“We are called to give.”

Judy Held, President, Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana

Billy Ray and Margi Ross crossed a threshold recently that many won’t. Although very private people, they offered to share their story about giving and support of the Catholic Church with readers of The Harvest. Like most of us, speaking about gifts they make is most certainly out of their comfort zone. They are doing so not for accolades, but with fervent hope that it will inspire others to give in the way they are. Billy Ray and Margi see their giving not only as an act of stewardship, but evangelization.

“Stewardship is grace through the Holy Spirit. It’s not in our human nature,” remarked Margi. Billy Ray attended a presentation by the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana last September in Billings about innovative ways to support the Church. Admittedly, he was surprised to learn how a Catholic can easily leverage a smaller gift into a much larger one for the benefit of the Church, just by using in-place tax incentives for Montana taxpayers. He was instantly attracted to the idea, saying it was a “breakthrough moment”.

Soon after, Billy Ray and Margi pledged $50,000 to the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana. They decided to make their gift over five years through a separate Deferred Payment Gift Annuity each year. Giving this way qualifies the Ross’ for the Montana Endowment Tax Credit, a generous charitable giving incentive for Montana taxpayers. “Each year we will decide where to designate our gift,” said Billy Ray. “The first year, we designated it for the Greatest Needs Endowment of the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana. We chose to not restrict our gift because we have confidence in the Catholic Foundation. We are impressed with their board and their capabilities.”

“What’s amazing is that our $10,000 gift last year only cost us about $4,000 to give – the other 60% of our gift would have gone into paying taxes anyway, and we are much happier knowing those funds are building the future of the Church. That is a deal – the deal of the century!” Bill said.

Giving to build the future of the Catholic Church in our diocese is becoming more popular as people learn of the Foundation. Billy Ray explains, “What you can do for the Church by using the Montana Endowment Tax Credit is very exciting! If we all leveraged our giving, great things could be done for the Catholic Church here in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. A local blood bank’s slogan where we used to live is ‘If not you, then who?’ That is true about the Church, too. It is only as strong as we Catholics make it.” The couple feels strongly that building endowment through the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana is vital for the Church going forward.

And the Catholic Church and their faith is something about which these two Catholics care deeply. They converted to Catholicism three years ago and couldn’t be happier.

Margi was raised Dutch Reform and Billy Ray was Southern Baptist/Evangelical. Their introduction to the Church came through sister-in-law, Debra Thompson, a committed Catholic from Sacred Heart Parish in Cascade. Debra invited them to attend Christmas Eve services with her. They accepted, and then attended again the following Easter. After that, they began studying the Catholic faith in earnest and attending Mass on a regular basis.

What attracted them to the Church? “The beauty of the Mass and its structure and flow, that the whole Eucharist is Christ, the fact that every three years the readings take you through the Bible, the universal nature of the Church and also the physical beauty of the churches themselves,” were some of the reasons. The greatest, however, was “the beauty of the truth. That is what pulled me in,” said Margi. When she was seeking the truth, she went back to the roots of Christianity and found Catholicism.

Bill and Margi joined the Catholic Church in 2013 and today, live lives to the fullest in the Catholic faith. They are members of Sacred Heart Parish in Cascade and also Corpus Christi Parish in Great Falls. Bill is a member of the Knights of Columbus, is a member of both the Parish and Finance Councils of Sacred Heart Parish in Cascade and is currently the chair of the Diocesan Finance Council. Both he and Margi are active in leading and participating in small group studies and lead the rosary prior to Mass and serve as readers. Bill also volunteers in pastoral care every weekend at a hospital in Great Falls, where he offers the love of Christ to those in need of hope and comfort. He wears his crucifix as he makes his visits. Margi drives into Great Falls almost every day from their home in the mountains to attend daily Mass.

The Catholic Church is stronger for the faith and the stewardship in action which the Ross’ are bringing to our diocese. Bill and Margi are clear and decisive in proclaiming that, “The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana is the primary funding mechanism for our church here in the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. We are committed to doing our part both at the parish level and diocese level to support it. We simply ask our fellow Catholics: If Not You, Then Who? “

For information about supporting the Catholic Church
through the Catholic Foundation, please call:
(406) 727-6683, ext. 120 or 800-332-9998, ext. 120.
judy@catholicfoundationmt.org