Across the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the spirit of stewardship and community is reflected in 84 parish-support endowment funds, held within the Archdiocese’s Catholic Community Foundation, collectively valued at more than $30.1 million. Over their lifetimes, these funds have provided more than $10 million in distributions, sustaining parish communities, ministries, and missions for generations. Each fund tells a story of foresight and faith. Among these, the Catholic Community of South Baltimore Ministry Endowment Fund stands as a powerful example. Since the fund’s inception, CCSB’s parishioners have contributed nearly $350,000, and, through the stewardship of the CCF, the fund’s value has grown to nearly $600,000 while generating more than $124,000 in distributions.
As former pastor, Reverend Patrick Carrion reflected, “There’s probably no one living now who paid to build our buildings, but our faith continues to live in them, and therefore, each generation should continue to help sustain them.”
This conviction led Father Carrion and the parish to establish the Catholic Community of South Baltimore Ministry Endowment Fund with funds raised from the parish’s Mapping the Mission campaign, a campaign that continues to help grow the endowment today.
“The Catholic Church was here before the buildings were here, and the Catholic Church will be here when the buildings are gone,” he said. “We’re giving to the Church as the people of God and the ministry of the Church.”
Parishioners grew the endowment with small, faithful gifts, what Father Carrion called “the widow’s mite.” He likened it to a personal retirement fund. “You’re putting money away today for something you will not see,” he said. “You just keep feeding the piggy bank.”
Today, Reverend Kevin Ewing, the parish’s current pastor, sees the fruits borne from those seeds planted years ago.
“Our parishioners see the value in making a gift that lasts well beyond the present,” he said, “feeding the mission: our evangelization, our outreach to the poor, and our ability to be present in the wider community.”
As Father Ewing noted, the goal isn’t only to preserve what was inherited but to pass something greater along.
For these pastors, and Catholic Community of South Baltimore’s parishioners, these seeds of faith, service, and hope continue to flourish.
As Father Carrion reflected, “The physical landscape has changed, but not the faith living in the buildings. When you build an endowment like this, yes, you’re kicking a can down the road, but it is a can filled with opportunity for those who come after you.”
