Third annual ‘Igniting Our Future’ Gala raises more than $400,000 in scholarships and endowments for Catholic schools
DEARBORN — More than 300 Catholic donors and philanthropists gathered Oct. 29 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn to support the next generation of Catholic leadership.
The Catholic Foundation of Michigan’s third annual "Igniting Our Future" Gala raised more than $400,000 to provide Catholic school scholarships and support for school endowment programs across the Archdiocese of Detroit.
John Biskner, president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, informed the crowd gathered that the foundation has distributed more than $300,000 in scholarships to 164 students across 42 Catholic schools this year alone, thanks in part to the work of donors who support the "Igniting Our Future" Gala.
“The monies raised from this gala helps fund the scholarships we will distribute next year,” Biskner said. “Now is a time for joy. Now is a time for gratitude. So, let’s fund a dream.”
Biskner said the money raised through the Catholic Foundation of Michigan helps fund the futures of families across southeast Michigan who otherwise wouldn't have access to a quality Catholic education.
“I ask that you fund the dream of a child in need of a safe place to learn. I ask that you fund a dream of parents who want their child to know that he or she is made in the image and likeness of God. I ask that you fund a dream of teachers and school leaders who pour themselves into forming the next generation. I ask you to fund the dream of a Church made stronger because young people know not only how to succeed, but to love, serve and follow Christ,” Biskner said.
Marcus Peter, Ph.D., president of Ave Maria Radio, emceed the event, thanking donors for the ripples their contributions will create in the Church's future.
“Tonight is about celebrating the generosity and the power of your faith in action,” Peter said. “You exemplify one of the main ways in which Catholic social doctrine comes alive: your presence here, your support in the past, and your ongoing support for the mission into the future.”
The evening took place in the impressive surroundings of the Henry Ford Museum, dotted with displays marking the area's industrial heritage and the great things that can be accomplished when people come together.
Kathleen McCann, founding board member of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, asked those gathered to reflect on the progress the Catholic Foundation has made in its nine years of empowering donors to build a lasting legacy through their generosity.
“Tonight, we gather not just as individuals, but most fundamentally, as God's children, as brothers and sisters, entrusted with a sacred gift and a sacred responsibility to be coworkers in the vineyard,” McCann said, “to help our Lord rescue, renew, and transform the human family into the family of God. And in a particular way, to help shape a future filled with faith and hope and beauty where our young people, our students, future leaders, our dreamers can carry the light of our tomorrow. The Catholic Foundation has helped fuel this mission.”
Peter expressed his gratitude for emceeing an event supporting Catholic education, reflecting on his own educational background.
“I was raised in a completely secularist, atheist, materialist environment,” Peter said. “And when I encountered Jesus Christ when I was 20 years old, I became a Christian — anti-Catholic, actually — and it took two years of assiduous studying in the Scriptures to become Catholic. And then I discovered the Church's great wisdom in Catholic education.
“I'm here because I believe in the mission of Catholic education informing souls for the eternal worldview,” Peter added.
Curtin Martin, founder of FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students), was the keynote speaker. Martin related the mission of the Catholic Foundation of Michigan to St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, in which the apostle notes that many run the race, but only one achieves the crown.
"I think it's very clear St. Paul is talking about running, but I don't think it's a 100-yard or 100-meter dash, and I don't think it's even a marathon," Martin said. "I think it's a relay race. Because in a relay race, it's not just that you have to run the best race you've ever run; you actually have to pass off the baton. You are passing it on to the next person, so they can run the race. Tonight, this foundation is passing on the baton to the next generation."
Detroit Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger thanked donors for their support of Catholic school students and families through the Catholic Foundation of Michigan, noting young people today are searching for something beyond what the secular world promises.
“We're on the cusp of something,” Archbishop Weisenburger said. “When I was an adolescent, a teenager, a young adult, I was surrounded by other adolescents, teenagers and young adults who were questioning God, religion, and the values of our culture and our society.
“Something's happening today, and you're helping with that,” Archbishop Weisenburger continued. “You help with it through the ministries and the faith that you share. I truly am grateful to you because these are the works of the Church. You are bringing the Gospel to life.”
