The summer edition of The Good Word showcases a number of successes making The Catholic Foundation grow stronger every day.

Karla J. Bellinger, M.A., DMIN, has been named founding Executive Director of the Institute for Homiletics at the University of Dallas with the goal of improving preaching in the Catholic Church. The Institute is a collaboration of The Catholic Foundation and the University of Dallas.

Our next Catholic Community Network panel on Wednesday, Sept. 8 (9 to 10:30 a.m. via Zoom) brings together three outstanding North Texas nonprofit leaders.

All are invited to attend “The Conversation, a live and socially distanced seminar that provides a Catholic perspective on End-of-Life Issues” on Saturday, Sept. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Ennis.

Building upon an outstanding 2019, the momentum of The Catholic Foundation and our generous donors produced another exceptional year in 2020 despite the pandemic that dominated much of society. We invite you to read our 2020 annual report to learn more about the impact of The Catholic Foundation, last year’s achievements and how you can be involved in our growth initiatives that serve the greater Dallas area Catholic community.

It’s not every day your artistic masterpiece adorns a 28 x 9 foot public wall in the middle of the arts district of America’s 9th largest city. But that high profile honor, plus $2,500, awaits one talented Texas artist who wins this year’s 16th annual Catholic Foundation Art on the Plaza competition. Honorable mention winners will receive $250.

Lydia and Dan Novakov, long-time Dallas philanthropists with a passion for giving people a chance in life while dedicating their time, talent and treasure to serving others in areas including healthcare, Catholic education, children’s charities, the Catholic community as a whole including preservation of the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe downtown, have been named the 39th Catholic Foundation Award honorees.

Our next free, quarterly Catholic Community Network on Wednesday, March, 3, features three highly talented professionals. With very different backgrounds, each are change agents who make our community and society as a whole better.

Fernando Blanco, Dr. Mauricio Delgado, John Dziminski and Jeff Schiefelbein have been elected to The Catholic Foundation Board of Trustees and Aileen Pratt has been elected board chair, succeeding G. Marc Lyons who served as board chair the past two years. Pratt will serve a two-year term and the new trustees will serve a three-year term through 2023.

For the past 24 years, The Catholic Foundation has conducted a scholarship competition among our Catholic high schools’ junior students. The award is named in honor of Hal Tehan, a man who played an integral role in the history of The Catholic Foundation as executive director and development director for many years.