2020 Impact Report

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

To say that 2020 was a challenging year for us all is simply an understatement. Our community has faced  challenges including, the pandemic, multiple hurricanes, and economic uncertainty. Amidst these challenges, our Catholic faithful have led with their prayer, with their hearts, and with great financial generosity. I remain profoundly grateful for these responses on your part in these tough times.

 

We continue to remain vigilant in our COVID-19 protocols, and I want to sincerely thank you for helping us to safeguard the health of our parishioners, students, pastors, faculties and our community. I know it is not easy, but I often reflect on the sacrifice that Jesus gave for us – His life.

 

Throughout these uncertain times, I have been most impressed and encouraged by the quick response of our Catholic faithful who came to the aid of others in support of families suffering due to the pandemic, as well as those who were impacted by Hurricanes Zeta, Delta and Laura. Your prayers, volunteer work, and financial gifts have been a great expression of your love, and the love of Jesus shared through you. While we look back upon the challenges of the year 2020, we should also remember the light that shone amongst us because of your faith. The witness of your faith, commitment and generosity to our community fills me with hope. I want to thank you for your great faith in Jesus Christ and our church, and for your trust in our Catholic Foundation.

This impact report is provided to give you a view of the hope that you have fostered within our community. To all who have committed prayers and financial generosity, I express great appreciation and thanks. For those of you who are inspired and moved to do more, and want to make a gift that will endure long after we are gone, please consider a planned gift to your parish, school, favorite ministry through The Catholic Foundation. This option is easier than ever when you work with The Catholic Foundation, and will be of benefit to our Catholic community.

 

It is truly an honor and blessing to serve as your Bishop. I am proud of the immense work happening within our parishes, schools, Catholic Charities and Catholic Foundation. I stand with you in our efforts to provide for our Catholic community now and into the future. Be assured of my continued prayers for you and your family!

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

MOST REVEREND SHELTON J. FABRE

BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX

To our devoted parishioners,

Having surpassed many of the challenging hurdles through COVID-19, we are eager to begin to look towards a bright future here in our diocese. We want to take some time to reflect on the work of the Lord this past year as He has always been our driving force leading the way. We know through Scripture that in the darkness, we can find light.

 

Often times throughout this last year, we found ourselves praying the prayer of St. Francis, reminding us that through the darkness there is light, where there is doubt faith, and sadness joy.

 

While the past year has looked a little different, it remains constant that our Catholic community is always giving, resilient, and steadfast while leading with our faith. The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana stepped into action throughout these difficult times to ensure our parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries had the support they needed when faced with uncertainty.

The commitment of our Catholic faithful has been astounding, supporting the Catholic Foundation beyond a level we never anticipated. Leading our #iGiveCatholic Campaign, our amazing parishioners helped us to raise over $900,000 for our parishes, churches and ministries. The over 120 members of our Mother Teresa Women’s Giving Circle granted over $83,000 to six nonprofits impacting the lives of women, children and families locally. Through the great generosity and beautiful legacies of many of our Catholic faithful, our Foundation was able to make distributions of more than $280,000 from current restricted endowments this past July.

Our Foundation is 100% engaged in the four cornerstones of the Strategic Plans of Hope set forth by Bishop Fabre. We are committed to supporting our parishes, our Catholic schools and the ministries here within our diocese. We hope that throughout this Impact Report we are able to share with you how your prayers and great generosity gave our community hope in a time of need.

 

‘Hope does not disappoint’ (Romans 5). Thank you for the trust, prayers and generosity you have given to our Catholic Foundation. We look forward to a bright future ahead for our diocese.

 

Sincerely,

charlotte
CHARLOTTE BOLLINGER
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
amy
AMY PONSON
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

‘Lord, make us instruments of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.’

 

— Prayer of St. Francis

Snap Shot of 2020

Endowment Distributions

For more than four years the Catholic Foundation has worked with generous donors to support and improve our Catholic community. We take great care to invest your funds wisely and in accordance with Catholic values and beliefs, so they grow over time and support the ministries within our diocese. We are honored to have the faith and trust of our donors and blessed to steward these funds that support the charitable causes you care about while investing in our Catholic faith.

 

The endowment grant distributions have provided a stable and consistent source of funding for our many ministries. Our Foundation was pleased to have the opportunity to make a 4% distribution of interest from our endowments in 2020 and we will again be making a 4% distribution in 2021. These funds will greatly support the restricted entities, especially during this challenging economic time.

History of Endowment Distributions Made to Various Organizations

Catholic School Support

The Catholic Foundation works with our Catholic Schools as they plan their annual fundraising efforts each year. In addition, the largest way we support our Catholic Schools is through their Legacy Planning and building of long term endowment funds and investment funds for the financial vitality of their schools. Through restricted funds with the Catholic Foundation, we were able to make distributions to several schools this year for tuition assistance including $23,690 to E.D. White and $10,990 to Vandebilt Catholic High School. The Foundation is honored to work with donors who desire leaving a legacy for their favorite Catholic Schools!

