Endowment Giving

Monsignor Thomas P. Beahan became the fourth pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in 1943. During his 28 years as pastor, he emphasized the importance of Catholic education and helped expand the school and parish to serve more saints in the making. Gifts to the Monsignor Beahan Education Endowment Fund demonstrate a lasting commitment to the mission of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School. An endowment is an investment fund that allows a portion of the annual return on investment to be used for annual or capital purposes. This particular endowment fund was created to support any needs of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School, including by not limited to annual operations, tuition assistance, capital improvements, etc.

This endowment fund is held by the Archdiocese of Detroit, managed by qualitied third party financial advisors and audited as part of the annual AOD audit by a third party accounting firm. Monies are invested in stocks and bonds. At this time, Our Lady of Sorrows is making the proactive choice to allow this fund to grow and not taking distributions. If, at any time, the archdiocese makes the decision to close the parish or school, the fund would be used to serve the same purposes at our successor school. Catholic Education would remain its purpose.

As of December 31, 2025, the balance of the Monsignor Beahan Endowment Fund was just over $128,000. At this time, we are making the proactive and prudent choice to allow the fund to grow, rather than take an annual small distribution. We consider this decision regularly as a School Leadership team. We look forward to the time when the fund has grown more significantly and we are comfortable taking a distribution. Once the endowment fund reaches $1,000,000, we would be able to withdraw about $50,000 each year. Our goal is to reach this amount over the next 10 years, in time for our Centennial Celebration in 2035. We invite you to consider how you can help us achieve this goal.

The Fund grows when donors make specific contributions to this fund. This might include “in lieu of flowers” donations upon a passing, a planned gift from an estate, a specific fundraising initiative, or simply a direct donation from a donor. You can support the fund anytime at www.olsorrows.com/donate by choosing the Endowment Fund under Designation. For any gifts by check, please make checks payable to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School with the memo Msgr. Beahan Educational Endowment Fund.

If you have questions about this fund, would like to make a gift or are interested in including Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School in your estate plans, please contact the Office of Advancement.