For the sake of His priests
People like you throughout our diocese build endowments at the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana for the Catholic causes dearest to them. And one thing nearly every Catholic has in common? Fondness for our priests.
So many wonderful people gave to the Foundation’s Seminarian Education Endowment matching gift opportunity at the end of 2022…you know who you are! Thanks to this flood of generosity, we not only matched our anonymous donor’s gift dollar for dollar, but even exceeded it! The Seminarian Education Endowment grew by nearly $100,000 in just two months! Before that, this endowment was already spinning off enough funds in its annual distribution to nearly cover tuition for one of our two seminarians. Imagine what will be possible for future priests now!
The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana is proud to help Catholics like you support our priests, through this endowment and several others:
Caring for our Priests Endowment — Sometimes, priests (both retired and those still in active ministry) need help with continuing education, long-term health care not covered by insurance, and other costs. This is a new endowment, and its annual distribution will help the Bishop and his staff cover these expenses.
Priest Retirement Endowment — Many of the beloved Catholic priests in our diocese are retiring and aging, and their cost of living will increase as they grow older. In 2022, this endowment’s annual distribution sent nearly $12,000 to the pension fund for our diocesan priests—and that amount grows every year!
Stites Memorial Residence Endowment — In Great Falls, there’s a small apartment complex that houses retired priests in one of its two buildings. The annual distribution from this endowment (started by one of our priests) will one day help keep these priests’ homes in good shape inside and out, by assisting with both maintenance and landscaping.
Our donors—Catholics like you who give to the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana—have good reasons for supporting these endowments. Here’s what some of them had to say:
Joann Jablonski (Wibaux)
Joann Jablonski (Wibaux)
“I know that God is calling men from Eastern Montana to the vocation of the priesthood, and that is why I support the Seminarian Education Endowment. We need to help men discern this sacred call—and once they begin, we need to provide for their education and support them. That’s very costly!
My hope is that, if men from all throughout our diocese (especially the easternmost reaches of our state, where I live) will heed God’s call, then young men and boys will see them as role models and think, ‘Men like me become priests, too.’ Maybe even one of my grandsons will be called to the priesthood! They just need to know that becoming a priest is something Montana boys do.
I give to the Seminarian Education Endowment at the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana because every dollar I give will start contributing to the formation of priests now, and it will keep doing that forever. The staff there know me and are careful to make sure my wishes are honored. And the fact that my money is permanently endowed means that, in 10 or 20 years, if one of my relatives decides to become a priest, my donations now will support them, too.”
Bruce Ellis (Billings)
“I give to the Caring for Our Priests Endowment because I can’t count the ways I have been helped and nourished by priests throughout the years, whether that’s through daily Mass or their wise management of the parish. I’m glad to help in a way that benefits priests.
Now, I’m 84 years old, and I came into the Catholic Church in my 20s. Looking at my life, I can see the ways I’ve benefited from what people in the past did for the Church—the foundation they laid for Catholics in the future. It’s my turn to do that. Endowments are critical because that’s what they do: they are a long-range way of keeping what matters to you around for generations.”
Father Jay Peterson (Great Falls)
“For a long time, I have urged folks to consider the value of long-term investing in the ministry and growth of the Church. What better investment is there than that of training future priests? The Seminarian Education Endowment helps prepare for generations yet to be born, especially when it comes to fostering and supporting good leaders to become shepherds of God’s flock.
The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana’s endowments are a golden opportunity to make today’s gifts count in the long term! I hope lots more people will decide wisely to build endowments for the Church.”
Will you give to support our priests? Any of these endowments will impact them immediately and for every year to come—at least, until Christ returns! Questions? Reach out to Judy Held, the Foundation President, at [email protected] or 406-315-1765.
