PHOTO BY JULIANNA LEOPOLD

ATLANTA—Catholics who have chosen to support the Church through endowments, planned gifts and other forms of charitable giving were honored Sept. 3 during the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia’s Deo Gratias Mass and reception at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., celebrated the Mass, which brought together members of the Deo Gratias Society and Founders Society.

The Deo Gratias Society recognizes Catholics who have created a new fund at the Catholic, made a planned gift to a Catholic parish, school, organization, ministry or the archdiocese or contributed $5,000 or more over time to an endowment fund.

The Founders Society recognizes Catholics who support the long-term mission of the foundation through gifts to its endowment fund. Donors who contribute at least $5,000 over time to the Founder Endowment Fund are welcomed as new members.

Jackie Oddo, one of the newest members of the Deo Gratias Society, shakes hands with Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., during the reception at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church for members of the Deo Gratias Society of the Catholic Foundation. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The foundation works with Catholics who want to make a difference in their community through faith-inspired giving and legacy planning. It also manages endowment and donor-advised funds and distributes grants to parishes, schools and nonprofits.

During the 2024-25 fiscal year, the foundation shared in an annual report that it distributed more than $6.3 million in grants, bringing its total grants distributed throughout its history to $41 million. Yet, for the donors recognized at the Deo Gratias celebration, giving is about more than numbers. Their gifts reflect the people and ministries that have shaped their hopes for the Church’s future.

Bolstering vocations

For Patricia and Gus Trahan, the decision to establish an endowment supporting priestly vocations began as they were thinking about their own legacy.

The couple are parishioners of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna, and they learned about the Catholic Foundation through an information session at Holy Trinity Church in Peachtree City. At the time, they were updating their estate plan and thinking about a lasting impact.

After deciding an endowment would be the best means of contributing, the two considered several areas of the Church that they could support. They landed on vocations.

“As we considered those areas, it became clear that the priesthood and the formation of priests was the heart of the matter,” Gus Trahan said. “The Eucharist is the center of the Catholic faith and belief. And to have the Eucharist, we must have good holy men called to the priesthood.”

Their concern for vocations also comes from watching the priests at their own parish serve.

The priests at St. Thomas, members of the religious order the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, are leaving in September due to a decline in discernment. As the archdiocese prepares to appoint new leadership, Trahan shared that this transition contributed to their decision.

“The priests of St. Thomas are wonderful examples of true servants of the Lord, and as we have watched our priests tirelessly serve our parish, you can see the joy they have in their vocation,” he said. “Our hope is that our gift will, in some small way, assist in this ongoing building of a stronger faith community under the guidance of our clergy.”

The pair hopes the fund will help make discernment and formation possible for future priests.

“We love the idea that someone, who perhaps could not otherwise go through the process, finds it possible to go through discernment to the religious life because of this endowment,” Gus Trahan said. “It would be an answered prayer.”

Putting faith into action

For Pat and Tom Dailey, their planned gift to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul stemmed from years of seeing faith put into practice.

Since moving to the Lake Oconee area 17 years ago, the couple have been parishioners of Christ Our King and Savior Church.

Ten years ago, Tom Dailey was approaching retirement and contemplating ways to give back to the community through ministries. He noticed that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s message at the time was about “putting your faith into action.”

“It really resonated with me,” Tom Dailey said, who at the time had experience in roles helping others, including serving as a case worker. “I was and am inspired every day by the dedication and sacrifice of my fellow Vincentians as they work with and care for our neighbors in need.”

Brent Herrin, left, and Matt Harris, former chairs of the Catholic Foundation’s Board of Directors, bless themselves with holy water as they leave the organization’s Deo Gratias Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Photo by Julianna Leopold

The couple pointed to the society’s work in homelessness prevention, financial aid for utilities, food programs, free pharmacy and healthcare as critical parts to the safety net of care in local communities across Georgia, sharing that they believe “no other state or private agencies can do the work that the society does.”

The COKAS parishioners hope their planned gift to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will ensure the ministry’s mission will grow and continue.

“We hope the thousands of Vincentians in Georgia will be able to continue to grow their spirituality through the work with our neighbors, and that our neighbors receive the help they need to move towards stability,” they said.

A lasting memorial and contribution

Jake Hegerty, new member of the Founders Society, is a parishioner of St. Brigid Church in Johns Creek. He teaches men in formation for the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Becoming a founder comes from both a long relationship with the Catholic Foundation and a desire to remember his late wife, Linda Hegerty.

