Orientation for Catholic Foundation of Utah trustees

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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Father Langes Silva, the diocesan judicial vicar, addresses the June 29 Catholic Foundation of Utah welcome event.

SALT LAKE CITY — With a new executive director and several new members of the Board of Trustees, the Catholic Foundation of Utah held a welcome event on June 29. The event included presentations on the history of the CFU, aspects of canon and civil law that pertain to it, and the role of the trustees.

The CFU was founded in 1984. It oversees more than 400 endowments that have been established by individuals, families and organizations for the benefit of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. These endowments provide financial help to numerous ministries of the local Church, including individual parishes, seminarian and priest formation, youth ministry and missionary outreach, among many others.

Nevah Stevenson began as the CFU director on May 2, and the board has three new trustees. Bishop Oscar A. Solis said the June 29 event was a way for the trustees to get to know each other and to learn the principles and operation of the CFU as they work in partnership with diocesan officials.

“Trustees are co-ministers in the diocese who can proclaim the Gospel in the capacity of responsible stewards of the finances of the diocese, particularly the CFU,” the bishop said.

At the event, Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general emeritus, gave a brief history of the CFU, which was established by the Most Rev. William K. Weigand, seventh Bishop of Salt Lake City.

When Bishop Weigand was ordained he was told that there were concerns about the diocese’s financial stability, Msgr. Fitzgerald said. To address these concerns, Bishop Weigand created a task force. One of the task force’s recommendations was to establish the CFU, with a board of trustees that would oversee investments and disbursements.

The CFU and the Diocesan Development Drive, which was founded in 1966 by Bishop Joseph L. Federal as an annual appeal for operating funds for diocesan ministries, “have really helped stabilize the financial basis of the diocese,” Msgr. Fitzgerald said. “We’re not totally there – we still rely on help from outside – but we’ve come a long way towards supporting ourselves.”

After Msgr. Fitzgerald’s presentation, Fr. Langes Silva, the diocesan judicial vicar, spoke about the aspects of canon law that affect the CFU. He explained some of the terminology, such as “temporal goods of the Church,” which refers to buildings, investments and other physical objects.

The CFU Board of Trustees is one of many boards that offers expertise in a particular area, Fr. Silva noted. The board members and the CFU executive director “assist the bishop in a consultive manner on how the funds are to be solicited, collected, kept and invested,” he said.

“Members of the Board of Trustees are selected as a very special group of people … They are distinguished by their loyalty to Catholic teaching, outstanding moral and religious values and, generally speaking, Catholics in good standing,” Fr. Silva added, noting that the bishop “places a great deal of confidence in each and every one of you and your knowledge, your Catholic identity and your particular expertise, knowing that you yourself are a treasure for this particular Church, for this diocese.”

Zachary Peterson, the diocesan legal counsel, gave an overview of the CFU’s status as a tax-exempt status. He also explained that the board historically has functioned as consultants to the bishop, the CFU’s executive director and the diocesan finance officer.

“Members of the board typically have expertise in certain areas and they can offer their professional experiences, their skills, to help out in operations of the Catholic Foundation,” Peterson said. “And the stature of the members of the Board of Trustees lends credibility and support to the foundation and the community and allows for better fundraising and community outreach.”   

Current members of the CFU Board of Trustees are Howie Lemke, Kristine Rogers, Tom Marriott, Kevin Murphy, Rebecca Duberow, Pam Joklik, Tim Clark, Patrick Porter, Cece Holt, Patrick Garcia, Fr. Christopher Gray, Karla Padilla, Fr. John Norman and Msgr. Terence M. Moore.