January 2019 Happy New Year! 2019 is off to a fast start for The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida, and we hope yours is starting off well, too. We started the new year with seminars and community engagement to better serve you, and have planned a series of Catholic-focused investor conferences beginning in February. We are grateful for your generous support and look forward to partnering with you and our pastors to make 2019 another blessed year in Central Florida. God bless you and your loved ones! So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Tax Filing Update

As we begin the new year, many of us are beginning to think about filing our federal income tax returns and wondering how the partial government shutdown earlier this month may affect our refunds. Good news! The IRS announced on January 4th that they will begin processing 2018 tax returns this week (January 28) and issuing refunds despite the recent partial shutdown. As you prepare to file your return, remember that the Diocese of Orlando’s entities issue separate donation confirmation letters.

Please be aware:

Confirmation letters for gifts to Our Catholic Appeal and parish capital campaigns began mailing on January 25th from The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida.
Confirmation letters for gifts to parish offertory and other parish programs will be mailed from your parish by January 31st.

Remember Our Schools!

To learn more about giving to our schools, please click here.

Planned Giving Seminar: St. Patrick Catholic Church

This month, more than 70 people attended The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida’s planned giving seminar at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Mount Dora. Topics included Wills & Estate Planning, Catholic Funeral Rites, and Funeral Preparations. “In the last four years, my wife and I lost someone in our immediate family,” said Paul Bosley, Chairman of Saint Patrick’s Finance Council, who helped organize the seminar. “Neither of them had taken the time to prepare a will or trust and neither had advance directives for medical decisions. As a result of my experience, our family immediately created a trust and I offered to be the minister for St. Patrick Church to hold and financially support the Planned Giving seminars offered by The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida. My ministry’s goal is to share our story to convince as many Catholics as possible to plan your legacy so when the time comes, your friends and family can celebrate your life as you have chosen.” St. Patrick Planned Giving Seminar January 2019 Paul Bosley and Father Charles Deeney Paul Bosley, Father Charles Deeney

Planning a Bright Future

The Catholic Foundation of Central Florida’s leadership team, board of directors, Carol Brinati, Chancellor for the Diocese of Orlando, and Bishop John Noonan met this month to discuss better ways to serve you. The meeting is part of an ongoing series that will establish a new strategic plan for The Foundation. A final plan is expected to be announced this spring. Strategic Plan Meeting

In the Community…

Led by Campaign Director Doris Quiñones, Catholic Foundation staff met with Father José Bautista, Father Nazaire Massillion, and more than 40 St. Catherine of Siena parishioners in Kissimmee to learn how the Foundation can better serve the Spanish-speaking Catholic community. We are grateful for the parishioners who shared ideas including the need for timely Spanish-language correspondence, opportunities to engage youth volunteers, and other options we hope to pursue in the months ahead.

St. Catherine Siena Kissimmee ESL Collage

Thank you!

Through your generosity, Our Catholic Appeal raised more than $16.7 million in 2018 to help support every parish, ministry and school in the Diocese of Orlando. We are grateful for you and the more than 42,000 families who participated. Your giving supports seminarians, retired priests, Catholic schools and it provides faith-formation experiences for thousands of people across our nine-county area. Your kindness also helps to feed hungry families, educate children and provide health care to the sick or elderly. The 2018 OCA campaign officially closes on Jan. 31.

Upcoming Events

February Seminar: Preparing Your Catholic Legacy End-of-life Matters, Catholic Funerals and Funeral Planning Friday, February 8, 2019 (12:30pm – 3:30pm) St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church (Wildwood ) For event details, please click here.

January 2019 Newsletter