2023-Grants

2023 Total of Grants issued: $184,426.54.

Listed below are the 2023 Grant Recipients:

 

Community Outreach Grant Program:

• The Mother Teresa Program works with the support of a parish priest recommending a family in need of services. The Infant Cremation Urn project is new and has steadily increased over the past couple of years for need.

Cheney Outreach Center: Client Assistance

• Serving low-income clients with basic assistance in rent, utilities, vouchers for food, household, and personal needs, medical prescriptions, bus passes, gas for work or appointments, food bank referral, free information on area resources, recreation activities for children, school supplies for children, and Christmas gifts for children.

Chewelah Faith Resources Group: TASTY Kids' Summer Food Program

• Early in 2015, the CFRG started a program named TASTY (Temporary Added Sustenance to Your) Kids' Summer Food Program to feed school-aged children in Chewelah who would otherwise do without free or subsidized meals during the summer. This is the 9th year of operation.

Christ Kitchen - Spokane: Women's Benevolence Fund

• The goal is to be ready at any moment to step in and provide emergency assistance for women, through the Benevolence Fund, to support them in their goal of permanent, stable employment, so that they can stay on track and create a better future for themselves and their children.

• A new website will be built to house the Adopt-a-Priest program, a ministry of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Priests. This apostolate flows from the charism with the aim of gathering a family of supporters from among clergy, religious, and laity to offer consistent daily prayer and sacrifice for the support of priests through a commitment of spiritual adoption.

• The upcoming men's and women's retreats take place annually and are hosted at separate locations. The purpose of these retreats is to draw students into their relationship with Christ and offer them a time to be “alone with the Lord” in an environment conducive to growing spiritually in their faith.

• Senior Meals are provided to aid those afflicted with nutritional shortages. Whether they can't afford food or they can't cook themselves, the program provides a service weekly to ensure the community is fed.

• To provide a bag containing 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches for each child in the program to take home on Fridays.

• The goals for Retreat include self-discovery, deepening of one's relationship with God, and creating lasting change based on one's renewed relationship with God, self, and others. This retreat remains as vital for high school students today as it has for more than thirty years, helping students deal with an increasingly hostile and self-indulging world.

• This weekend helps Spanish-speaking couples in our community who are struggling, separated or thinking about divorce to work on their relationships and communications skills.

Natural Family Planning Program - Spokane: Natural Family Planning Program

• Greater understanding of God's Loving Design of natural fertility/infertility signs within the woman's body, and of the Church's traditional teachings on Human Sexuality and Responsible Parenthood.

• Quo Vadis Days (QVD) is the Diocese of Spokane's flagship vocations event for high school-aged young men from across the diocese. It consists of a multi-day hybrid summer camp and retreat experience. It is open to all boys who will be in high school (grades 9-12) this coming Fall.

• Enables neighbors who are leading lives of uncertainty in Spokane to have reliable access to nutritional goods. Residents throughout Spokane who are typically unable to access services due to scheduling and occupational conflicts are welcomed, no documentation required.

• Creighton appointments are educational visits for learning about reproductive health, how to do biological observations and chart them, and implement system instructions according to the way a woman or couple intends to use the system.

Pend Oreille County Parishes: Family Catechesis and Fellowship

• The purpose of this project is to begin a Family Catechesis and Fellowship program. The weekly fellowship is one of the reasons why the parishes have received many new young families in the past 15 months. These young families benefit greatly from the encouragement and support they receive from other families who are trying to live out the Gospel in a spiritually-indifferent culture.

Pend Oreille County Parishes: Mass for the Dead

• Many Pend Orielle County parishioners have experienced the loss of a child, sibling, or spouse. At the Mass, we will pray for the souls of these loved ones, and then join together for a simple catered meal.

Pend Oreille County Parishes: Mobile Prepares Vehicle

• The PREPARES ministry in Newport assists many children of economically-disadvantaged families with diapers, clothing, and other essential items. The parish intends to take the PREPARES ministry, which has been very successful in Newport, into other parts of the county.

Project Timothy Christian Aide Center - Dayton: Project Timothy Christian Aid Center

• Project Timothy serves Columbia County and Waitsburg by providing clients with the following: rental assistance, utilities assistance, food & gas vouchers. In 2022, Project Timothy served 761 Adults and 512 Children for a total of 1,273 people.

• Retrouvaille is a program that is specifically targeted to heal and strengthen troubled marriages. Couples from the diocese of Spokane, Yakima and North Idaho attend a weekend and 6 post sessions. After completing the program there is an ongoing support group available.

