Money
I heard yet another talk about money recently. It was at the February 28 annual Investment Conference put on by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF). I attended on behalf of St. Matt’s. Also in attendance were other business administrators, clergy, and finance council members from numerous parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
In her opening remarks, CCF President Anne Cullen Miller reminded us that donors give through, not to, CCF. Whether it be through an endowment, a donor advised fund, a trust, or another mechanism, CCF is a Catholic steward of donor dollars. Its mission is “to support financially the spiritual, educational, and social needs of our Catholic community.”
Currently, St. Matt’s has two endowment funds with CCF, both to support Community of Saints Regional Catholic School (COS). We also have an agency fund, named after the late Harry Selken. In his generosity, Mr. Selken left us a bequest in excess of a half million dollars. We’ve used that as collateral in our successful efforts to finance the recent roof repairs, among other projects.
We can’t all be like Harry, however, when it comes to such a large contribution. Most of us have far fewer resources.
What we can do is figure out where we want to contribute. I’m grateful to all who support St. Matt’s, regardless of amount. I’m also glad we take up a second collection on the 1st weekend of each month, to support COS. I think it’s a good thing that we use a second collection on the third weekend of each month, to support Neighborhood House’s food shelf.
For this weekend of March 10-11, the Archdiocesan Center for Mission asks us to remember the global church. I ask everyone to do so in prayer. If you are moved to contribute dollars, thank you. This is one of about a dozen Archdiocesan “asks” for financial support each year, so you might prefer to contribute to a different worthy cause. Don’t worry about supporting every single one.
Community Conversations
The next West Side Community Conversation is this coming Tuesday, March 12. All are welcome. For more information, see this week’s insert.
Have a great week!
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