“One of the largest areas of impact COVID-19 has had in our community has been in our schools. Despite being forced to close our doors for in-person classes, Vandebilt and the Catholic schools in our diocese quickly transitioned overnight to a virtual environment to ensure our students continued their education. While it was not easy, we knew that being virtual in the spring of 2020 was best for our students. As we approached the fall of 2020, Vandebilt had an increase in requests for tuition assistance due to families falling on hard times in the current economic state locally. However, having the support of our endowments with the Catholic Foundation, we knew our school had a consistent source of funds available for tuition assistance and other needs. These funds were created by our families at our school to ensure our long term viability and we are thankful to have had them this past year and knowing they will continue to provide funding assistance into the future with the Catholic Foundation.”

— Jeremy Gueldner,

Vandebilt Catholic High School President

2020 Mother Teresa Women’s Giving Circle Goes Virtual and Gives Big

Our 2020 Mother Teresa Women’s Giving Circle started off with a beautiful Mass with Bishop Fabre followed by a brunch with guest speaker, Mrs. Phyllis Taylor who spoke to our hearts with great inspiration of fostering the generosity of Catholic women for the greater good of our local community. Little did we know that just weeks later, we would be forced to cancel our Sip and Learn. However, our steering committee quickly took action asking our 10 nonprofits to provide presentations virtually so that our members could learn about their mission and continue to vote on their top 5 nonprofits. Over the course of one week, members watched video presentations and voted on their top 5 nonprofits for grant funding.

 

It was very clear that the members of the Mother Teresa Women’s Giving Circle were very mindful that due to the pandemic, the need locally had grown drastically and that women and children needed support. Nonprofits have seen an increase in needed and requested support, thus making it important for our efforts to continue. Together with the support of over 115 members this year, six nonprofits were able to receive the support they so desperately needed.

 

Several of these nonprofits had to cancel their fundraising efforts this spring which were their primary sources of revenue. With $83,000 in grant funds distributed this year, we are certain that our local community will continue to have the support they need during this difficult time. We look forward to being able to celebrate in person with all of our members, hopefully soon. We also want to thank our 115+ members for their great generosity and support throughout this difficult time.

2020 Grant Recipients

catholic charities

Gift of $20,500 to Individual and Family Assistance Catholic Charities

The Haven

Gift of $20,000 to The Haven

CASA logo

Gift of $12,500 to CASA of Lafourche

CASA logo

Gift of $12,500 to CASA of Terrebonne

children's advocacy center logo

Gift of $12,500 to Children’s Advocacy Center

Catholic Community Center

Gift of $5,000 to Catholic Community Center – Catholic Charities

Grants Made Through Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana

$1,047,324 Gifted through the Foundation

Donor Advised Funds give donors the flexibility to make a charitable contribution, with a centralized, efficient and accessible repository to manage your charitable giving. Gifts of cash, securities, or other appreciated assets may be gifted into a DAF, and a minimum of $10,000 is needed to begin the fund. You may recommend grants from the fund at any time to organizations; no minimum annual distributions are required and additional contributions may be made at any time. Grants can be made to any 501(c)3 organization provided its mission does not conflict with Catholic teachings.

In 2020, the Catholic Foundation made over $1,047,324 in grant distributions from Donor Advised Funds and gifts through our Catholic Foundation for our Catholic churches, schools, and local charitable nonprofits. Donors have generously given through our Foundation to support our diocese and local nonprofits through this very difficult year, when the need has been so great. We are deeply grateful for their prayers and generosity.

“Despite the pandemic’s stay at home order, our family was still able to give to our parish and nonprofits we love through our Donor Advised Fund with the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana. The Catholic Foundation made it easy to ensure our funds were available for our parish and nonprofits. The fund also allows us to plan our future contributions as well as respond to urgent unplanned non-profits’ needs.  We felt comfort in knowing that we had resources available with the Catholic Foundation to support our community as it was more important now than ever to give of our blessings the Lord has given to us.”

 

– Karen David, Parishioner of Sacred Heart, Cut Off

igc_givingtuesday__wordmark_only_full_color_alt#_light

Over the past five years, #iGiveCatholic has grown into a community wide digital fundraising platform, engaging thousands of our Catholic faithful together to Give Catholic each year. Now more than ever the #iGiveCatholic campaign gave our faithful an opportunity to be part of a large Catholic community during a world of uncertainty. During our fifth annual #iGiveCatholic campaign on December 1, 2020, YOU gave more than $900,000 in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux for our church parishes, Catholic schools and nonprofit ministries.

