One of the most beautiful aspects of our Catholic faith is our unity in Christ, which spans across continents, thousands of years, and even between Heaven and Earth.
On the local level, we are guided by our bishop. Bishop Hying has only been in our diocese for a short time, relatively speaking, but the positive impact of his presence has been felt since his arrival.
Churches have been grouped together into pastorates as a part of the Into the Deep initiative and Catholic unity is growing tangibly as our Masses become fuller.
The diocese is taking a forward-facing approach and looking toward the future.
It is in this time of increasing closeness that we recognize more wholly our unity as believers in Christ and as one faith and one universal Church.
A role in the future
At the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF), we play our own important role in the united and universal Body of Christ.
The CDMF was founded to ensure and help coordinate the long-term financial future of the Church in our diocese.
We focus on endowment funds, which provide perpetual funding and stability to the causes that are most important to the Catholic faithful here in the Diocese of Madison.
In this sense, the CDMF helps fund the future of our diocese.
Oftentimes in life, we can become preoccupied with the trials of the present moment, but our goal here at the CDMF is to ensure that funding for the Church will exist generations into the future, no matter what happens today.
The CDMF is separate from the Diocese of Madison and is controlled by an independent and highly qualified board of directors.
Despite this legal separation, we are blessed to have Bishop Hying as the chairman of our board.
We are also blessed to be a part of the Body of Christ, as providers of long-term funding and stability to many of the parishes, schools, and other important causes across the diocese.
Though we are a legally independent entity, we are united in Christ with the faithful and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Serving others
There are many ways our funds help serve the universal Church in our diocese. The Mary Catherine Matuska Pro-Life Fund was founded by an individual donor who had the desire to see pro-life efforts in our community grow perpetually into the future.
Last year, this fund was used to finance a Pro-Life Summit held at Holy Name Heights in Madison.
This year, it was used to support local pro-life pregnancy help centers in their goal to support women who are struggling with the effects of abortion.
Another CDMF fund making a meaningful impact this year is the Saint John Bosco Fund, which is being used to help fund tuition for students who wish to attend Catholic schools but require financial assistance.
Another example is our largest fund, Priests for Our Future, which has provided millions of dollars toward the educational and developmental futures of our diocesan seminarians.
These are just a few examples of our 48 funds held in total.
Do your part
What would you like to pass on to the next generation?
By donating to an existing fund or reaching out to start your own endowment fund, you can ensure that the causes that are most important to you are stably funded into the future.
It is important for us to pass on our faith and our Catholic institutions to the next generation, just as our ancestors have carefully passed them down to us.
If you are interested in donating to one of our funds or in starting an endowment fund of your own, please visit diocesemadisonfoundation.org or give us a call at 608-821-3048.
We would be happy to help in any way possible as we work together as one united Body in Christ.
Also, consider asking your parish priest if he has considered starting an endowment fund with the CDMF.
Grant McGurn is the operations coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation.