Christian Service Ministry Endowment Provides Hope In Crisis
St. Aidan is often shown with a broken plate in his hand. The seventh-century North England Bishop normally dined alone before prayer but accepted an invitation to dine with King Oswald for the Easter Feast. Aidan’s effect on the King caused him to take the entire feast to the beggars outside and even broke the silver plates to give to them.
St. Aidan Parish | Livonia, MichiganThroughout St. Aidan Parish’s history, it has offered an abundance of generosity. In the 1980s, the Parish began the “Aid from St. Aidan” fund to support its Christian Service Ministry.
St. Aidan parishioners sorting food distributions.The mission that drives this fund is feeding around 100 families at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving with a meal for the feast and a week’s worth of groceries and produce. Since then, no matter the crisis, St. Aidan parishioners have filled their Aid from St. Aidan envelope to support any acute need.
After several years, St. Aidan parish decided to ensure there is always an abundance from the fund by creating an endowment with Catholic Foundation.
“Since the creation of the Aid from St. Aidan fund, there have been a few serious economic downturns. The endowment ensures that funds are available when the need is the greatest and donations might diminish,” shares Pastor Kevin Thomas.
Last year, St. Aidan’s spirit of generosity was increased by the pandemic and the parish leadership encouraged the Christian Service Commission to consider a new outreach. The parish has long supported the AAA Pregnancy Resource Center and was invited for a tour. Those who visited were greatly impressed by the work. The Aid from St. Aidan fund had such an abundance this Lent that after the parish fed the 100 families, they were able to make a considerable gift to the Pregnancy Resource Center.
“As a parish bookkeeper, you never want to tell your ministry leaders that there isn’t enough money to carry out the mission. The annual endowment distribution makes my job not just easy, but also joyful.” – Paul Pyrkosz
Endowment funds are administered by the Foundation, which makes annual grants to the parish. All funds administered by the Catholic Foundation of Michigan are subject to moral and ethical screens to ensure that they are invested in a manner consistent with Church teaching.
Are you interested in opening an endowment fund to benefit your beloved parish, school or charity? Individuals and organizations, including Catholic schools, parishes and nonprofit organizations, can open an endowment with a minimum of $10,000. Why not start today?
