A Time to be Grateful

We remember Thanksgiving season as time for appreciation, reflection, and praise. We have so many blessings in our lives to be thankful for. We owe our thanks to the Lord who makes all things possible. I am thankful for the LCSS students who hear the call to serve and make a difference in the communities and world they live in. I am thankful for our LCSS Staff, who are dedicated, passionate, and provide a rigorous academic curriculum enriched with the Gospel message to our students. I am thankful for our parents who believe in Catholic education and give so much of their time and talent to our schools. I am thankful for our many volunteers who give back to our schools in so many ways. I am thankful for our generous supporters who give of their treasure to ensure our schools are successful and thriving in Lafayette.

I am thankful and excited to see the Lafayette Catholic Community growing and thriving. The list of things to be thankful for is endless. This Thanksgiving season let us reflect, appreciate, and praise God for the countless blessings he has given us. We are reminded in Psalm 100:

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

As we spend time with our families this Thanksgiving season to enjoy the many blessings God has given us, I want to be sure I express my sincere gratitude to our LCSS Community. Thank you for all you do. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.  

Called to be BOLD

On September 17, I had the good fortune to attend the 150th Jubilee Mass and celebration for the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Mishawaka. The Holy Spirit was definitely felt throughout the day as I learned more about the Franciscan Sisters and their commitment to service both in Indiana and throughout the world.  

During a tour of the Mother House with Sister Lenore Schwartz, Principal of St. Boniface School, I learned about the rich history of the order founded by Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel in 1863. (Many of the Sisters of St. Francis, including Sister Lenore, will travel to Germany for the Beatification of their foundress by Pope Francis on November 10, 2013.) As Sister Lenore shared the history of the Sisters of St. Francis, I was intrigued by how they came to arrive in the United States. Read this excerpt from their website:

A widespread anti-clerical reaction in Germany early in the 1870's restricted their work and the reception of new candidates. Undaunted, Mother Maria Theresia accepted the invitation of Bishop Joseph Dwenger to establish a convent within his Diocese of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Six pioneer sisters arrived at Lafayette in 1875. Within weeks a temporary hospital was organized and the poor and sick of the area began receiving the healing ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis. In 1876, St. Elizabeth Hospital was dedicated. A section of this building was occupied by the St. Francis Convent. From here, the community grew rapidly, with the founding of many hospitals, schools, orphanages, homes for the aged and homes for social work.

I was struck by the boldness of the Sisters. Within a year of their arrival, the original St. Elizabeth Hospital had been built and dedicated. The courage to take on this endeavor was truly incredible. They immediately engaged the community and began spreading the Gospel message through their work. The Sisters of St. Francis played an integral role in creating the foundation of the Greater Lafayette community we all enjoy today. I am grateful they set such a bold example for us all.     

I believe we are once again at a time when we are called to be bold. Society needs Catholic education to be successful so that the Gospel message of service to others will continue to spread and our communities will continue to thrive. Every year, LCSS graduates students that have been taught to make a difference by serving others. We believe in educating the whole person so our graduates feel called to be bold and to seek greatness, as servants of God.

We recently kicked off our 12th One-In-the-Spirit Campaign. Because tuition only covers 62% of the cost to educate students, this campaign allows us to keep tuition levels reasonable, and to make a Catholic education more accessible to more families. One-In-the-Spirit is a bi-annual campaign, so the amount raised will supplement the LCSS operating budget over a two year period. The campaign allows you to choose how your support is allocated - to academic initiatives, general operations, teacher salaries, technology, or tuition assistance.

Please help us continue the long history of Catholic education in our community. Be BOLD and help us reach our goal of $700,000. Every gift counts, and your gift will make a lasting impact on our students and our community! Click here to make your Pledge.

Thank you for your continued support of Lafayette Catholic School System!

Called to Greatness - Building our Future

Our schools have been blessed over the years to have many dedicated individuals and families that have provided us with a strong financial foundation. However, we have a number of priorities that will need to be addressed in the near future if we want to continue to improve and grow our school system. Many of our strategic goals cannot be supported through our current operating budget and therefore require additional development efforts. It is our plan to improve our communication with stakeholders in this area so that giving can be more easily planned and optimized to the benefit of our donors and LCSS. To help you understand our efforts in this area, we have outlined our four major efforts:

“One-in-the-Spirit” & Central Catholic Annual Fund (NEW)

• Type: Annual giving
• Purpose: To enhance our services and programs by directly supporting:  teacher salaries, tuition assistance, technology, academic programs and general operations.
• Donors:  All donors
• Source:  Funds for this typically are given out of a family’s annual income, and is a sustainable amount that can be supported every year with modest increases.   

