Local News August 2007
CATHOLIC FOUNDATIONS MAKE CATHOLIC EDUCATION POSSIBLE FOR MANY WHO CANNOT AFFORD TUITION
PHOENIX (August 30, 2007) Several Catholic Foundations in the Diocese of Phoenix, headed by The Catholic Tuition Organization of the Diocese of Phoenix (CTODP), are making it possible for many students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds to afford a Catholic education.
CTODP is the Catholic fundraising organization that is solely dedicated to allocating the contributions it receives toward scholarships for students attending the schools owned and operated by the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The organization was established in 1998 pursuant to certain Arizona tax credit legislation that now enables individuals and corporations to contribute money in support of those students who wish to attend private schools and need financial assistance to be able to do so.
The tax credit allows the contributor to utilize his or her tax dollars otherwise payable to the State of Arizona towards student scholarships up to a maximum of $1,000 for married filers and $500 for single filers. Because the tax credit allows for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, the contribution ultimately does not cost the contributor anything, and students are able to receive the private education they desire.
Since its inception, CTODP has raised nearly $63 million and awarded 46,180 scholarships to qualified students who are seeking the opportunity to obtain the significant benefits that a Catholic education provides. In 2006, more than $9.2 million in scholarships were awarded to 5,727 students, which represented awards to more than 81 percent of the 7,005 students who applied for financial assistance that year. The number of students expected to receive financial help this year should surpass 6,000.
“We are dedicated to ensuring that all those who seek tuition assistance will someday be able to obtain it,” said Paul Mulligan, the new executive director of CTODP. “We show people every year that their contributions made through the tax credit are making a big difference, not just for our schools and our families, but for our whole diocese.”
The figures supplied by CTODP indicate that well over a third of the students who attend the Catholic schools of the Diocese of Phoenix receive tuition assistance through tax credit contributions. Additionally, students are helped through other fundraising efforts made through the Catholic Community Foundation and the Diocesan Charity and Development Appeal.
Established in 1983, the Catholic Community Foundation supports education, communication and faith formation. When it comes to education, the highest priority is given to tuition assistance to make Catholic education in the Diocese of Phoenix affordable. Last year, Foundation grants to Catholic schools ranged from $1,000 to $20,000 for elementary schools, with a slightly higher range for high schools.
As an example of its commitment to Catholic education, the Foundation awarded 13, $8,000 Christian Service Scholarship Awards to elementary school graduates who exhibited exceptional behavior by performing service-based activities in their school, parish and community. The scholarship will be paid out over a four-year period to enable each student to attend the Catholic high school of their choice.
The Diocesan Charity and Development Appeal (CDA) supports more than 70 charitable, educational and spiritual organizations that counsel, feed, clothe, house, educate and comfort those in need. In 2006, CDA contributed more than $1.5 million in funding to three highs schools and 16 elementary schools to assist families who may not be able to afford a Catholic education and to help keep tuition increases to a minimum.
“I am grateful for all of the support these organizations provide the Catholic Schools of the Diocese,” said MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent for the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix. “They have enabled disadvantaged families, including many non-Catholic families, to send their children to Catholic schools so they can enjoy the benefits of a Catholic education and realize how it aids their children’s intellectual growth and development.”
MARY BETH MUELLER RECEIVES ALUMNI AWARD
FROM THE COLLEGE OF ST. SCHOLASTICA
DULUTH, MN – The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN, has announced the recipients of its Alumni Awards for 2007. The awards were presented during St. Scholastica’s Alumni Weekend, June 22-24.
Mary Beth Mueller of Phoenix, AZ, received the Sister Alice Lamb Award, which recognizes an alumna or alumnus who has demonstrated dedication to his or her profession and has continued to be committed to The College of St. Scholastica.
Mueller received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1973. After graduation, she taught eighth grade science in Zion, IL, and was principal and science teacher at St. Jean’s School in Duluth. She received a master’s degree in education and a specialist certificate in educational administration, both from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Her career in education took her to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Phoenix, Arizona. In 1988 she became director of curriculum and personnel for the Diocese of Phoenix and, in 1992, was selected to be the Diocese’s superintendent of schools, and is director of Education and Evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix.
She has received many accolades for her professional and civic contributions. In 1999 she received the Circle of Excellence Award from the Arizona North Central Accrediting Association; in 2001 the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award for Outstanding Leadership to Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Phoenix; and in 2005 the O’Neil D’Amour Award for outstanding leadership in working with school boards given by the National Catholic Education Association.
Sister Alice Lamb was associated with The College of St. Scholastica for 52 years before her death in 1983. She was a professor and head of the Biology Department and later academic dean.
Scottsdale church opens convent with Philippines-based nuns
Diana Balazs
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 17, 2007 04:45 PM
A new convent staffed with three nuns from a Philippines-based religious order has been established at a Scottsdale Catholic church to help with religious instruction and outreach programs.