Jake Hegerty first learned about the foundation years ago through an article published by The Georgia Bulletin. His wife suggested they make a gift through a charitable gift annuity, which they did.

The foundation stayed in touch with the couple, Jake Hegerty said, and the “personal interest in us and the broad work they do resonates deeply in my heart,” he said.

After his wife passed last year, Jake Hegerty wanted to create a lasting memorial to her through the foundation.

“I wanted to remember her perpetually via the foundation and the ongoing evangelizing they do,” he said. “I think Linda would be and is happy that we’ve created this endowment fund.”

Investing in the Church’s future

Matthew Gries came to the Catholic Foundation first as a lawyer, then as a board member. Now, he is supporting the foundation’s mission as a founder.

Gries is a parishioner at St. Benedict Church in Johns Creek. His involvement in the Church has included serving in religious education, the Knights of Columbus, parish finance committees, capital campaigns and liturgical ministries. He is currently in his fourth year of the archdiocese’s five-year permanent diaconate formation program.

In 2008, Gries was specializing in nonprofit law when the Catholic Foundation became one of his legal clients. After representation with the foundation ended in 2017, he joined the organization as a member of the Board of Directors.

“Because I have been involved with the foundation for so long, I have an insider’s view into the workings of the foundation,” he said. “It is a wonderfully run organization that does amazing work.”

Its work, Gries said, is about ensuring the stability of the archdiocese’s Catholic institutions for generations to come. That long-term perspective is personal for Gries, who grew up in Ohio and watched Catholic churches close because they could not afford to remain open.

That experience led him to think about what the Church might look like for his grandchildren and future generations.

Gries and his wife, Lori Gries, chose to support the Catholic Center at the University of Georgia along with the Catholic Foundation through their contribution. The two organizations have impacted their family greatly, Matthew Gries said.

“First, we chose to support the ongoing operations of the Catholic Foundation, for which I have great admiration because of my over 18 years of involvement,” Matthew Gries said. “We decided to support the Catholic Center at UGA because of the incredible impact it had on the faith journeys of our daughter and son-in-law while they were in college.”

At the Catholic Center, Matthew Gries said their daughter and son-in-law grew in their faith there, met one another and formed lifelong friendships.

“We wanted to support that mission for future generations of UGA students,” he said.

For Matthew Gries, becoming a founder is ultimately about helping build a Church that will remain strong for those generations.

“While it was an honor to be recognized at the Mass, being able to support the mission of the Catholic Foundation is really its own reward,” he said.

A family tradition of giving

Charitable giving is a family tradition for Del and Jamie Ross.

The Rosses are parishioners of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Brookhaven. The parish is located across the street from their home, and it has been an integral part of their lives for six years.

Del Ross said that the couple’s approach to giving, however, began long before they joined the OLA community.

“Charitable giving was taught as a family value by my parents, who have led by example throughout our lives,” Del said. “We have done our best to instill the same values in our children.”

At the Deo Gratias Mass, Del and Jamie Ross were recognized for their donor advised fund. For years, the Ross family has funded this way to organize its charitable giving.

“Part of our annual Christmas tradition is for our family to select nonprofits we’d like to support for the upcoming year,” Del Ross said. “We have supported our children’s schools, St. Jude, Holy Redeemer and Marist, along with our parish, Catholic Charities of Atlanta, and many other organizations.”

This tradition was inspired by Del Ross’ parents. Years ago, rather than give their six children, their spouses and 13 grandchildren physical Christmas gifts, his parents asked each family member to nominate a charity or nonprofit to support and explain to the family why it was chosen.

His parents then donated to each of the nominated charities from their own donor advised fund.

“This was a profound example of giving that was both rewarding and inspiring,” Del Ross said. “We have followed this example and have found it to be a wonderful way to bring the family closer while helping others through our love and support.”

The Rosses hope their fund encourages others to give.

“If everyone commits fully to the fundamental safety, security and wellness of others, we can resolve most of the world’s challenges,” Del Ross said. “This starts with individuals and their families but ultimately requires everyone to do their part.”

The gifts celebrated at the Deo Gratias Mass and reception will take different forms and support different causes, but each reflects the donors’ desire to look beyond the recognition.

For these families, giving is a way to live their faith while helping build a stronger Catholic community for the generations that follow.