Cardinal’s Circle sustains mission, vitality of Inner City Catholic Schools
November 27, 2012
Today, more than 2,000 students are enrolled in the 13 Inner City Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Each and every school boasts a strong tradition of faith formation combined with educational excellence and service to the community. The students, coming from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds, are able to learn and thrive in an environment conducive to academic and spiritual development provided by these schools.
Members of The Cardinal’s Circle know these facts and understand the important role Inner City Catholic Schools play in forming and educating children in the Archdiocese.
The mission of The Cardinal’s Circle is two-fold: to make it possible for any family to send their children to these schools and to ensure the schools maintain a standard of excellence in curriculum, staff and physical facilities.
“The Cardinal’s Circle is an indispensable source of funds for our 13 Inner City schools,” said Sister Kevina Keating, CCVI, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. “It helps alleviate the gap between income and expense in these schools which have many gifts but are truly financially challenged.”
Members of The Cardinal’s Circle invest in the lives of the students in the ICCS through an annual commitment of $5,000. These individuals form a “giving circle” committed to Inner City Catholic Schools in recognition of a shared responsibility to educate future generations — each gift is an investment in the future of our students.
“We are looking for people who really believe in helping their Church, helping society and helping their neighbors,” said Tom Macrini, a Cardinal’s Circle benefactor along with his wife, Nancy. “The Cardinal’s Circle helps families send their kids to these wonderful schools to get a great education. It perpetuates a lot of positive things in the Archdiocese and the city.”
Outside of generous individual donors, the Cardinal’s Circle also welcomes parishes and organizations who would like to be part of this worthy cause, said Archishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, a coordinator with Cardinal’s Circle.
“We are extremely proud of the achievements of the students in these 13 schools,” he said.
Sister Keating said she admires and appreciates “the foresight of our wonderful Cardinal Circle members.”
“They realize that inner city education is the best way to change our world for the better and ensure an educated workforce for the future,” she said.
It is a primary mission of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to make it possible for any family to send their children to Catholic Schools. Located in economically challenged areas where parents often cannot pay full tuition, Inner City Catholic Schools struggle to execute this mission — which is why the Cardinal’s Circle is imperative to the Archdiocese, according to Mrs. Mazie McCoy, St. Mary of the Purification Montessori School principal.
“Many of our schools service families of three or four children, single parent families, families affected by today’s economy and even children raised by their grandparents,” McCoy said. “The tuition assistance provided by the Cardinal’s Circle has made a Catholic education affordable and accessible for these families. It has not only allowed us to fill the empty seats we’ve had, but to keep them filled.”
For more information about The Cardinal’s Circle, visit www.choosecatholicschools.org/support-catholic-education or call 713-652-4417. †