As we reflect on the Catholic Foundation’s journey over the past 25 years, we are filled with gratitude for the impact of the Bishop’s Angels.

Vision
For 25 years, the Bishop’s Angels have inspired a spirit of charity within our Catholic community and have been the cornerstone of the Foundation’s operation. This long-standing annual giving program spans four bishops, three popes, and two Jubilee years. Over the years, parishes in our diocese have opened and closed. Various offices and ministries have expanded, contracted, and reassembled. Our Church’s programs and services have evolved, and people have come and gone. What remains is the vision, generosity, and hope-filled promise of the Catholic Foundation – thanks to the Angels’ steadfast support.

Generosity
In 1999, the Diocese of Grand Rapids was finishing a campaign called “In the Name of the Lord,” which produced more than half of the Foundation’s $11 million in assets at the time. Following the campaign, the Catholic Foundation was looking for its own operating funds to inspire others to become engaged in the long-term needs of the Church. Enter the Bishop’s Angels.

Since that time, the Bishop’s Angels have been steadfast in their financial support, raising awareness of the Catholic Foundation’s mission and impact. This dedicated group of benefactors is unwavering in their faithful support, generosity, and advocacy to grow the depth and breadth of the Catholic Foundation.  

Because of the Angels’ loyal support, the Foundation continues to grow and flourish with 282 funds for the Church totaling $125 million. This past year, the Foundation awarded $3.5 million in grants to 109 parishes, schools, and ministries. These grants renovate and repair our parishes, provide scholarships to Catholic school students, resource faith formation activities, fund seminarian formation, and bolster services that provide care and create hope for all our brothers and sisters. 

What began in 1999 with 23 inaugural Angels has now grown to 120 Angels. As the Foundation matured, the Bishop’s Angels program expanded in 2020 to also provide financial support to the Providential Care Fund, a fund that allows the bishop to identify – and respond to – specific causes at a time of need. 

Promise
On this Silver Anniversary, we pay tribute to the visionaries and Angels who established and supported a charitable giving foundation for the betterment of the Church and its many ministries. Their selfless dedication proves we can truly make a difference together and realize a hope-filled promise.  As we celebrate this milestone, we look to the future with renewed confidence in God’s promise to make all things new.  

We are immensely grateful to all who have been a part of our journey. As we embark on the next chapter of our story, we give thanks to God for our Angels – past and present, those with us and those who have gone to their Eternal home.

We invite you to consider a gift to the Bishop’s Angels annual giving program, joining like-minded donors in building a culture of generosity, funding vibrant ministries, and strengthening our Catholic
community today, tomorrow, and forever.