Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Stewardship Report 2012–2013 Message from Bishop Richard J. Malone Putting faith into action Dear Friends in Christ, Since 1996, the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has worked with and for With gratitude to God our Father, I present the 2012-2013 Stewardship Report for The Foundation of the Roman the faithful in the Diocese of Buffalo who continue to give their generous support because of Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. their strong belief in the invaluable mission of the Church. By our baptism, we are all called to the mission of bearing witness to Jesus Christ by our words and actions. As the title of this report so simply states, we are called to “be the belief” – to share the grace that God has bestowed Truly, it all starts with belief. Yet while it’s one thing to hold a particular belief, it’s something upon each of us so that our lives proclaim our belief in Christ to the world. more to take action on it. That’s what the Foundation does each and every day. We provide ways for the Catholic faithful to stand up for their principles by actively supporting our important The stories in this report demonstrate how our diocese has a diversity of ministries, but with a unity of mission, mission. This course of action echoes Pope Francis’ call for a “new evangelization” perfectly; that enables us to “be the belief” in many different ways. You will read about young adults deepening faith in the Foundation unites Western New York residents with the educational, pastoral and human prayerful retreat…a community working together to further the path to sainthood for Venerable Father Nelson Baker…an interfaith program created to promote tolerance…and an outreach service that celebrates human life. service causes that support their values. We assist donors in fulfi lling their philanthropic goals In each case, the Foundation was able to play a supporting role. And there are many more examples. rooted in Catholic beliefs. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to our donors and volunteers, our Foundation trustees and What follows are just a few examples of how we serve to enable people in the Diocese to staff. Together we help provide the stewardship in our diocese to educate, minister, and care for others, with every “be the belief.” To be more engaged in their faith. To be more accepting of others. To be in action guided by our Catholic conscience. communion with the saints. To be advocates for life. To be what God wants us to be. Pope Francis has said, “Jesus teaches us another way: go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit.” Day after day, the Foundation brings the beliefs that so many of us share to life. Be a part of the solution here in WNY. Be the belief. May we all be inspired to go out and be the belief in the Diocese of Buffalo. Sincerely, Established in 1847, the Diocese of Buffalo covers Most Reverend Richard J. Malone eight counties in Western Bishop of Buffalo New York. Chairman, Board of Trustees Message from the Vice-Chair and Executive Director Dear Friends, Foundation Board of Trustees From the very beginning of our Church, there have been men and women who set out to follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him more closely through acts of faith. Today in the Diocese of Buffalo, we are blessed to have so many The Bishop of Buffalo has selected an outstanding and diverse group of talented and knowledgeable people who continue in that mission. You will meet some of these people on the pages of our report. experts, leaders and philanthropists from throughout the region to serve as trustees. In the past year, even as the economy continued its recovery, the Foundation received donations of $920,257 in total gifts. Such generosity helped enable our Board of Trustees to distribute nearly $1.3 million in grant funding Chairman Lisa M. Kirisits, CPA & MBA Elizabeth (Betsy) Sullivan Most Reverend Richard J. Malone Kirisits & Associates CPAS, PLLC Director of Marketing, Buffalo Truck Center, Inc. to numerous diocesan organizations and programs, for the benefi t of Catholics and non-Catholics throughout Bishop of Buffalo Western New York. William J. Lawley, Jr. Nicole R. Tzetzo, Esq. Managing Partner, Lawley Insurance Partner, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP We are grateful to our donors for their gifts and their continued confi dence in our ability to act as stewards toward Vice-Chair Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Litwin, J.C.L. Kellie M. Ulrich their charitable goals. The hard work of our staff makes it possible, and our thanks go out to them. And of course, Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Chancellor Attorney Barrantys, LLC the guidance of our trustees is invaluable, and our appreciation is beyond measure. Alfred F. Luhr, III