Catholic Foundation names new advancement officer

By Veronica Ambuul

COLORADO SPRINGS. The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Colorado Springs has named Marc Wood as Advancement Officer.

“I spent 36 years in the military and law enforcement; I’m married and have four grown children,” Wood said. “I’m also a candidate for the permanent diaconate in my last year of formation, so it just seemed like a good fit. I have a good team who really supports me, and teamwork is important to me because of the field I came from.”

The Catholic Foundation is responsible for managing permanent endowments for all of the parishes and schools in the diocese, as well as those for related entities such as the Mater Filius maternity home.

In addition, the foundation manages funds held for others, such as parishes that want to hold money in reserve for building repairs and other expenses.

“It’s a way for parishes to maybe take money that‘s sitting  in a savings account and invest it, but it’s not restricted like a permanent endowment,” said Jamie Crane, Director of Stewardship and Development and Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. “They can pull the money out if they need it.”

“The benefit of working with the Catholic Foundation is that all of our investments are made in line with Catholic Social Teaching. None of the money will be going to anything that conflicts with our faith,” Crane said. “We also have very low management fees.”

The Catholic Foundation also manages estate gifts and bequests made by individuals, Crane said, and these gifts can be any size. 

“I think there is a misconception out there that only people with big estates can make a difference with an estate gift, which is absolutely not true,” Crane said. “Also, having a written will that expresses your wishes can be a great Catholic witness to family members. Leaving instructions for a funeral Mass, asking that donations be made to one’s parish, etc., show how important this church was to you, and it might be an avenue to welcome those who have fallen away back to the faith.”

The foundation is also in the process of developing an emergency grant program for parishes, Wood said. An application process for the program is still being developed but will probably be unveiled in early 2024.

Wood can be reached at mwood@diocs.org or 719-866-6527.

Photo: On Aug. 16, The Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Colorado Springs presented a check for $6,000 to Father Bob Newbury, pastor of St. Michael Parish in Calhan, to cover half of the cost of repairing the church’s air conditioning system. Pictured are (left to right) Bishop James Golka, Father Newbury, Catholic Foundation executive director Jamie Crane and Marc Wood, Catholic Foundation advancement officer. (Photo by Esperanza Griffith)