It is the first mission of its kind in the United States for the Daughters of Mary, Mother of the Church order, founded in 1966 in Caceres, the Philippines.
On Friday, the Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, welcomed the sisters. He celebrated Mass at St. Daniel the Prophet Catholic Church, 1030 N. Hayden Road, where the nuns are based.
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DIOCESE OF PHOENIX CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
START NEW ACADEMIC YEAR
PHOENIX (August 9, 2007) The pre-schools, elementary schools and high schools of the Diocese of Phoenix will welcome students back to school with full and half-day sessions beginning on Tuesday, August 14. Many of the schools will feature new additions, programs and services as the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix continue to build an excellent educational environment that enables students to excel in life and become assets to their parishes and communities.
“We are welcoming our students to a new school year that will offer improved programs and services as well as enhanced facilities,” noted MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent for the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix. “We expect another successful school year and hope to build upon our tradition of academic excellence and service to the community.”
Some of the new programs and additions at Diocesan schools are:
- Seton High School, Chandler, will open with new locker room facilities for girls and two totally renovated science labs. In addition a new chapel is expected to open this school year as part of a major $28 million campus renovation program.
- Saint Mary’s High School, Phoenix, is expected to open The Virginia G. Piper Education Center in September. The facility will have more than 35,000 square feet of space, divided among a lower level and two above-ground levels. The first floor will be home to a fine arts department, with an art studio, an art classroom, a music studio, a band studio and will be a stage level for a 250-person auditorium. The second floor will have three classrooms, a teacher’s lounge and workroom, and seating ramping down to the auditorium stage. The third floor will house four classrooms and three computer classrooms.
- St. John Bosco Interparish School, Phoenix, has installed SMART Boards in every classroom that enable teachers to project their computer screens onto large, interactive whiteboards, opening up a world of opportunity for collaborative learning. Teachers participated in summer training to learn the best methods for integrating this innovative technology into their lesson plans. In addition, the school will initiate its new, in-house before and after school Multi-Age Program (MAP), which provides care for approximately 100 children for one hour before and three hours after school to aid working parents.
- The Pope John XXIII School, Scottsdale, will continue to enhance Kids Building Character, a program created at Pope John XXIII Catholic School to teach character traits to the student body using video and computer technology. In this school-wide project, students from each grade level create character lessons that are presented to all students through live video or animated presentations in the school’s weekly video announcements. Because of this program, the school received a 2007 Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award for Innovation in Education. The program is made possible through a grant from the Arizona Technology in Education Alliance/Qwest Foundation for Education. The school also will introduce its new Bully Prevention Program, which is designed to improve peer relations and make the school a safer and more positive place for students to learn and develop. An orientation for the program was already held for parents and students in May.
These are just a few of the new programs, services and additions available through the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix.
DIOCESE OF PHOENIX CATHOLIC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCES
NEW PRINCIPALS AND PRESCHOOL DIRECTORS
PHOENIX (August 9, 2007) The Office of Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix announces that five elementary schools have new principals and four pre-schools have new directors for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Diocesan Catholic elementary schools with new principals include:
St. Joseph Catholic Montessori, Cottonwood, AZ
Mr. David Varnell, Principal
Most Holy Trinity School, Phoenix, AZ
Mr. Michael Brennan, Principal
St. Matthew School, Phoenix, AZ
Ms. Gena McGowan, Principal
St. Theresa School, Phoenix, AZ
Ms. Maureen Vick, Principal
St. Vincent de Paul School, Phoenix, AZ
Sr. Julie Dubasek, DC, Principal
Diocesan Pre-schools with new directors include:
St. Joan of Arc Pre-school, Phoenix, AZ
Ms. Michelle Buxtin, Director
Most Holy Trinity Pre-school, Phoenix, AZ
Ms. Paula Hurst, Director
St. John Bosco Pre-school, Phoenix, AZ
Ms. Mary Alice Gutierrez, Director
Our Lady of Guadalupe Pre-school, Queen Creek, AZ
Ms. Leslie Watson, Director (Preschool to open in January 2008)
The Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Phoenix play a critical role in the life of the communities they serve by providing faith-based academic excellence for students of many races, faiths and background in 14 preschools, 28 elementary schools and seven high schools.
Downpour soaks church; Mass must move
(Aug 2)-The Church of the Resurrection parish in Tempe has the task of resurrecting its church.
Monday afternoon’s heavy rains caused about a third of the roof of its worship building to cave in, said James Dwyer, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.
“It was a big-time rain” that came down in a short time on the campus, 3201 S. Evergreen Road, he said. Rainwater broke through the roof and poured down onto the pews and furnishings, then rolled into adjacent offices and rooms. Officially more than an inch of rain fell in a short time about 4 p.m. Monday. <
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