memorialize the Year of Mercy, a jubilee year intended to call Catholics everywhere to focus on God’s forgiveness and infinite mercy. What started as a humble idea has now grown into more than a million dollar fund that grants more than $40,000 per year to a variety of charities. These charities are carefully selected by Bishop Hying and encompass every part of the diocese.
In 2023, at the direction of Bishop Hying, nearly 50 local non-profits received grants from the HOME fund. One example is Project 16:49, which empowers homeless youth in Rock County. They wrote to us after receiving their grant, saying that it helps to “keep our youth safe, warm, and moving forward” and that they had recently helped seven community youths and four babies find safe housing.
Another non-profit receiving HOME funds last year was the Lake Mills Food Pantry. After receiving their grant, they wrote, “It is nice to know that the work we do is noticed, as the need seems to grow and grow in this troubled world.”
We live in a time where many are struggling to meet their basic needs and many more struggle in less visible ways. As such, the charities that HOME provides grants to have become more important than ever. For those who have nothing, all they can depend on is the mercy of God and the mercy of others.
If you are interested in donating to the Heart of Mercy Endowment or in starting an endowment fund of your own, visit diocesemadisonfoundation.org or give us a call at 608-821-3048. Consider asking your parish priest if he has considered starting an endowment fund with the CDMF. We would be happy to help in any way possible, as we work together to serve Christ and His Church.
Grant McGurn is the operations coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation.