News From CCF-LA | June 17, 2022

There Are Two Dates for Father’s Day This June

In June we celebrate Dads and Grads and there is a link you will see later in this writing. There are multiple graduations throughout the month to celebrate all levels of education from pre-K to PhD’s. They are a rite of passage and a symbol of accomplishment. Who doesn’t remember their graduation day(s)?
 
This year, Father’s Day on June 19 has two special meanings for me.
 
First, my own father is now celebrating his 94th birthday this month. I treasure the values that he gave to me and my five siblings through a Catholic school education and the example of his own life when it came to ethics, faith, and hard work. Yes, growing up we had a dad that went to mass on Sunday with my mother and all six kids. When a father practices his faith it sends a strong message – the Catholic religion is important to the family.
 
Second, we attended the other Father’s Day on June 4 when nine men were ordained to the priesthood in our Archdiocese. In this group, one of the new priests was known to me since his days at Cathedral High School. As a member of our Cathedral parish, we watched Fr. Memo’s vocation as it was nurtured through a Lasallian education, and then four years at Juan Diego House (now Queen of Angels Center for Priestly Formation) and four years at St. John’s Seminary. During the formation process, he was always mentored and supported by his own parents and his spiritual fathers - the priests at his parish, the Cathedral. 
 
While attending the ordination and Fr. Memo’s first mass on Sunday, I was reminded that two of the most important indicators of faith formation and vocation (whether to the priesthood or another career path) are an education in the Catholic faith and involvement in parish life. So that’s the link for why we celebrate Dads and Grads in this issue. Our Catholic school grads on are to careers that will make a difference in our world because of their Catholic values and their involvement in the mission of our faith. It is truly wonderful to see so many of our next generations coming back to church after the pandemic and getting involved in ministry work.


-Kathy Anderson,
President and Executive Director
Deacons in Ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles


On Saturday, June 11, 2022, Archbishop Jose Gomez ordained eighteen men to the diaconate for service in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Among them are seventeen married men and one single man. Together with their wives they have been in formation and training for five years. These men have been ordained to serve as deacons for the rest of their lives and do not intend to go on the priesthood. Even though we have had the “permanent” diaconate for over fifty years, some are still unsure about this ministry and who and what a deacon is.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a deacon is an ordained minister of the Catholic Church. There are three groups, or "orders," of ordained ministers in the Church: bishops, presbyters (priests), and deacons. Deacons are ordained as a sacramental sign to the Church and to the world of Christ, who came "to serve and not to be served." They become an icon of Christ the servant.

As ministers of Word, deacons proclaim the Gospel, preach at Mass, and teach in the name of the Church. Deacons baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services. Deacons are leaders in identifying the needs of others, then marshaling the Church's resources to meet those needs. But no matter what specific functions a deacon performs, they flow from his sacramental identity. In other words, it is not only WHAT a deacon does, but WHO a deacon is, that is important.

How do I find out more about becoming a Deacon? The best place to start is with your pastor, who can help discern a possible call to diaconate. He can then put you in touch with the formation team. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the Diaconate Formation Office provides virtual information sessions in both Spanish and English several times a year. The next information session is scheduled for July 10, 2022, from 2 – 4 pm by Zoom. For information about registering for this session please contact Deacon Melecio Zamora at [email protected] or at (213) 637-7664.


-Deacon Brian Conroy,
Los Angeles Archdioceses
A Bumpy Road for Investments

Our investment returns for our pooled funds as of May 31, 2022, reflect all funds were positive and running ahead of benchmarks, making up for some of the negative returns since the beginning of the year. For the month of May, the Balanced Pool posted a .45% gain, and the Intermediate Fund had a .13% gain. The Balanced Pool came in at -11.58% for the five months ending May 31 while the Intermediate Fund posted a -5.82% loss for the same period. The balanced pool beat its benchmark for the month and for the 5-month period. But May’s optimism was quickly diminished in June.
 
During May, the Fed hiked rates by .50% and our advisors indicated that other economic data released during May were showing some signs of economic improvement, including strong job growth. However, in June, the Fed hiked rates by .75%, negatively impacting financial market performance. Inflation continues to be the most worrisome issue, particularly in the prices of gas and groceries, and we are beginning to see some impact of increasing interest rates on the housing market. Supply chain issues are hampered by distribution channels. In general, energy and utilities were broadly positive in May while consumer discretionary and real estate lagged. International equities performed better than domestic. Fixed Income had modest gains, due to a lower 10-year treasury yield.

