It is a fair question. Those familiar with the services of the National Catholic Community Foundation may understandably ask it. After all, NCCF, now completing its third decade of ministry, has enabled donors in the United States to support a broad array of charitable organizations both in this country and overseas. While most of these receiving organizations fall ‘officially’ under the aegis of the Catholic Church, many do not. These latter, for instance, include environmental and cultural causes, social programs, and educational initiatives that in no way are related to the Catholic hierarchy.
“So,” some will ask, “if the grants NCCF approves are not limited to the Church, how can it self-identify as Catholic?” It’s a fair question.
Some of us remember how things were before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s when ‘nothing was Catholic unless it was’. Perhaps it was because Catholics were not yet fully assimilated in mainstream America, a fact underscored by the expanding existence of our own schools, hospitals, social clubs, etc. Emphasizing the separation was the almost taboo-like restriction that prevented us from attending Protestant services or even entering their churches – restrictions which seem unbelievable today. The election of a Catholic as our nation’s president and the ‘aggiornamento’ inspiration of Saint Pope John XXIII and his Council seem to have marked the end of this era, an era to which some in the United States still refer as ‘the golden age of Catholicism’.
Now, however, the trustees of NCCF, all of whom are Catholic, contend that with regard to philanthropy ‘everything is Catholic unless it isn’t’. Any gesture on the part of one person that recognizes and promotes the dignity of another is a reflection of the Gospel. This promotion can be in all areas of human concern, religious, physical, educational, cultural, etc. Therefore, unless the receiving organization is involved in activities that contravene the teachings of the Church, the trustees of NCCF will honor a donor’s request to fund it.
This should surprise no one. Such large and worthy agencies like Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Near east Welfare Association, International Catholic Migration Council, and Malteser International touch the lives of millions of beneficiaries around the world who not only are not Catholic but are not Christian.
Which brings to mind another question. What does it mean to be a Catholic American? When written in the lower case the word ‘catholic’, as its Greek root indicates, means universal and inclusive. To be catholic is to be broad-minded in one’s outlook. Any American who is a lower-case catholic is someone who presumably is mindful of the challenges facing others around the world. When written in the upper case ‘Catholic’ and referring to an American, the word ‘Catholic’ means to have an allegiance that – without replacing it – goes beyond patriotism. Our primary responsibility as Catholic Americans is to the Kingdom of God, a realm which is not limited by national borders. Catholic philanthropists understand this and to the extent they can endeavor to advance this Kingdom.
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