Above: Mary Haeg, CCF Senior Development Officer, and Jane Wyatt, CCF board member and parishioner at Church of St. Patrick in Edina.
On April 26, 2018, philanthropists and supporters gathered at the Minneapolis Hilton to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF). The theme was “Come to the Table,” and more than 800 attendees did just that, savoring shared memories, fellowship, and purpose, along with inspiring music and delicious food.
CCF President Anne Cullen Miller honored CCF’s past, praising the basic, good idea that formed the cornerstone of the now largest Catholic community foundation in the nation: “If you want something to last, you invest in it.” That cornerstone reflects perfectly the entrepreneurial spirit of our local Catholic community. And it is because of that cornerstone that CCF has been able to grant more than $140 million to our community in its 25-year history.
Keynote speaker Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, shares the lessons to be learned around the family table.
Named the “Entrepreneurial Bishop” by Forbes Magazine, the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was a most appropriate keynote speaker. Bishop Caggiano encouraged guests to embrace the power of the table, where Catholics come together to share the many blessings they’ve received and their very presence with one another. There is a place for each of us at the table, to invest in what we hold dear: our faith community.
Famed Minnesota jazz vocalist Patty Peterson performs the song ‘Come to the Table’ with the Benilde-St. Margaret’s Choir.
Along with Bishop Caggiano’s wisdom and inspiration, attendees enjoyed the wit and warmth of our emcee Jim Cunningham, “Minister of Fun” for the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Wild; the award-winning musicianship of Patty Peterson; and the choral talent of the Benilde-St. Margaret’s Choir.
Three Minnesota Bishops were in attendance to mark the occasion, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Bishop John LeVoir of the Diocese of New Ulm.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda with Tim Farrell and Father Warren Sazama SJ, both of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in St. Paul.
All of us at CCF are very grateful to everyone who shared this joyful occasion and for the deep generosity of our entire community of donors. We look forward to your continuing presence and participation at the table, as we serve the spiritual, educational, and social needs of our Catholic community.