The fundraising program known as “One-in-the-Spirit” Fund has been in place since 1990 and solicitations are made every other year.  This fall we will be kicking off another season of solicitations with the goal of increasing our donor population. Our goal is to allow donors to direct their support to one of the following areas: teacher salaries, tuition assistance, technology, academic programs or general operations. You should be hearing from us soon on this effort.  Alumni from outside of the Lafayette area will be solicited to contribute to the Central Catholic Annual Fund, an effort to get more of our out-of-town alumni involved in our mission.

Building Faith & Future Phase II - Athletic Campaign (Central Catholic)

• Type: Capital Campaign
• Purpose: Capital improvements - (current) to improve and rehabilitate our outdoor athletic facilities
• Donors:  All donors
• Source:  Funds for this type of campaign are typically given out of a family’s savings and other holdings.  Capital campaigns are typically only every five or ten years.

Our Central Catholic athletic facilities are in urgent need of an update.  Many of the facilities have gone more than 50 years without any major improvement or updates.  Some of our facilities (ex. Track and Field) are no longer usable for their intended purpose.  While this campaign was initially part of the Building Faith and Futures I campaign it was temporarily suspended due to the “Great Recession.”  The effort has regained momentum and is currently in a “Silent Phase.”  Our goal is to get leadership donations from families and individuals interested in providing a major gift (a gift of more than $10,000) to this effort.  The goal of a silent phase is to raise at least 70% of our overall goal before going “public.”  We are making great progress and look forward to entering the public phase soon.  Please contact me if you are interested in learning more.

Teacher Endowment Fund

• Type: Endowment Fund
• Purpose: To ensure long-term initiatives (teacher pay) have continued resources in perpetuity.
• Donors:  Legacy donors, corporations, and foundations.
• Source:  Funds for this type of campaign are typically given as a “once in a lifetime” gift or are bequeathed as part of an estate plan.

The Lafayette Area Catholic Schools Foundation (LACS) has several endowment funds that have been established for the Lafayette Catholic School System.  The unrestricted endowment has a principal amount of $2,349,727 and is expected to generate more than $100,000 this year to help support our operations.  Several years ago another endowment was established to help improve teacher compensation, and currently sits at $348,221 which is expected to generate just under $15,000 this year for LCSS teacher compensation.  As one of the important LCSS strategic initiatives, we have developed a plan to enable our teacher salaries to reach a level closer to our local educational market.  In order accomplish our goal, we need to have an additional $600,000 annually in income.  It is unrealistic to expect that we will be able to significantly raise tuition to cover this amount.

Therefore, we are partnering with the LACS Foundation to develop a “Planned-Giving” program with the goal to develop a Teacher Endowment Fund of $6 to $10 million.  This is a long-term goal and one to help ensure LCSS remains competitive for decades to come.  We will be developing materials to better inform our community on how to make a deferred gift to the Teacher Endowment Fund.

There are also many opportunities to establish a directed endowment through the Diocese of Lafayette.  If you are interested in establishing an endowment to benefit LCSS please contact the Development Office (765) 474-7500 to review these opportunities.

Blue Knight Auction, PTO & Athletic Fundraisers & Special Projects

• Type: Events and Special Projects
• Purpose: To raise capital for special projects or initiatives
• Donors:  LCSS families, grandparents, friends and community members
• Source:  Funds for this type of campaign are typically given out of a family or business’s discretionary funds or working capital.  The amounts may not be the same from year to year.

Last year the LCSS raised over $320,000 from the Blue Knight Auction, events and other special project fundraisers. Athletic fundraisers also generated income to help sustain our Athletic Department. These fundraisers are vital to the operations of LCSS, and fund the majority of our tuition assistance, athletic teams, and special technology initiatives.  Fundraisers in this category often include a dinner, event (i.e. golf outing) or sale of an item (i.e. umbrellas, popcorn, etc.).  These opportunities often get our students involved in the effort, and also promote goodwill among our stakeholders.  It is our goal in the future to develop a calendar of these efforts so that we can avoid donor fatigue and maximize effectiveness.  

Commencement 2013

I recently had the pleasure of participating in Central Catholic’s 56th annual commencement. What made the evening even more special for me was seeing my daughter and her classmates receive their diplomas and celebrate with exuberance at the end of the evening. In my final address I spoke to them as a parent - recalling the days when they were lined up in the pews at St. Lawrence for “all school” mass or playing in the gym at St. Boniface during one of the infamous St. Lawrence versus St. Boniface basketball games.   

