LCSS Graduates Among the Most Prepared in the State of Indiana

Today’s college graduates are expected to change jobs 6 to 10 times throughout their careers, and many will completely change careers more than once. Much of the current thinking in public education is to focus on vocational training, but we should ask, what vocations are we training our students for? Some of the most common jobs today may not exist in 10 or 20 years. The truth is that we need to produce well-rounded students that can learn, unlearn, and relearn at a rapid rate, but who will also remain true to their faith, virtues, values, and work ethic. We believe that our Catholic schools offer the best environment for this type of learning and training to occur.

One of the hallmarks of Catholic Education is the fundamental principle that parents are the primary educators. This ensures parents are involved and engaged. There are many reasons parents choose Catholic schools.  In many urban communities it may be that there are really no desirable public school options, however, that is not the case in Lafayette.  We have a number of good schools that provide sound curriculum, good teachers, high test scores, advanced music programs, new STEM programs, etc. However, LCSS parents understand that education is more than just test scores and vocational training. It is about passing along our faith, values, work ethic, and culture to our children.  

As parents we take our role seriously, and do not take the decision about which school to send our children to lightly. It is difficult to point to any one statistic or even anecdotal story that would give us complete confidence that we have made the right choice. As parents of elementary school children, we worry that we may not know the results of our choices until long after our children graduate from high school. This past May, my oldest child graduated from Central Catholic after attending LCSS schools since third grade. I have a lot of anecdotal information that gives me comfort that we made the best choice. I have also made an effort to talk with many parents we have had the opportunity to get to know over the years, and there is one consistent theme: The Catholic Community that makes up our Lafayette Catholic School System has prepared our children well for life. We are so grateful for this.

While we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on any one report or statistic, it pleases me to share with you a recent study issued by the State of Indiana. This report on college readiness reflects favorably on our Catholic school graduates. The Indiana Commission of Higher Education reported on the Class of 2011 (from all high schools in Indiana) and as shown in the chart below, LCSS graduates are some of the best performing students in the State. This is a great tribute to our teachers in K-12, our parents, and all of our many supporters. This illustrates what we know in our hearts to be true about Catholic education and the preparation we are offering our students.

Class of 2011

High School	% of students attending college	% of students requiring remediation (in college)	Freshman Year GPA
Central Catholic	92.00%	6.00%	2.9
Cathedral	91.00%	14.00%	2.9
Guerin Catholic	90.00%	13.00%	2.7
West Lafayette	87.00%	10.00%	2.9
Park Tudor*	85.00%	4.00%	3.2
Faith Christian	78.00%	25.00%	2.8
Harrison	65.00%	23.00%	2.7
Rossville	60.00%	27.00%	2.5
McCutcheon	58.00%	27.00%	2.5
Benton Central	53.00%	32.00%	2.5
Lafayette Jefferson	52.00%	40.00%	2.3

*Park Tudor is a private school in Indianapolis with annual Tuition and Fees exceeding $19,000 per year.

Catholic Schools Week

6,685 Catholic schools across the nation celebrated the 40th annual Catholic Schools Week from January 27- February 1.  Catholic high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools joined together to praise God, express gratitude and show their communities what Catholic education is all about. They remembered why Catholic schools are a vital part of society today. This year’s Catholic Schools Week theme was “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.” This theme truly encompasses the essence of our Lafayette Catholic School System.

On Wednesday of that week, the LCSS once again celebrated the annual All Schools Mass at Central Catholic. This tradition is a favorite of every LCSS student and has been going on for many years. It was heartwarming to see McHale Gymnasium filled with its 943 students of all ages.

We were blessed to have Bishop Doherty and eight priests from our area parishes to celebrate the All Schools Mass.  In Bishop Doherty’s homily he shared with the students how his childhood and life experiences brought him to where he is today, and he strongly encouraged them to thank their parents for the gift of Catholic education.

LCSS parents, past and present, are our biggest supporters. Every day I see their gifts of time, talent and treasure and am truly grateful for all they give to our school system. We are all called in this life to serve a greater purpose and to seek greatness. I am reminded every Catholic Schools Week of just how blessed we all are to be a part of the Lafayette Catholic Schools community.

Seeking Greatness

"The education of children and young people is such an important task in forming them as free and responsible human beings.  It affirms their dignity as an inalienable gift that flows from our original creation as children made in the image and likeness of God.  And because education truly forms human beings, it is especially the duty and responsibility of the Church, who is called to serve mankind from the heart of God and in such a way that no other institution can."  Cardinal Jorge Gergoglio (Pope Francis).

Catholic schools across the state and nation are once again recognizing their mission and importance to the Church.  Our schools are a very important element of the New Evangelization of the Church.  Pope Francis reminds us that education of children and young people is essential to our Faith.

For decades many Catholic schools have suffered through significant financial hardship, making necessary cuts and sacrifices to survive.  However, it is time for us to move beyond “surviving” and be bold once again.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan, writes on the subject, “I believe our Catholic schools are a ‘pearl of great price’ worth every drop of sweat and ounce of effort that we are making on their behalf.  At a time when even public schools across the country are struggling, we Catholic educators need to be bold in our thinking and daring in our actions as we look to the future.”  

The Lafayette Catholic School System is responding to this call, and we are being bold.  We are here to support our Church, and serve our community.  Your support has helped us make significant progress on our strategic initiatives as we seek Greatness, but we still have much to do.  We must continue to reach for excellence while ensuring that we are striving to provide a Catholic education to all who desire it.  This means we must all continue to contribute our time, talent and treasure to the effort.

The New Evangelization in this Third Millenium needs the support of all Catholics to embrace the role of our Catholic schools.   We thank you for your continued commitment and support.  

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.