Philanthropists Invest $775,000 to Impact 52,548 Catholics

Generosity Sparks Transformative Ministry

Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) is blessed to share that generous donors and foundations in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have given $775,000 to impact parishes across the archdiocese.

Read below how an invitation started this journey and to meet Larry, a faithful ambassador who is inviting others to join him in supporting CLI ministry around the U.S.

P.S. If you are wondering how to do what Larry did locally or nationally, email us and Larry will be in touch!

Philanthropy Brings Hopeful Ministry to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

Meet Larry

Catholic Leadership Institute relies on gifts from generous donors who share our love of our Church and want our parishes to thrive and to make our mission possible. Larry and Linda Grypp are two of those philanthropists.

Larry, a successful businessman (CLICK HERE to read more about Larry’s career), decided to take his support one step further by inviting others to join him. Because of that ambassadorship and the generous donors who teamed up together, CLI is able to offer some level of support to almost every parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. What a blessing!

The Invitation. The “Work.” The Future.

It all started with an invitation…

In 1990, CLI Founder, Tim Flanagan – while attending a business conference – heard an invitation from the Lord to do more for His Church. That invitation led Tim to create CLI.

In 2017, Tim shared an invitation with his friend, Larry Grypp, who just so happened to be at that same conference with Tim in 1990.

Larry listened to Tim’s invitation. As he learned about the declining trends of the Church, he acknowledged that if we do nothing, our Church will see a loss of 8.3 million Catholics and a $5 billion decrease in giving, and he was profoundly impacted. Larry grew up on a small farm in Illinois where his parish was the center of family life; he couldn’t imagine what life would have been like without that parish. He knew Catholic attendance and sacramental trends weren’t great, but he had no idea how dire the consequence might be.

The next time Larry went to Mass, he looked around at the pews. They weren’t as full as he remembered. He thought: “There were very few people surrounding me who had a hair color different than mine.” He knew what Tim shared with him was true.

He knew he must use his gifts to make a difference.

As Larry discerned what gifts he could offer and how to share them, he dove in, learned as much as he could about CLI, and attended CLI Bishop Sessions, which changed everything for him. When he saw the level of care, love, and excellence in CLI ministry to these bishops, he was in.

Larry told him: “Tim, I am ready to serve. Where do you need me most?” Tim responded, “You tell me where you think that the Lord is calling you.”

Larry replied, “I’d like to introduce people to CLI and help you raise money for your mission.”

Tim was stunned: “That’s the first time anyone has ever said that to me. Usually, I have to ask them to do that.”

The Good “Work”

Now it was Larry’s time to ask.

Larry’s commitment to CLI grew. He used his business expertise, leadership skills, and faith to guide his work with CLI. Larry became a valued volunteer leader for CLI, now chairing the Development Committee, serving on CLI’s Board of Directors, and becoming a CLI ambassador. He shares that he had no formal background in fundraising, with little experience. What he did have was a great desire to help the Church.

But if you ask Larry about his work, he wouldn’t call it work at all. He shared: “CLI makes a difference and saves souls. BUT, as the saying goes, ‘no money; no mission.’”

Larry set an admirable goal: he aimed to conduct one meeting a week on behalf of CLI. He shared about the mission and asked others for their prayerful discernment about sharing their gifts with CLI and the Catholic leaders it serves.

Funding Forges a Future in Three Key Areas

Today, those meetings Larry conducted are bearing fruit for our Church. Larry’s efforts have resulted in donors who have given to three areas:

1. CLI’s areas of greatest need across the country. Larry inspired philanthropists to support CLI’s national efforts. Not tied to any specific dioceses, these donors are giving to support the dioceses of greatest need.

1. A major ministry endeavor for his neighboring diocese across the river, the Diocese of Covington: CLI’s involvement in the Diocese of Covington will be one of the largest and most comprehensive projects in the organization’s history. Larry’s weekly meetings that began in 2018 have led to raising $2,000,000 in funding for this diocese. We look forward to sharing more stories of impact as the Diocese of Covington embarks on this journey of ministry, leadership, and faith.

• Work in Larry’s home Archdiocese of Cincinnati: Right now, accompaniment is especially critical to the congregations in Cincinnati; the entire archdiocese is undergoing a parallel, multi-year restructuring plan that was announced in July 2021. CLI’s-groundwork in Cincinnati will support the new “families of parishes,” priests, and parishioners as they navigate the challenges associated with this kind of change. This work will impact:
  1. 36 parish families and their pastors and parochial vicars
     
  2. 130 worship sites
  3. 52, 548 weekly Mass goers

We look forward to walking with the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to help parishes plan a vision for the future, care for their pastors, and ultimately – as Larry mentioned – save souls.

The Power of an Invitation

All of this work is possible because of an invitation. We are grateful to all of the donors and foundations who said “yes” to Larry’s invitation.

We at Catholic Leadership Institute invite you to consider if God is calling you to be a part of CLI’s efforts to forge a stronger future for our Church.

We hope you accept our invitation.