• Provides increased access to nutritious food for low-income families by providing kid-friendly food boxes with a greater variety of food, and pages geared towards children, teaching good nutrition and eating habits.

• The goal is to revamp the Food Bank and Charity Room so it is set up more like a grocery store. That will streamline the process, reduce food waste, and simultaneously foster a deeper sense of dignity to our clients who are already admittedly embarrassed that they have to ask for food in the first place.

Secular Franciscans - Dayton: Secular Franciscans

• Food for families who are in need.

• Ministry to bring hot meals, freezer meals, diapers, wipes and small gifts to parents of new babies in the parish. Expanding to also deliver one time meals to ill parish members who may not be able to get out.

• The purpose of this year's VBS, Follow Me, is to give participants the groundwork of how to walk in the footsteps of Christ as a disciple and to know and understand that just as the apostles knew, it is not always easy. Mathew 19:26 - Jesus looked at them and said "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

St Mary Presentation Parish - Deer Park:  Grief Share

• A scripture-based healing program for those who have lost a loved one. St. Mary's Parish offers weekly experiences of video seminars, small group discussions and workbooks. Some people choose to attend more than one set of thirteen weeks.

St. Vincent de Paul @ Mary Queen Parish: Crisis Housing Request

• St. Vincent de Paul at Mary Queen Parish helps people remain in their homes - especially when they may go homeless. They also assist with utilities and food.

• The program serves children (infant - 6 yrs) from families experiencing homelessness and poverty. In Spokane, nearly 40% of female-headed single-parent families live in poverty; access to EduCare's safe, quality, and affordable childcare enables parents to pursue employment or education to increase family economic stability and self-sufficiency.

• There is a hunger for community, purpose, and an encounter with Jesus that keeps participants coming back and bringing friends and family year after year. This year, tickets sold out in just over 12 hours on January 1 and there were no promotions, no bulletin announcements, no social media blasts. The funds will go towards securing a venue to accommodate at least 500 attendees.

 

Horrigan Grant Program:

 

All Saints Catholic School -  Christ Our Life 7th Grade Religion Books

• 40 - 2016 Christ Our Life Student Books and 1- 2016 Christ Our Life Teacher's Guide.

Assumption Catholic School - Spokane: Assumption Parish Catholic School Language Arts Curriculum Adoption

• Assumption Parish Catholic School will update its language arts curriculum for kindergarten through 5th-grade classes. Textbook: Wonders by McGraw Hill. Includes: All Classroom books and materials, and a 6-year digital license for Student and Teacher online resources.

Chesterton - Notre Dame Academy: Drama Program - Pipe and Drape

• To purchase a set of pipe and drape for the drama program. Students at CAND will complete three drama performances before they graduate. Sophomores perform a comedy, Juniors a drama, and Seniors a Shakespearean play.

Guardian Angel School - Colton: Catholic Bibles for Kids

• The purchasing of a Bible for every student is a priority for the school. These Bibles are given to the students when they enter kindergarten and will stay with them through the 8th grade.

Holy Family Catholic Parish - Clarkston: Youth Faith Growing Opportunities & Materials

• Supporting for at least 10 youth to attend an opportunity to grow more deeply in their faith and relationship with Christ: Steubenville NW, CYC, Jr. High Camp, Jr. High Retreat, ICYC or mission trips.

• Holy Family's newly reinstituted middle school is in need of Bibles for the classrooms and students. The grant would purchase eighty (80) Youth Study Bibles for use in the classroom and for students to take home for use there.

• Holy Family School is working to build a library of religious books for K-8, to enrich and supplement classroom instruction. This project would reach all school children at HFS, be a resource for teachers, plus extend to the homes of the families. Through the collaboration of home and school, the students' spiritual lives are strengthened throughout the school year and into their future.

St Aloysius School - Spokane: Chrome Books 1 Classroom

• In order to continue to provide state-of-the-art educational technology for the schools' students, one classroom set (40) of new Chromebooks and the necessary Academic Google Chrome OS Management Console License for each are needed.

St Charles School - Spokane: Nature Studies Lab Tables

• As the school continues its renewal in Catholic classical liberal education, it is growing the nature studies/science program. To learn about nature requires a lot of hands-on exploration and observation with materials that could damage regular school equipment and furniture, such as heavy rocks, hydrochloric acid, denatured alcohol and formaldehyde. Having new lab tables will increase the ability to provide these experiences for kids.

