A few vital statistics point to the value of a Utah Catholic School education: 97 percent of students who graduate from Judge Memorial, Saint Joseph or Juan Diego Catholic high schools go on to college, receiving $22 million in scholarship money. As they mature and start families of their own, they also are more likely to become active members of their parish, studies show. "Catholic education is seen as a primary source for teaching the Catholic faith and transmitting the tradition of the Catholic faith," said Holy Cross Sister Genevra Rolf, assistant superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools. "Also, Catholic schools are seen as excellent academically. They teach the mind, the body and the spirit – the whole child." However, like all Catholic schools, those in Utah are faced with empty seats. In studying the problem, local officials sought a way to offer a Catholic education for children who might want such an opportunity but couldn’t afford it without assistance. As a result, the Sponsor A Student program was begun last year, asking Catholics throughout the diocese to donate to a fund that would offer tuition assistance in all 16 diocesan schools. "Our hope was that we would look at the whole concept of the mission of the Catholic Church, which is to teach," Sr. Genevra said. Although all the diocesan schools are in the Salt Lake and Ogden areas, the appeal is statewide. "We thought it would give those people (who live in other areas) an opportunity to say, ‘Yes, I want to support this mission of the Church, and here are my dollars that I can do that with," she said. "That was our impetus, to give everybody a chance to help." The recent influx of immigrants into Utah is a prime opportunity to not only help populate Catholic schools but also extend a charitable hand to the stranger among us, as Jesus instructed, Sr. Genevra said. "Education, we all know, is the step to a better life. Catholic schools played that role for the immigrant population of the late 1800s and the early 1900s. They served the immigrant Church. We need to do the same for today’s immigrants." Since the program began last year, it has raised almost $4,000. Donors include a teacher, a principal, and a pastor, as well as others throughout the diocese. "It’s not going fast, but I didn’t expect it would, really," Sr. Genevra said. "It takes time to establish this type of program." Donors can specify a school they wish their contribution to benefit but can’t designate the particular student it will help. The donor levels are Patron: $7,500 which is the cost of a year of high school tuition; Benefactor: $5,000, the cost of a year of elementary school tuition; Guardian Angel: $2,500; or Sponsor: at a level that matches the person’s ability. To date, the largest donation has been $2,500; the smallest, $10. "We would like everyone to give," Sr. Genevra said. "To be able to support that is a great missionary activity, a great work of the Church, a great contribution to society, to the community. If we are going to have a Church in the future, we’ve got to have people educated." While Sponsor A Student began last year without much fanfare, this year, the Utah Catholic Schools marketing committee is undertaking a campaign to raise awareness of the program, Sr. Genevra said. The envelope inserted in this issue is part of that campaign. Readers are asked to send their donation in the envelope; although the address is the Madeleine Choir School because that’s where the postal permit was issued, the money will go toward the school of the donor’s choice. "This is an investment in the future of a child, and a way to teach as Jesus did," Sr. Genevra said.
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