John & Claudia Caton
Deo Gratias Award – 2023/ Distinguished Catholic Family
“John was instrumental in opening two endowment funds for the Serra Club and assisted in the establishment of the Heart to Heart Scholarship Fund.”
On Friday, September 8th, the feast day of the birth of the Virgin Mary, John Caton received a call from Bill Maloney, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas, advising him that he and his family were going to be honored with the 2023 Distinguished Family Deo Gratias Award. “I was emotionally moved by this because I have personally known many of the previous recipients and know what great Catholic families they have been,” John shared.
Growing up, John, his four siblings, and his mother lived in a small home on the parish grounds of Holy Trinity Parish in Lenexa, KS. John’s father struggled with two major health issues, so he was unable to live with his family. Fr. Paul Miller, pastor of Holy Trinity, allowed John and his family to live in the house rent-free, and the parish helped pay for the utilities. On Christmas Eve in 1962, Fr. Miller called upon parishioners to help collect money for the family. John’s mother, Mary Agnes, received a brown paper bag that contained $650. “That was so much money to my mom that she put it under her mattress until she could get to the bank the day after Christmas. Fr. Miller and Holy Trinity Parish have been one of my family’s greatest blessings.”
Other than his brother, Bobby, who attended the Olathe School for the Deaf, John and his siblings went on to attend Bishop Miege High School. The four siblings cleaned the school’s classrooms in lieu of paying tuition. John met his wife, Claudia, while attending Bishop Miege. The two were married on June 13, 1975 by Fr. Larry Albertson, and were members of St. Ann Catholic Church in Prairie Village for over 40 years. John and Claudia have three children: Megan, Molly, and David. All three are married, and they have six grandchildren and one step grandchild.
Msgr. Tom Culhane, pastor of St. Ann’s, had a major impact on John and his family. Msgr. Tom requested that John take a trip to St. Francis Parish in Wichita, KS to spend a day with Fr. McCreed, who was known as the “stewardship priest” in the state of Kansas. John made the trip to Wichita, where Fr. McCreed and seven other couples on the stewardship committee shared their ideas with him. John brought those ideas back to St. Ann’s, where the parish then developed its own parish stewardship committee, planned giving committee, and established a parish endowment fund at the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas. John and Claudia have been heavily involved in their parish community ever since.
John credits several priests and Catholic individuals who have helped him and his family in numerous ways over the years spiritually, sacramentally, and financially. These individuals have impacted not only the Catons' faith life, but also their ability to give back to the Church. John was instrumental in opening two endowment funds for the Serra Club and assisted in the establishment of the Heart to Heart Scholarship Fund. “I want to thank the Catholic Foundation of Northeast Kansas and Archbishop Joseph Naumann for helping us learn the value of giving back to our parishes, schools, and ministries of this great Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas,” says John.
