Funds within the Catholic Community Foundation are not only dedicated to the formation of the intellect, but also development of the spirituality that leads to a more faith-filled life.
This commitment especially comes to life at The Catholic Community of Ascension and St. Augustine (CCASTA), in the Halethorpe and Elkridge regions, where distributions from The Mary Rettaliata Endowment Fund and The St. John Neumann Endowment Fund are supporting faith formation efforts at the parish.
Marge Fair, Director of Pastorate Operation at CCASTA, said, “There are portions of distributions from these endowments that are used for our faith formation program and our adult faith formation. Father Dale [Picarella, CCASTA Pastor] wants us to help parents who can’t pay for these programs. That’s very important to him. We do not charge for faith formation.”
Father Dale added, “I think these endowments are expressions of the generosity of the Lord’s people. Their generosity brings blessings to us as a parish community. And because these funds are endowed, these distributions will continue year after year into the future, well beyond myself tenure here as pastor.”
These funds have had a remarkable impact. Joe Miller, Principal at St Augustine School, itself part of the CCASTA community, said, “We’ve welcomed over 23 students into the faith over the past three years. Endowment funds give students opportunities to not only attend our school, but also to literally encounter Christ for the first time at the parish.”
When Annemarie Dirndorfer, Director of Faith Formation at CCASTA, was asked what she enjoyed most about her job, she answered, “What I like most is when I see the Holy Spirit touch a child’s heart. You can see that they are understanding what we’re telling them about how great God is.” Dirndorfer concluded, “Father Dale and I believe that we shouldn’t put a price tag on faith.”
At CCASTA, no matter what age parishioners may be, formation, a deepening of conversion and deepening of growth and holiness, are made available. The Rettaliata and Neumann funds will continue to help enable this commitment, aiding in evangelizing the faith within the CCASTA community.
