In December, the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation will celebrate seven years since it was established to support and serve apostolic activities of the Church and make grants to nonprofit organizations in the statewide Diocese of Burlington that reflect the compassion of Christ in service to the community. Burlington Bishop Christopher Coyne had a vision to establish a Catholic foundation when he first arrived in Vermont as the 10th bishop of Burlington to ensure our Catholic schools, parishes, cemeteries and ministries had the long-term financial resources to grow over time.

“When I came to Vermont more than seven years ago, I became aware that there was no charitable foundation to serve our Catholic community,” Bishop Coyne said. “I had just left the Archdiocese of Indianapolis which had a substantial and strong foundation supporting a large number of parishes, schools and ministries in the Archdiocese. Additionally, a Catholic foundation not only follows the Socially Responsible Investments of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to ensure our investments alignment with our Catholic teaching, but also invites the Catholic community to join together and support causes that matter most to them.”

This year, six new funds were created by individuals who wanted to honor a family member in a significant way while having an impact in the Catholic community. Several of these individuals also included the fund they established in their estate plans to leave a lasting legacy. Currently, there are more than 20 members in the new Christ Our Hope Legacy Society who have made a planned gift to a fund within the foundation or directly to a Catholic entity in Vermont. Joining the legacy society not only ensures your wishes will be honored but also encourages others to consider doing the same.

  • Bill & Donna Scott Spiritual Growth Fund
  • Edward A. and Ann M. O’Neill Mobbs Memorial Holy Rosary Cemetery and St. Mary Cemetery Reserve Fund
  • Daigle Family Feed the Hungry Fund
  • Dorothy Begin Mater Dei Reserve Fund
  • R. Owen and June Oys Holbrook Fund for Vermonters in Need
  • Rice Memorial High School Virginia Gamache ’83 Righi Scholarship Fund

To date there are 102 funds in the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation designated by the donor to support specific causes, ministries, schools, parishes and cemeteries in Vermont:

  • 18 Cemetery or Perpetual Care
  • 29 Parish (one parish/school)
  • 12 Diocese
  • 34 Schools (27 Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, two Christ the King School in Burlington, two St. Michael School in Brattleboro, two St. Francis Xavier School in Winooski, one Catholic schools)
  • Four Vermont Catholic Charities Inc.
  • Five Vermont Catholic Community Foundation to support the most vulnerable.

To learn more about how to create a fund, add to a current fund or leave a legacy of faith, contact Ellen Kane, ekane@vermontcatholic.org or visit vtcatholicfoundation.org.

—Originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.