Sister Antonella, FSPA, introduced the poet William Wordsworth to me in an English literature class at Marycliff High School in 1969. Sister Antonella was a beloved teacher. We revered her not only for her command of the material, but for her contagious passion for the literature. She once remarked to our class that she only taught writing that she really loved, a comment that served as later advice for me as I taught high school English. (We did wonder whether Sister really did love Beowulf or Spenser’s Fairie Queen, for that matter.)

Wordsworth’s visit to Tintern Abbey—the village and historic building—in 1798 was a return to the site. On his second journey to the beautiful setting, he wrote about the magnificence of nature, then and now. A careful reading of the lengthy poem reveals how Wordsworth’s description of nature’s growth is really a subtext for his recollection of his personal growth over the last five years. Wordsworth’s poem, in essence, is about memory. He looks back and takes stock. He finds joy in his maturity.

Since my Marycliff years, I have considered Tintern Abbey, the poem, as a kind of anchor for reflection and planning. It serves now as an appropriate context and tone-setting as we assess the Catholic Foundation’s progress during the last five years.

 QUANTITATIVE GROWTH:

• On July 1, 2016, the CF managed an invested balance of $24,297,260. On July 1, 2021, the balance had grown to $50,514,464.
• The Foundation established 38 new named endowments and 26 new parish custodial funds.
• The growth allowed the board to reduce the foundation management fee. This reduction took effect in 2018.
• Four planned gifts matured during the last five years, benefiting the diocese (two gifts), the Student Center (Newman Center) at WSU, and seminarian education. Three of these planned gifts resulted in new named endowments; one added substantially to a current endowment. 

Listed below are some recently established endowments. I encourage you to give some thought and prayer to how you might advance the benefit of CF’s endowments, either by starting one yourself, contributing to an existing fund, or including one in your estate plans. Please contact me (Sr. Mary: metracy@dioceseofspokane.org/509-385-7697) anytime to discuss any aspect of the many endowment options. 

To make an online gift, go to spokanecatholicfoundation.com and click on online giving. You will see a long list of our endowments. Simply click on one that you’d like to invest in and follow the easy directions.

TO MAKE A GIFT BY CHECK:

Make payable to Catholic Foundation and send to: 

PO BOX 1484

Spokane, WA 99210-1484

1. MOTHER TERESA’S POUCH

This endowment provides funds to people in need, particularly in two distinct circumstances:

• Pregnant girls and women in need to prevent abortion

• Homeless women and children of Eastern Washington

2. ST. MARY PRESENTATION PARISH, DEER PARK MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND

This fund is designed for the long-term benefit of future, major capital expenditures, not for ordinary operating or building and maintenance costs. It’s anticipated that the fund would not be expensed on an annual basis; rather, the endowment would be built by contributions for several years.

3. LUDWIG ENDOWMENT FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE THIRD WORLD

This endowment was created to provide financial resources for those struggling in developing countries. An ad hoc committee was formed to make decisions surrounding the distribution of these funds.

4. CATHOLIC COUGS OUTREACH ENDOWMENT

This recently launched endowment supports evangelization and outreach at St. Thomas More Catholic Student Center (Newman Center) at Washington State University.

An endowment donor can honor or memorialize a loved person or recognize the importance of a teacher in their life. The fund can provide resources for an annual pilgrimage or a retreat. Your endowment can be a gift, a lifeline, a grace.