Guadalupe Schools honors Diocese of Salt Lake City

Intermountain Catholic

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Paul Weiss, (from left) son of Guadalupe Center co-founder Suzanne Weiss, Walter A Romney Jr., president of the Guadalupe Schools' Board of Directors, Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and Victorial M. Mori gather around after Msgr. Fitzgerald accepted an honor on behalf of the Diocese of Salt Lake City in thanskgiving for all they have done on behalf first, of the Guadalupe Center, then of Guadalupe Schools. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — The words of poet and philosopher Khalil Gibran are glazed in the bottom of a decorative bowl presented to the Diocese of Salt Lake City Oct. 12 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City:

"It is well to give

When asked, but it

Is better to give

Unasked through

Understanding"

With these words the Board of Directors of the Guadalupe Schools, now located in the old Bishop Glass School on Goshen Street, thanked the Diocese of Salt Lake City for their generosity over the years to first, the Guadalupe Center, and now, Guadalupe Schools.

Vicar General Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald accepted the Suzanne Weiss Believer in Education Award on behalf of the diocese at the organization’s annual Dream Auction.

"The original Guadalupe Center was started in 1966 by Father Jerald Merrill and Suzanne Weiss, the two founding visionaries in an old warehouse in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah’s inner city," the auction’s program revealed. "The Voluntary Improvement Program was created to teach English as a second language to adult immigrants and refugees. Four years later, Weiss started the Early Learning Center to serve disadvantaged children. She was committed to helping at-risk children achieve their potential through education. She recognized that children from undereducated families living in poverty began school with major deficits in standard "school readiness skills. Today, her vision remains a hallmark of the school" Given the opportunity, children can achieve their potential through early intervention and individualized attention.

"Guadalupe Schools is proud to honor her legacy by presenting the Suzanne Weiss Believer in Education Award to the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.

"The Guadalupe Center started in 1962 as a project of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, their Hispanic parishioners and Father Jerald Merrill of the Guadalupe Mission of Salt Lake’s west side. The Center sponsored a variety of social and youth activities and became a central meeting place for the different organizations being developed to meet the needs of Hispanics and the poor.

"From this early partnership, the popular Salt Lake restaurant La Morena Café emerged. This was Salt Lake City’s only nonprofit restaurant and it was owned by the Catholic diocese. Its success as an authentic Mexican food restaurant funded Guadalupe Schools’ two educational programs, the Early Learning Center and Voluntary Improvement Program.

While La Morena closed in the mid-eighties, the Catholic diocese’s strong relationship with Guadalupe Schools continued and remains a vital source of support today. They have long supported the needs of Hispanic immigrants and fully support the educational mission of Guadalupe Schools to teach economically disadvantaged children and non-English-speaking adults the vision and skills needed to live healthy and successful lives."

Upon receiving the award, Msgr. Fitzgerald thanked Victoria Mori, executive director of Guadalupe Schools and Walter A Romney Jr., president of the schools’ Board of Directors.

"I accept this honor on behalf of Bishop Wester and all of the diocese. I recall when they chose the name for the program and the schools – Our Lady of Guadalupe – because people have such a devotion to her."

Msgr. Fitzgerald spoke of the dedication the Diocese of Salt Lake City has had for the Guadalupe Center and the Guadalupe Schools, especially its Voluntary Improvement Program for adults and its many programs for at-risk children.

"Our scholarship program tries to see that graduates of the Guadalupe Schools are placed in Catholic schools around the city," he said.

The mission of the Guadalupe Schools is, "to teach economically disadvantaged children and non-English speaking adults the vision and skills needed to live productive, rewarding lives."

The early Learning Center’s mission is to provide children who are socially, economically, and educationally disadvantaged a continuum of educational services from birth through grade three.

Currently, the Guadalupe Schools are educating 77 children in their home-based preschool. They are providing 20 children a literacy-rich environment in their Early Childhood Education and Care Center. In their School-based preschool they are providing center-based instruction for 50 children, and they are educating 98 children in their Charter Grade School, which accepts children from kindergarten through the third grade. They have a reduced class size and a teacher to student ratio of 1:12.

Their Voluntary improvement Program annually serves approximately 200 Non-English speaking immigrants and refugees who are responsible for their family’s survival and welfare in our community.