Thank you for giving Catholic!

Support of our Church Parishes through Grant Writing

Each year, the Catholic Foundation works with parishes and ministries within the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux to strengthen stewardship efforts and write grants necessary for continued ministry work and support. This past year we had the opportunity to work with St. Bridget Catholic Church through its parish renovation process, supporting Fr. Simon Peter Engurait in his efforts. In addition, received more than $225,000 in grants for parishes, schools and offices through grantors such as Catholic Extension, USCCB’s Catholic Home Mission, and the Black and Indian Mission Office.

Catholic Extension has supported parishes such as St. Mary’s Nativity Church and Sacred Heart in Montegut for Youth Religious Education. Catholic Home Mission supports our Ethnic Ministries programs and their evangelization efforts through Hispanic Ministry, Native American Ministry and our African American Ministry Offices. Many of these parishes and ministries rely on the support of these grantors and the Catholic Foundation is proud to assist each ministry in their grant writing annually.

“St. Bridget Catholic Church has been in need of new pews and new flooring for the great improvement of our parish facilities. While our community has been faced with great challenges this past year, our parish community has been incredibly supportive. As pastor of St. Bridget, I worked closely with the team at the Catholic Foundation to plan and launch our ‘Celebrating our Past, Building our Future’ capital improvement campaign. Having the team with the Catholic Foundation in our corner helping us along the way allowed our parish to focus on our faith, fostering the generosity of our parishioners, and planning for the improvements in our church. Our parish community was able to commit to over $267,000 in pledges towards our project, exceeding our expectations and allowing us to set forth a plan for new pews, new flooring and updating necessary electrical work in the church.”

 

– Very Rev. Simon Peter Engurait, V.G., pastor of St. Bridget

Catholic Emergency Relief Fund – Catholic Charities

CatholicCharities-Logo

“Throughout 2020, we ran across many “unprecedented” events. From the pandemic to the very active hurricane season to significant increases in the need for assistance, we were all stretched and challenged in new ways. One unprecedented event that cannot be celebrated enough is the immense generosity of the people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux through the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana in support of the work of Catholic Charities. When our community and our neighbors cried out for help, the donors of the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana answered the call in abundance. Thank you for supporting the work of Catholic Charities and the people we serve.”


– Dr. Nicole Bourgeois, LMFT, director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana quickly took to action in partnership with Catholic Charities in the wake of the pandemic and the multiple hurricanes. Parishioners from across the diocese stepped in to support through prayers, volunteer time and financial gifts. More than $58,900 was collected for pandemic and disaster relief, and many parishioners donated supplies for disaster clean-up. In addition, the team along with more than 250 volunteers from church parishes and community groups volunteer at multiple mass food distributions serving more than 7,000 families with over 200,000 pounds of food at seven distributions.  Thank you for your prayers, time and gifts ensuring our communities had the support they needed in this great time of need.

More than

200,000 lbs.

of food served

7 Food

Distributions

7,000

Families

Assisted

House of Formation – St. Joseph’s Workshop

The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana partnered this past fall with the Office of Vocations and Seminarians to plan for, and effectively engage our community in the purchase of a House of Formation for our diocese. The House of Formation will provide a place where men who desire to study for the priesthood will begin their journey before going to the seminary for academic and priestly formation.

“Because I believe very deeply in the church’s renewed vision of priestly formation from the perspective of life in our modern world,” said Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, “I am excited to inform you that through the generosity of our beloved parishioners throughout the diocese, more than $417,000 was raised and we were able to purchase a House of Formation specifically for young men who will be discerning a call to the priesthood. Because of their generosity for which I am truly grateful, these young men will be able to be formed in this new vision.”

 

– Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

“We are excited about this new method of formation for our seminarians. This is the model Jesus used and this will be the model we will use. We will accompany these men and help them grow in their relationship with our Lord. Once this happens, they will be able to know with much more clarity and certainty whether or not they are called and desire to move on to the next phase of priestly formation. Thank you for all who have prayed for our efforts and for all who have so generously given of their time, talents and treasure to make this dream become a reality”

 

– Rev. Mitch Semar, director of the Office of Seminarian

Statement of

Financial Position as of June 30, 2020

ASSETS

Cash and Cash Equivalents

$368,769

Donor Advised Funds

$1,128,440

Custodial Accounts

$777,829

Investments

$6,012,415

Agency Funds

(Investments held for others)

$2,405,193

TOTAL ASSETS


$10,629,647

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Liabilities

Custodial Funds

$777,829

Other Liabilities

$27,695

Accounts Payable

$47,317

Agency Funds

(Investments held for others)

$2,405,193

Net Assets

$7,434,613

TOTAL ASSETS


$3,258,034

GROWTH OF ASSETS

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

$10,629,647