By Andrew Junker | May 21, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Nearly 600 men and women donned their formal wear and attended the 21st annual Crozier Gala benefiting the Catholic Community Foundation May 2.

The evening at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa featured dinner and dancing, but it also included a program highlighting the great example of St. Katharine Drexel and the decades-long philanthropy of Lorenza DeMuro.

Also, instead of having a headlining entertainer this year, the gala featured vignettes acted out by local Catholic high school students that spotlighted the great work being done by Maggie’s Place and other local charities that receive much of their funding from the foundation.

“People really enjoyed how it all tied together,” said Cindy Todare, chair of this year’s gala. “By the end of the evening, you got the sense that there was a dual purpose to the night.”

During his remarks, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted thanked all of those in attendance, especially in light of the economic downturn.

“It is particularly fitting that this year’s gala is inspired by St. Katharine Drexel, who shared her gifts so freely,” the bishop said. “Sharing those gifts is what the Catholic Community Foundation stands for.”

St. Katharine Drexel dedicated her life and the religious order she founded — the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament — to the education of Native Americans and blacks across the southwestern United States. She was the daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia banker and philanthropist who relinquished all her privilege to become a missionary.

In addition to being the patron of racial justice, St. Katharine is also the patron of philanthropists. Bishop Olmsted linked the saint’s appreciation of stewardship to the modern day philanthropist and honoree Lorenza DeMuro.

“Lorry and her late husband Sam took the tenets of our faith to heart and were deeply committed to sharing their gifts with the Catholic community,” he said.

“Their philanthropy supported many worthy causes in our diocese over the years, but most recently, Lorry’s support of the new chapel at Seton Catholic High School was an extraordinary act of stewardship,” the bishop said.

The high school’s 6,000-square-foot St. Elizabeth Ann Seton chapel was dedicated in March 2008 as the first phase of their multi-year building project.

“Two of the seniors at Seton said to me, ‘Doesn’t that chapel say what Seton is all about?’” Bishop Olmsted said.

The money raised by the gala comprises the unrestricted funds that the foundation awards through its competitive grants program. The money directly supports local Catholic schools, communication programs, catechetical formation and services to the poor.

After the dinner’s main course was served, attendees focused on a pair of stages near at the front of the ballroom where two students from Seton narrated a number of scenes that portrayed these services in action.

They highlighted the Christian Service Awards that benefit deserving eighth-graders who want to attend a Catholic high school. One vignette focused on the support the foundation provides toward a seminarian’s education.

“The Diocese of Phoenix currently supports 21 seminarians,” said Cassandra Johnson, one of the narrators.

“That translates to more than $500,000 per year. The foundation, through its designated fund, gives $50,000 a year to this most worthy cause. But we can and should do more,” she said. “Please help us grow the fund that grows our faith.”

After the program, a jazz band provided dance music for attendees. For Todare, it was the ending to a long year of planning and meetings, but it was worth it.

“The night exceeded my expectations,” she said. “It just portrayed the foundation and the good works it does really well.”