As Bishop Patrick Manogue was committed to the building up of the Church in The Diocese of Sacramento, The Catholic Foundation is committed to the growth and preservation of our common ideals of generosity and charity for generations to come.
The Diocese of Sacramento has been blessed with a rich tradition of faith and generosity that dates back 160 years to the first Mass celebrated in Sacramento by a Dominican missionary priest in 1850. In 1857, The Sisters of Mercy established the first Catholic hospital in Northern California. In the same year, the sisters opened an elementary school for 115 children.
Over the years, religious and laity have responded to the Lord's call to build our Church into what it is today - en-compassing 42,000 square miles, serving more than 900,000 Catholics through our 102 parishes, 43 Catholic elementary and high schools and more than 100 social service ministries. This rich history of faith and generosity of those who have gone before us created these many wonderful Catholic institutions with the common desire of sharing Catholic life and giving witness to our Catholic faith in the broader community.
It is this same common desire which was the impetus for establishing The Catholic Foundation with the mission to "witness to Christ and His Gospel values of love, justice, forgiveness and service to all by ensuring the financial well-being of the Catholic works in our diocese."
