St. Stephen the Witness Cedar Falls, Receives CFAD Grant for "Donuts & Dialogue"

St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center – Cedar Falls recently received a St. Katharine Drexel Grant from The Catholic Foundation in the Archdiocese of Dubuque (CFAD) for its Donuts & Dialogue program. The grant specifically supports the student center in finding spaces for and creating non-threatening conversations about the Catholic Church and societal issues.

Donuts & Dialogue focuses on reaching out to people on the University of Northern Iowa Campus to discuss various topics relevant to their community. “Our conversation in February about the plight of homelessness was attended by dozens of students and community members, exposing them to this crisis on both a national and local scale,” said Paul Lee, director of the student center.

CFAD’s St. Katharine Drexel Grant helps Catholic organizations in the Archdiocese of Dubuque with new projects that provide a Work of Mercy needed in their area and/or new evangelization efforts to bring people closer to Christ and His Church. “This program enlightened individuals in making them aware of the interest of the Catholic Church into everyday issues,” said Lee. “We have experienced an increase in people curious in our community and what we stand for.”

Photo: Rev. Mark Murphy, Chaplain of St. Stephen (top left), Louis Hagarty, CFAD Board Member (bottom left), Sarah Smith, CFAD Board Member (bottom right) with members from St. Stephen the Witness Catholic Student Center