Dennis C. Walczyk Sr. Vice President, Business Banking, M&T Bank CEO, Catholic Charities of Buffalo Everyone at the Foundation believes it is an honor and a privilege to serve the Diocese of Buffalo in support of Trustees Jeffrey C. Magavern Theodore (Barney) Walsh our Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. Kate Beltz Foley Executive Vice President, Walsh Insurance Partner, Paul William Beltz, P.C. Attorney at Law; Magavern & Loretto, LLC Lisa Wardynski On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, we invite you to learn more about how you can take part in the Beverly M. Caffery Sr. Mary McCarrick, OSF Diocesan Director, Catholic Charities of Buffalo Director, Community Relations – Foundation’s mission and be the belief in our community. Visit us at BeTheBelief.org today, or follow us on Research Biologist (Retired), Independent Health Facebook at facebook.com/frcdb. The Research Foundation for SUNY Buffalo Daniel P. Mecca Laura Zaepfel President, Abbey Mecca & Company Most Reverend Edward D. Grosz, D.D., V.G. Vice President, Corporate Relations – Auxiliary Bishop of Buffalo/Vicar General Michael Pratt, CFA Uniland Development Corporation, Inc. Amy Habib-Rittling, Esq. Co-Owner, Pratt Collard Advisory Partners, LLC Partner, Lippes, Mathias, Wexler, John Rumschik Staff Thomas R. Beecher, Jr. Richard C. Suchan, CEBS & CWS® Friedman LLP President, M&T Insurance Agency, Inc. Joseph A. Stoeckl, Esq., Vice-Chair Executive Director John J. Hurley Charles J. Schneider Legal Counsel – Kennedy, Stoeckl & Martin Board of Trustees President, Canisius College Architect/Owner, Schneider Design – Richard C. Suchan, CEBS & CWS® Maureen Hurley Architects PC Executive Director Executive Vice President, Rev. Msgr. David S. Slubecky, J.C.L., S.T.L. Steven D. Timmel Rich Products Corporation Moderator of Curia / Vicar General Treasurer That same sentiment is at the heart of The Blue Rose, a message heard by hundreds of elementary school Reaching out to the flock students this past year thanks to an extraordinary interfaith effort involving the Foundation of the Roman Retreat seeks to engage young adults in deepening their faith Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Catholic schools, The Blue Rose Foundation and the local Jewish community. The Blue Rose is a play adapted from a book by the same name, written by Holocaust survivor Gerda Every parish has them. They are college students and young professionals, both single and married. Young Weissmann Klein. The former Buffalo resident is a renowned author and recipient of the Presidential Medal couples preparing for marriage and new parents bringing in babies for baptism. Young adults in our parishes of Freedom. It tells the story of Jenny, a girl with developmental disabilities, and promotes understanding of and communities whose lives are full of transition and who are faced with very important life choices. those who may be different. The book was written by Weissmann Klein about her neighbor, and was among Helping them make more faith-based choices at this stage of their lives and engaging them in their parishes the first to be written to help people empathize with individuals who have disabilities. was the goal of a two-day young adult retreat funded in part by a Foundation grant this past year. “Tolerance is at the heart of our Christian mission and the collaboration of so many Titled “What Next?”, the retreat was sponsored by the diocesan Department of Youth and Young Adult different organizations to make this happen was remarkable,” said Richard Suchan, Ministry and held at Christ the King Seminary. The overnight event at the Seminary included prayer, Executive Director of the Foundation. reconciliation, and Mass along with other activities aimed at spiritual direction. The retreat was based on That collaboration resulted in the play being performed at two Catholic high a program of Charis Ministries, a Chicago-based Jesuit ministry that reaches out to young adults. schools, with funding for the performances provided by a grant from the Daigler Recently, there has been an increase in requests for programming aimed at young adults in local parishes, Family Scholarship Fund administered by the Foundation. Children from area an important segment of the faithful that may sometimes be overlooked. Catholic elementary schools and the Kadimah School attended afternoon performances, while the evening shows were open to the public. The “We had men and women from every area of the diocese,” said Kathy Goller, director of the Department interfaith aspect of the program was enhanced as the Jewish community of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Buffalo. “Participants serving as witnesses shared stories helped with auxiliary funding of the performance through the Jewish on being newly married, on adopting a baby and on maintaining a relationship.