Although it was midway through the COVID-19 pandemic, when many parishes were struggling from reduced weekly offertory collections, the issues at St. John the Baptist and St. Mary were different, Father Sauser said.

At St. John the Baptist, 20% of the annual budget was dependent on the parish’s annual “feast” held every Labor Day weekend. Similarly, at St. Mary, 30% of the budget came from an annual bazaar.

“I recognized that was going to be a major problem because our budget depends on that so heavily,” he said. “We were just kind of working on a year-to-year maintaining mode.”

And the pandemic had shown that anything can happen, at any time.

Fortunately, from his experiences at other parishes, Father Sauser knew of a solution — to create endowments within the Catholic Foundation – Diocese of Austin. The opportunity to establish an endowment — and take advantage of the diocese’s larger investment pool and professional fund management — is available to all parishes, schools, agencies and organizations in the diocese. An initial gift of at least $10,000 is required, and distributions can begin once an endowment’s value reaches $25,000.

Father Sauser had previously established six endowments: three for Catholic schools and three for Catholic cemeteries. His efforts account for eight of the foundation’s 70 endowments set up by parishes, schools and cemeteries, and he has made it his goal to make other pastors aware of the benefits of endowments.

To help his parishioners see their value, Father Sauser invited Dan Wierzbowski, associate director of planned giving for the Diocese of Austin, to speak on the importance of starting a legacy program. First focusing on St. John the Baptist, three families approached him after the presentation to offer their support. Together with Father Sauser, they contributed $18,000 to establish an endowment for the parish.

Within two months, 33 additional families added another $10,000; by January 2024, more families had contributed another $15,065, bringing the total amount invested to more than $43,000.

“They can always say no, but if you don't give them the opportunity, then they’ll never know that they can say yes,” he said.

In February, several families also helped initiate endowment for St. Mary with a combined initial gift of $20,310.

Both parishes will consider their endowments fully funded once their values reach $500,000. At that point, Father Sauser estimates they will generate $20,000 a year for general operating expenses.

To reach their goal, Father Sauser is making sure people are aware the endowments are available for their charitable giving, including through their estate plans. He has also contacted area funeral homes so they can advise families of parishioners who have passed to include the parishes as options for memorial gifts.

“As the pastor, I love the people and I love the community,” he said. “I want them to succeed into the future.”

The Catholic Foundation – Diocese of Austin does not invest in companies or funds that are exploitive in nature, derive income from the destruction of human life or hold values in conflict with those of the Catholic Church. For more information on the foundation, visit www.catholicfdn.org.