The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania is happy to be celebrating 15 years of service to our community. The Catholic Foundation was founded on July 18, 2007, with a mission to provide for the long term needs of Catholic ministries in northwest Pennsylvania.
We are proud to be the only community foundation in northwest Pennsylvania guided by Catholic values. Our board of directors is a talented and dedicated group of Catholic laypeople representative of the three major regions of the Diocese of Erie. On celebrating 15 years, our board chair, Bob Crowley, said “It’s great to pause and reflect on our progress, and I look forward to stewarding the growth of the Foundation into the future.”
Seeded by the vision and generosity of donors who participated in the 2001-2003 diocesan capital campaign, the Foundation has grown into over 100 endowments and over $20 million in assets. In 2022, over $600,000 was made available in distributions and grants to parishes, Catholic schools, and organizations throughout northwest Pennsylvania. These distributions and grants provide support for a wide variety of purposes including parish operations, capital needs, faith formation programming support, technology upgrades, clergy health and welfare, outreach projects, and opportunities for parishioners of all ages to stay connected with their faith and each other.
We held a 15th anniversary gathering with colleagues and friends to celebrate this milestone. Attendees included Sister Catherine Manning, SSJ, who led the Foundation at its inception. To honor our 15 years, attendees helped to randomly select 15 endowments to each receive a $100 donation. Sister Catherine selected the first of these “unexpected blessings.”
The endowments chosen were:
- Christo Servire Endowment
- Erie Catholic School System Endowment for Teachers
- Mercyhurst Preparatory School Endowment
- Education Endowment
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Education Endowment
- James “J.E.” O’Mara Memorial Endowment
- Helen Potosnak Memorial Endowment
- Saint Francis of Assisi School Scholarship Endowment
- Thomas J. and Mary H. Loftus Charitable Endowment
- John E. and Rose. M. DeMarco Endowment for Catholic Charities
- Captain Clare Baldauf Endowment for Catholic Charities Emerging Needs
- Reverend Leo J. Gallina Endowment for Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Church
- Reverend Joseph C. Gregorek Endowment for the Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania
- Saint Michael Church (DuBois) Endowment
- Malue Family Endowment for Our Lady of Peace Parish
Commenting on 15 years of service, Executive Director Lisa Louis said, “We’ve had a great first 15 years. It’s gratifying to see the impact our Foundation is having on our Catholic community.”
Thank you for placing your trust in the Catholic Foundation to steward your funds to ensure the perpetual growth of the Catholic faith and ministries in northwest Pennsylvania. Here’s to many more years of lighting the flame!
