President’s Report

Dear Friends,

Thirty years ago, Bishop Paul Dudley, along with 20 clergy and lay leaders, met in Huron to establish what has become the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota. The July 1987 Bishop’s Bulletin quoted Bishop Paul Dudley, “It is my hope and prayer that the basic needs of our diocese can be guaranteed in perpetuity through such a foundation.” Bishop Dudley went on to explain that the foundation is planned as an “ongoing, perpetual support for the needs which we have now, and the needs which will surface in the future.” The Catholic Community Foundation began with $200,000 and today we are deeply grateful to manage $112 million. What an awesome privilege and responsibility we have to be a part of Bishop Dudley’s vision today!

The Catholic Community Foundation’s investment objectives are committed to Catholic moral and social values. In addition, the Catholic Community Foundation will not make distributions or grants to charities that are not consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. We ensure donors’ legacies forever follow their values and wishes, perpetually impacting the ministries they determine. It is with a deep sense of gratitude to God for his many blessings that we present this annual report of activities of the Catholic Community Foundation for Eastern South Dakota. This includes the financial statements from our annual independent audit by Eide Bailly LLP for fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

As Bishop Paul Swain’s episcopal motto states, we “Give praise to the Lord!”

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Mark Conzemius