MONROE — According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 93 percent of educators report paying for school supplies. Elementary, middle and high school teachers who attend Our Lady of Lourdes Church are no exception. Because of a lack of funding at their schools, every teacher at the parish planned to take on the burden of buying extra supplies for their classroom this fall.
To help ease the financial burden these dedicated teachers were facing, Father Benjamin Roberts invited his parishioners to join him in helping the teachers gear up for the school year.
Each teacher provided a list of items they needed to purchase personally for their classrooms, and Father Roberts created an Amazon Wish List to make it easy for his parishioners to buy individual items, drop off supplies at the parish office, or make a cash donation so the parish could purchase supplies directly.
Thanks to parishioners’ efforts, at least 12 teachers received items to organize and prepare their classrooms and essential school supplies for students needed throughout the school year.
Father Roberts said he was very thankful to everyone for the outpouring of support for their teachers as they returned to school this fall, and hoped it would encourage other parishes to support teachers in their communities.
— Virginia Garramone. Photo provided
$300,000 endowment at Immaculata School will honor legacy of religious sisters
HENDERSONVILLE — Recruiting and training Catholic educators in western North Carolina just became easier thanks to a $300,000 endowment gifted to Immaculata Catholic School by the estate of two formerly professed sisters of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Originally from Detroit, Sisters M. Johnice Cohen and M. Elizabeth Fowkes developed the “Bible, Life and Worship” series of religious education textbooks in the 1960s, were strong supporters of the religious arts, and founded the Pius XII Religious Education Center in Monroe, Mich. Proceeds from the sale of the textbook series made the endowment possible.
“The legacy left behind by the women will go to fund a program in which we recruit student teachers to come to Immaculata. We will be able to help form young educators and equip them to teach through the virtues of Christ,” said Margaret Beale, principal of Immaculata School. “This innovative program will provide more support for our students and a pipeline of Catholic educators coming to our area.”
Money from the endowment will provide a residential house for student teachers where education students looking for a student-teaching position in a Catholic elementary school can reside, at no cost to them, while doing their student teaching at Immaculata. The funds will also provide continuing education and a stipend to experienced teachers at Immaculata School who will mentor aspiring faculty through the student-teaching experience.
“One of the challenges we face with a small school in a smaller city is recruiting Catholic teachers to our area,” said Father Christian Cook, chaplain and pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish. “We hope that, if we give them a place to live at no cost, student teachers will be more likely to do their student teaching at Immaculata, and we hope that they will fall in love with our school and our city and apply for any open teaching positions at Immaculata when they graduate.”
Plans also include training in the Dominican Sisters’ Education in Virtue program and in the diocesan religious education program, Sophia Institute for Teachers.
The program’s “Spirit of Truth” textbook series covers the breadth of the Catechism of the Catholic Church in a rich, age-appropriate way and has a strong focus on religious art, which complements the donors’ values.
The formerly professed sisters retired in Hendersonville and eventually started the Sunshine Arts Fund with the remaining proceeds from the sale of their textbooks, giving some of the funds away over the years. After both women passed away, the Sunshine Arts board members continued to maintain the nonprofit. As they too aged, the remaining board members decided to honor their memory by doing something that would reflect the religious sisters’ body of work and their commitment to religious education.
The Sisters M. Johnice Cohen and M. Elizabeth Fowkes Endowment Fund is the 15th endowment set up by individuals for either Immaculate Conception Parish or Immaculata School.
Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte, said he is pleased to see people continue to leave legacies to what they value through the establishment of endowments in the diocesan foundation. He also noted that the parish and school’s planned-giving committee is the most active in the diocese.
“Their work has resulted in more than 125 people who are remembering either the parish or school in their estate plans,” Kelley said. “The parish and school have already received more than $1.2 million in distributions from those 15 endowments. These funds have changed the lives of many individuals.”
— Annie Ferguson