St John Vianney School - Spokane: Expanding SJV School Counseling and Family Support Programs

• This project will support the school's new counseling program, families and parishioners by: providing a Chromebook and a private printer for the school counselor; subscription to the faith-based social/emotional curriculum Friendzy; hosting family evenings where parents and caregivers can learn skills from counselors (certified and students); and targeted advertising to increase community awareness.

St Patrick School - Pasco: St. Patrick Dual Language School Translation Equipment

• As the school continues its dedication to dual language instruction, they will be increasing the number of meetings attended by parents who speak both English and Spanish. In order to ensure that all parties are fully informed, a translation system is needed. At times the headsets would be used by English speaking parents while the presenting was in Spanish; other times the Spanish speaking parents would use the headsets.

• The number one priority beyond evangelization is keeping St Thomas More students and community safe. This project, which affects the K-8 School, Preschool, and Dhurch, will consist of upgrading the current security cameras for remote access, increased camera coverage of areas surrounding all three buildings, and internal camera access to law enforcement. It will allow quicker responses from police, increased monitoring capabilities during non-school hours, and increased monitoring when students are present.

• Continuing efforts to surround our students with messaging that supports Catholic identity: banners for the hallways, t-shirts for the junior encounter, and frames which would include a positive message from each senior, the "Wall of Encouragement."

• 11 tables for the science lab. The size of the tables is 30x72, accommodating 3 to a table. The current tables are original to the room, which is 16 years old. They cannot last another year.

Trinity Catholic School - Spokane: Trinity After School Program

• The after school program is designed to offer a safe space for children who are too old to attend childcare, but benefit from additional adult guidance and supervision. The grant funds a stipend, supplies and snacks.

Trinity Catholic School - Spokane: Sacraments Teacher Stipend

• Sr. Consuela Barube teaches sacraments weekly in each grade level of the school. She teaches to all students, regardless of whether or not the family is Catholic, thus evangelizing 100% of the youth. She spends 30 minutes each week in each classroom, providing teaching and assessment of learning.

• A part-time school counselor, Mr. Tony Schuh, assists with the social and emotional needs of the student population. He spends time in each classroom, K-8, teaching skills; he works with individual students and small groups as needed; and assists families and teachers.

 

Religious Education Grant Program:

 

Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes: Community Outreach Grant

• To strengthen faith formation, evangelization, and fellowship by holding a workshop for the entire parish of 800 households, which will include a lecture & meal. This will take place in fiscal year 2023-24, and will certainly benefit the parish as a whole.

Cor Christi - Spokane: Cor Christi Pre-Seminary - Spiritual Formation Program

• Cor Christi was launched in Spokane in August 2022 with six young men. The plan is to grow the program to an annual class of 12-16 young men. The aim of Cor Christi is to help undergraduate young men from dioceses throughout the Western United States to discern the answer to one question: Is God calling me to discern celibacy and the priesthood?

Cursillo Movement-Spokane: Hispanic Religious Education Leadership

• The Cursillo Movement is a Worldwide Ecclesial Movement and a very important ministry in the Diocese of Spokane. It evangelizes and reaches out to many. The weekends for women and for men are amazing experiences that help people have a personal encounter with Jesus and the Church.

OLL Music Program: Sacred Music Workshop

• Workshop for Parish musicians and those who prepare sacred music with young people.

Pend Oreille County Parishes: Children's Religious Ed

• The purpose of this project is to re-start the Children’s Religious Education Program. There were very few young families attending the liturgies throughout the county up until 15 months ago. We now have young families with children in 4 of the 5 parishes. This grant will assist us in training catechists, purchasing curriculum, and fulfilling other tasks essential to begin a good religious education program for children.

Sacred Heart Parish - Brewster: Religious Education & Fellowship

• Fellowship amongst the students, teachers, and families is a continual goal. Curriculum workbooks will be gifted to the families who are expressing financial hardships. The program would also explore the idea of purchasing prayer books or Bibles for the children. Currently self-created prayer books are used to save on costs, but the durability of the books is lacking.

• This program provides catechism for participants who are preparing for confirmation and first holy communion. This is a requirement for participants to understand what this means for them within their faith.

• The Vacation Bible School would take place at St. Patrick in Colfax in June/July 2023. A portion of the awarded funding would provide for an outside consultant/speaker to help conduct and facilitate the Vacation Bible School.

• The goal is to purchase 20 booklets to continue the new religious courses in the fall of 2023. This will help spread knowledge to the younger kids about their religion.