News From CCF-LA | May 20, 2021
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A Message From the Chancellor
Sr. M. Anncarla Costello, SND, Chancellor of the Archdiocese Catholic Center
One of our most cherished Catholic traditions is the devotion to Our Lady during the month of May. How many of us remember Mary’s Hour at the Coliseum, creating Mary shrines in shoe boxes at home or in our classrooms, participating in May crownings and school-wide rosary processions. What never overshadowed why: Mary is Jesus’ mother and our mother as well. She is our example as mother and model and it is not insignificant that her last recorded words to us occur in the passage about the wedding feast at Cana when she speaks to the servants at the celebration and to us, “Do whatever He tells you.”
The month of May is also about First Communions. This is a wonderful celebration in the life of a child and expresses the importance of our parishes and Catholic schools in the faith formation of our families. It is such a blessing to see these young children embracing their faith while they prepare their minds and their hearts to receive this sacrament.
Our Catholic schools have been educating children for well over a century in the Los Angeles region. Our parishes are often the first stop for newcomers to our community. In parish life, they experience what all Catholics experience around the world—a universal faith connection to God. As we continue to foster the great blessing of our ethnic diversity in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we remain committed to help all feel welcome and cherished members of the family of God.
As Chancellor, I oversee so many of our programs, staff, and operations related to the outreach we do in the community. CCF-LA is a great opportunity to support this work. For example, the School Food Service, which oversees the funding and distribution of meals to children and families in our parishes and neighborhoods, provided nearly 3 million meals from March 2020 to the present. The Department of Catholic Schools, the Office of Religious Education, and the Office of Marriage and Family Life adapted to changed circumstances and have continued to provide quality services and programs despite the challenges of the pandemic.
The generosity and dedication of our staff at the ACC as well as the nearly 600 locations that serve our people inspire me and make me proud of the witness they give as missionary disciples of Jesus…as was His mother, Mary.
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The Mary Month of May
Looking back on my early days in Catholic elementary school, I always wanted to be chosen to crown Mary at the school assembly honoring her. But that was never the case. In those days we had 50 students in a classroom and the competition was staggering!
How important it was for us to honor Mary, especially since my Catholic school was named St. Mary. We looked forward to gathering the flowers from our neighborhood and using them to decorate her statue and prepare her crown. It was a beautiful ritual, and we honored Mary not just on that day but for the entire month!
May is also the time when we honor our mothers, grandmothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers, and even great grandmothers if we are lucky enough to have three generations around us. There is a little bit of Mary’s unconditional love in all women. That’s why it was such an honor to crown Mary, because she was so much like our own mother.
Today our schools keep up the tradition of honoring Mary, though classes of 50 students are largely a thing of the past—so maybe there is a better chance today to be chosen to crown Mary!
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— Kathleen H. Anderson,
President and Executive Director
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The U.S. economy continued to show signs of recovery in April as vaccine distribution rapidly expanded and restrictions on activity relaxed significantly. This forward momentum fueled another great month in the stock markets. The total assets managed by the Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles surpassed the $500 million mark in the last week of April for the first time in our history (compared to $460.5 million at the end of 2020). The Balanced Pool results (net of fees) for April were +3.48%, which brought the return for the trailing 12-month period through April 30, 2021, to +32.06%. Our Intermediate Fund had a return of +1.51% for the month and +16.81% for the 12-month period. Please always feel free to contact our client services team with any questions at (213) 426-1180.
— Andrew O'Boyle,
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
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Featured Beneficiary:
St. Anne's Family Services
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Supporting mothers and families is a key part of our Catholic faith and integral to the well-being of our communities. Since its founding in 1908, St. Anne’s Family Services has continuously served women and families, evolving into one of Los Angeles’ most highly regarded social-service agencies.
Its mission is “working together to build safe, nurturing, and resilient families—from pregnancy to parenthood and childhood to adulthood—for generations to come.” It provides supportive housing programs, early-childhood education, and mental-health and family-based services to more than 2,600 families annually across Los Angeles County.
Now more than ever these kinds of support services are needed for women, children, and families in our region. CCF-LA Donor-Advised Fund clients can make a grant to St. Anne’s Family Services through the CCF-LA online portal or by calling our Client Relations Team at (213) 426-1180.
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Giving Circles: Your Community in Action
As we look forward to sharing laughter and good times this summer, the impact of the last 14 months is still with us. Many continue to struggle, and your community is probably looking for ways to keep helping. That’s where a giving circle comes in! Click here to learn more about setting up a giving circle with family or friends.
The Role of Women in Giving
In recent years, experts have started to study the impact that women have on philanthropic decision-making. Click here to learn more about the both the history of women in philanthropy in the church, and future of women in giving.
The Ministry of Philanthropy
Our seminarian intern, David Zamora, reflects on his experience working with CCF-LA. Click here to read his reflection. We wish David the best of luck as he begins his studies at St. John's Seminary this fall!
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Our Support for Catholic Schools
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CCF-LA is proud to support the Department of Catholic Schools marketing campaign to encourage new and continued enrollment in our Archdiocesan schools. There is new and expanded tuition funding available to qualified students through the Catholic Education Foundation, so we strongly encourage parents to contact their local Catholic school for more information. Our clients support Catholic schools through a multitude of grants from their donor-advised funds. Catholic schools make our Church, our communities, and our world a better place!
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The Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles is committed to the prudent management of charitable investments to support the schools, parishes, and ministries that help our neighborhoods thrive in faith. To join our mission to teach and sustain Catholic philanthropy, please contact our Client Development team at (213) 426-1187 or via email.
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