What was so amazing was listening to our graduates talk about the impact and importance of their faith and God in their own lives. You could not leave CC’s graduation without being moved.  It was a proud moment for our parents, alumni, pastors, teachers, administrators and friends.  

For many of our graduates, June 3rd, 2013 was the end of 12 years of Catholic education. I had the realization of the significance and value those years have had in the development and character of our young people. It made me also realize that the sacrifice that we make to send our children to the Lafayette Catholic schools is not just a gift to our children, but a gift to our community and all the people that will be helped and touched by them as they move through life’s journey.   

To read all of the commencement speeches click here.

The Pursuit of "Happiness" - Lafayette Central Catholic - Executive Director - Commencement Address

I still see in many of your faces the same kids that were lined up in the pews at St. Lawrence or on the basketball court in the gym at St. Boniface, during the St. Boniface vs. St. Lawrence games. Where has the time gone?  In the blink of an eye you went from 3rd graders to graduating seniors.

This is the time in your life when you really are deciding what you want to do when you grow up.  This is the time in your life where you really do start to pay attention to the opinions of your parents, grandparents and other adults – or so we like to think. As your parents, this is the time in your life when we reflect on the past and envision your future.  It is often that during these reflective moments that our advice to you is something like, “Do what makes you happy” – but we rarely elaborate, or provide any insight as to how to go about this.

I don’t have the answers either I am afraid, but I can share with you some of the things I’ve learned about happiness in my life’s journey. Happiness, I have learned, is temporary.  When our primary goal in life is to “be happy” we focus our efforts on the wrong things.  Comfort and pleasure become our primary concern, and when we don’t have them, we think we are unhappy. What I have learned is that happiness is not something that we can seek and find.  It is something that we create. We create it by using our God given gifts for the benefit of others.  We create it through prayer, hard work and our love for God, family, friends and our fellow man.

I will warn you that this path may occasionally be neither comfortable nor pleasurable.  Pope Emeritus Benedict reminds us, “The ways of the Lord are not comfortable.  But, we were not created for comfort but for Greatness.”  Greatness will mean something different for each of you.  I encourage you to continue to strengthen your gifts and use them for the benefit of others, and it is through this pursuit – the pursuit of Greatness - that God will bless you with JOY.

Blue Knight Auction - A Truly Platinum Event

With a grateful heart, I am delighted to announce the 20th Annual Blue Knight Auction held on April 27th was huge a success. A record 536 people attended this year’s Auction and we are on track to surpass our  previous high of $257,872 reached in 2006.  The 2013 total will be announced as soon as the figures are finalized. 

This year I was able to witness my first Blue Knight Auction from the “inside,” and was truly humbled by the experience. I saw parents, grandparents, former parents, students, teachers, administrators and friends of our schools give countless hours of their time and talents to ensure our Blue Knight Auction was a success.  I would like to extend my gratitude to our chairs: Kyle & Marty Kendrick, Jeanne & Dennis Gernhardt, and Erin & Tom Albregts who contributed in many ways to the success of the auction this year!

The majority of funds raised at the Blue Knight Auction fund the LCSS Tuition Assistance program which keeps Catholic education affordable for our students. In addition to tuition assistance, we will fund vital technology needs and other resources that contribute to our academic excellence. 

While many parishes and dioceses across the country are struggling to keep their Catholic schools open, the Lafayette community continually steps up.  This support allows us to stay focused on our mission of educating the high-achieving servant leaders of tomorrow. 

On behalf of all of our faculty, staff, students and parents, I would like to thank you all for your continued support and encouragement as we continue to seek Greatness in ourselves and for our community.

New Tools in Education

Parents and students are beginning to demand that education be customized to challenge each student’s unique abilities and explore each student’s unique gifts.  This is not just a model for Catholic education, but as Catholics we are called to maximize our gifts to the betterment of society and for the greater glory of God.  This demand for personalized learning is driving the development of new technologies and instruction styles.  Instruction styles that effectively blend “face-to-face” instruction and computer-mediated learning continue to evolve as more technical resources and training become available.  

In the coming year, the Lafayette Catholic Schools will take two significant steps toward its strategic vision of providing a higher level of differentiated instruction.  To ensure that our vision is clearly defined and supported, LCSS will be recruiting and hiring a Director of Technology and engaging eLearning services that together, will support our K-12 technology goals. This step will represent a major milestone in our strategic plan and highlights our commitment to providing our students with the tools, resources and skills to achieve greatness.

