Catholic Foundation Awards $100,000 in Grants

Thanks to the generosity of its donors and to favorable earnings on its investment portfolio, The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Lubbock, Inc., has awarded a record number of annual grants, including $85,000 to the Diocese of Lubbock to use in its ministries, and another $15,000 to parishes, Catholic schools and organizations. The 2015 grant recipients are:

• St. Isidore Church, Abernathy - $750 to remodel kitchen in parish hall
• St. Anthony de Padua Church, Anton - $500 for purchase and installation of air conditioning in parish hall
• St. Mary Church, Aspermont - $500 for paint and repair of weathered roof and doorway trimmings in the light blue sash of Our Lady of Fatima
• St. Joseph, Crosbyton - $1,000 for Vacation Bible School supplies
• Sacred Heart, El Ranchito - $500 for the repair of the air ducts in the church
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Floydada - $750 to update the sound system, repair parish hall doors and repair the AC unit
• St. George, Haskell - $500 for the purchase of TV, DVD player and sacramental media
• St. Phillip Benizi, Idalou - $500 towards the installation of a new roof and handicap restrooms
• Church of the Epiphany, Jayton - $1,000 for the installation of a rain gutter, painting of the church and repair to the fence
• Saint Joseph Church, Lockney - $500 to fund ACTS retreat scholarships
• Christ the King Cathedral School, Lubbock - $1,000 for tuition assistance
• Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Ministry of West Texas, Lubbock - $500 towards retreat scholarships
• St. Patrick Church, Lubbock - $250 to purchase furniture for new CCE building
• St. Peter, Olton - $500 to purchase and install a new church sign
• St. Joseph Church, Rotan - $500 towards the construction of a storage room
• St. Paul, Seagraves - $1,000 towards the purchase of new CCE curriculum books
• St. James, Seminole - $500 for the purchase of TV, DVD player for CCE classrooms
• St. Philip Benizi, Shallowater - $500 to purchase a new stove and freezer in parish hall
• Our Lady of Guadalupe, Slaton - $250 to upgrade electricity and set up AC in parish hall
• St. Joseph Catholic School, Slaton - $1,000 for tuition assistance
• St. Mary, Spur - $500 to purchase books for CCE and to paint the parish hall
• St. Ann, Stamford - $500 for the purchase of TV, DVD player for CCE classrooms
• St. Isidro Church, Sundown - $500 for new CCE textbooks and Theology of the Body training
• Blessed Sacrament Church, Wilson - $500 to purchase and install new front doors on church building
• St. Francis of Assisi, Wolfforth - $250 for Steubenville Denver Colorado Youth Conference registration

“We are pleased to be able to provide funding to 25 different parishes, schools and Catholic organizations covering a wide variety of worthy projects,” said Gary Bellair, foundation chair. “I am grateful to the generous benefactors of the Catholic Foundation who make this possible.”

The Catholic Foundation is a separately incorporated non-profit organization that exists solely to support the parishes, schools and Catholic organizations within the 25-county Diocese of Lubbock. Its focus is to continue to build its assets – currently at $3.1 million – through planned gifts such as estate bequests, annuities, life insurance, investment portfolios and endowment funds to create earnings for the long term support of diocesan ministries, Catholic parishes, schools and organizations.

A current major initiative of the foundation is to create a permanent endowment for the education of seminarians named in honor of the Bishop of Lubbock, Most Reverend Placido Rodriguez, CMF, who will submit his letter of retirement to Pope Francis in October of this year. The foundation has received a $50,000 challenge grant for this purpose that must be met by December 31, 2015.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lubbock encompasses 25 counties and a self-identified Catholic population of close to 136,894. The diocese includes 62 parishes, two elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, one Catholic health care system and a social service agency, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Lubbock, Inc.
More information about establishing an endowment fund to benefit a parish, school, organization or ministry through the Catholic Foundation is available at www.catholicfoundationlubbock.org or by contacting Managing Director Renée Underwood at 806-792-3943 or runderwood@catholiclubbock.org.