President’s Message

 

 

 

 

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Janet Brunger

President

 

From its inception in 1964, through the vision and efforts of the Knights of Columbus and with the support of the three Archdioceses in Winnipeg, The Catholic Foundation of Manitoba has grown, and continues to do so.  The Catholic Foundation of Manitoba is unique in that we serve primarily the Catholic community, and we are proud to say that Catholics have responded! With the support of numerous bequests from various estates, donations from organizations, and hundreds of individual donors throughout the province of Manitoba, not all of them Catholic, but holding Catholic values, the Foundation’s capital funds have grown, and continue to do so. 

 

The Catholic Foundation of Manitoba continues its efforts to build a legacy where Catholic values can flourish in Manitoba. We do this by supporting education, service and works in the Catholic tradition through the disbursement of grants from the income derived from our general and designated funds to appropriate religious, educational or social agencies in keeping with the Foundation’s Mission and Vision. More recently, The Catholic Foundation has focused our efforts on supporting our Northern Dioceses of Keewatin-Le Pas and Churchill-Hudson Bay.  We have supported catechism, breakfast and after school programs, to name just a few. 

This past year has been a busy one for the Foundation.  In keeping with our ongoing efforts to raise awareness and increase visibility within the community, we hosted two events in addition to our annual Caritas Dinner which was held on April 24th, at which we focused on our theme, “Creating a welcoming community for individuals with diverse abilities”, we celebrated Gabriel Langlois (Dancing Gabe) and the Lisowski Family, and our Charity  of Choice organization, Open Access Resource Centre. we hosted a Youth, Family and Community Dance on March 1st, at which we enjoyed a good turnout, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  We also hosted our second and final Date Night on November 28th, in support of couples.  Once again we enjoyed a sold-out capacity, and awesome reviews by everyone in attendance. In 2026, in addition to the Caritas Dinner on April 23rd, plans are to host our final Youth and Family Dance on June 6th.  

 

We are grateful for the support of our current and past Board Members, who have given of their skills and leadership to further the work of the Foundation. Together we have supported not only the Catholic Foundation, but also each other.  We are especially grateful to count Deacon Clarence Fisher from Snow Lake, MB and Deacon Rodney Suclan from Iqaluit, Nunavut also on our board.  These two gentlemen provide perspective and insight to us at every Board meeting, and are an asset and a gift to the Catholic Foundation. Our treasurer, Mr. Elwood Haas, is another shining star for our Board, who carries out a great deal of work under the radar and without a lot of recognition, we are very blessed to have him.  And finally, our grateful appreciation to our dedicated Administrative Assistant, Suzanne Molinski, for her efforts in keeping all of us on track.  I believe we have a strong, dedicated team leading the Catholic Foundation, and I have every confidence in their leadership and skills.

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