Secondly, teachers need access to comprehensive digital learning resources that are aligned to state and Common Core standards, that are multimodal and multimedia to accommodate learning differences, and are supported by assessment tools that provide continual feedback on each student’s progress.  The only practical way to deliver these resources is through a well-designed wireless infrastructure.  Our second initiative will be to ensure that all four of our schools are equipped with wireless services.  Last year we were able to upgrade to wireless service at Central Catholic Jr/Sr. High School.  This year’s Blue Knight Auction “Special Project” will raise money to equip our three elementary schools with this service.  This project will be a critical step in allowing us to implement many of our strategic initiatives in the areas of technology and differentiated instruction.  

Called to Greatness

As we begin to contemplate the legacy of our Holy Father Benedict XVI on the Roman Catholic Church, I reflect on a recent quote attributed to Pope Benedict:  “The ways of the Lord are not comfortable.  But we were not created for comfort, but for Greatness.”  This quote captures the essence of the Virtue of Magnanimity.  This virtue was best explained by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica:  “Magnanimity makes a man [woman] deem himself [herself] worthy of great things in consideration of the gifts he [she] holds from God.”  This is such an elegant way to describe what we as Christians are called upon to seek:  To have the confidence and the fortitude to take stock of our gifts and seek greatness even though it may be difficult or cause us to personally suffer -- for the benefit of others.  We strive to do so with humility and grace.

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, refers to these individuals as “Level 5 Leaders.”  These are the leaders that have that paradoxical combination of humility and a strong will to “do” -- even when it may cause personal tribulation. Jim Collins’ research shows that these types of leaders are the common thread to creating great institutions that endure.  What Jim Collins did not mention is that St. Thomas Aquinas described these qualities over seven centuries ago.  These qualities and virtues are the ones we seek to build in our students in the Lafayette Catholic Schools.  

This past week we registered 92 young boys and girls for next year’s kindergarten class.  This is a remarkable start to next year.  They represent the lifeblood of our Catholic schools and the future of our society.  As these young people develop their gifts at school and at home, they will be shaped and encouraged to “seek greatness” for the benefit of the world around them.  They will learn to become the “do-ers” in our society, not for fame or material things, but for the greater glory of God. Thank you all for your gifts of time, talent and treasure which support the Lafayette Catholic Schools in our efforts to shape tomorrow’s great leaders.

Supporting Our Mission - Tuition Assistance

This past weekend I attended a Blue Knight Auction Platinum Event with a small group of Catholic school supporters interested in helping to continue our long tradition of providing tuition assistance. The event was wonderful and I want to thank all those who attended and contributed their time, talent and treasure to the effort. After the event I reflected on the question, “Where would LCSS be without tuition assistance?”  I thought I would share some of those thoughts and my analysis with you.

First, it is difficult to imagine a Catholic school without tuition assistance.  It is an essential component of our faith and imperative to our mission that we provide a Catholic education that meets the needs of our community.  Further, our diocese and parishes provide us with the physical space and land to carry out this mission.

While this is true, we have to continue to ensure that LCSS provides an outstanding academic experience that is inspired and guided by our Catholic faith. I have been asked by some of our stakeholders “can we continue to afford our current level of tuition assistance and maintain a high quality of service?” or “don’t we need to use some of that money to improve technology or teacher pay?” I believe this perception represents a misunderstanding of how tuition assistance works and why it's important to all of our school families. The fact is that tuition assistance contributes significantly to all of our initiatives.

Without tuition assistance, fewer students would be able to attend our schools, and fixed costs would have to be spread across a smaller student population. This alone could cause tuition to rise between 20% and 30%, which would cause even further decreases in enrollment.  In simple economic terms, “as the price goes up, demand typically goes down.”

Also, what is perhaps more interesting and perhaps not commonly known, is that nearly 100% of our students are receiving a form of tuition assistance. The current tuition charged is significantly below the actual cost to educate our students. A significant source of funds making up this difference is the nearly $1,200,000 provided annually by our six local parishes in the form of direct parish assistance and the expenses associated with the three elementary school building operations. If the LCSS did not have this additional revenue support from our supporting parishes to support our Catholic mission, tuition would again be higher and this again, could have a  devastating impact on enrollment.

All forms of tuition assistance, both from our parishes and fundraising events such as the Blue Knight Auction, enable us to provide a more affordable Catholic education to our community.  All forms of assistance go directly into our budget, enabling us to pay for: teacher compensation; technology in the classrooms; teacher training and support; athletics; transportation; and more.  The bottom line is that we all benefit from a strong tuition assistance program. As a community, we will continue to push our academic standards and expectations even higher. Thank you for your continued support.