-Andrew O'Boyle
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer 
Client Services – How Can We Help You?
Bernadette, Janette and Leslie work together for you, our clients. They also strongly believe in the mission at Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles and look forward to working with clients every day whether processing grants or receiving contributions.  
Bernadette Guerrero provides support to the development team with an emphasis on all client cultivation efforts including ensuring excellent service to CCF-LA clients. Bernadette has a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication Management from DeVry University. She and her husband are involved with the Life Teen music ministry at St. Bruno’s Catholic Church in Whittier, California and have raised four children in the Catholic faith.

Janette Gordo provides support to the development and family office teams, ensuring excellent services to new and existing clients. Prior to joining CCF-LA, she was in a client relationship role and oversaw successful end-to-end projects. She enjoys playing softball, going on morning hikes and spending time with family. She feels blessed to be part of a great community and is looking forward to continuing with the mission and making a difference.

Leslie Salinas provides support to the development team with an emphasis on all client services and business development efforts. She ensures excellent service to CCF-LA clients. Prior to joining CCF-LA, she gave administrative support to five special education attorneys in the Los Angeles are. Leslie also graduated from Loyola Marymount University obtaining a paralegal degree. She has two young children being raised in the Catholic faith and previously worked at Holy Family in Glendale. She fells fortunate to work in a community where there is a bigger purpose in giving back.
St. Mary Magdalen School – Raquel Latham Scholarship Award

Every spring, CCF-LA is blessed to attend the St. Mary Magdalen School (SMMS) Graduation Luncheon to present the Raquel Latham Scholarship Award. The Raquel Latham Scholarship Fund supports a graduating 8th grade student from SMMS in their freshman year at a Catholic high school. The award not only covers a majority of the student’s freshman year tuition, but it also allows for smaller awards to be given to past recipients as they continue on in their Catholic high school education.

Don Latham created this scholarship fund to honor his beloved wife, Raquel, who passed away in 2015. Throughout her life Raquel was not only academically and athletically driven, but she also valued deeply the importance of giving back to the Catholic Church. Catholic education and Catholic service were central to Raquel’s life, and her legacy will live on through this award.

Don had previously enjoyed attending the scholarship luncheon each year, sharing Raquel’s story and seeing the difference this award was making on these young students and their families. Don passed away this past Spring, and we are honored to continue working with his family to administer this fund and make a difference in these young student’s lives.
Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters – Champions for Youth Gala

On June 9, 2022, CCF-LA staff members attended the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS) Champions for Youth Gala at the beautiful rooftop of the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles. It is always exciting to attend and support our client’s events, and this was particularly special as CCF-LA’s General Counsel, Matthew Hansen, is the Chair of the CBBBS Board.
The evening began with a silent auction, followed by a wonderful dinner, award presentations, and live auction. Throughout the night we remembered Julie Magallanes-Guevara, CBBBS’ Director of Strategic Partnerships. Julie recently passed away and this gala was the final event she had planned. It was clear Julie was a key and beloved member of the CBBBS community and her presence will be deeply missed. A CBBBS Fund was established at CCF-LA in her honor and guests showed their appreciation for Julie’s long-time efforts by raising over $40K just for this new fund during the evening.
We also heard from the impressive honorees: Barron De Sanctis, recipient of the California State Big Brother of the Year, Bob Madok, recipient of the Champion for Youth Award, and Newmark, recipient of the of the Corporate Champion for Youth Award. Each of these awardees are inspirational in their commitment to CBBBS and the youth it services.  
It was a beautiful evening in support of a wonderful cause. CBBBS is an impactful organization that serves as mentors for our underserved youth in Los Angeles and CCF-LA is proud to count them as a client.
The Catholic Community Foundation of Los Angeles empowers charitable individuals and organizations across cultures and generations through professional philanthropy management solutions that allow clients to develop and sustain their philanthropy in support of Catholic values.
Catholic Community Foundation of LA CatholicCF-LA.org | (213) 426-1180