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It all started with a guardian angel -- at least, according to Ralph Provenza, principal of St. Brigid's School in Watervliet.

"Three years ago, I gathered Father Deimeke and others associated with the school and the parish and it was decided that finances should not be a reason for families not to attend St. Brigid's," he began.

After that meeting with supporters including Rev. L. Edward Deimeke, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish in Watervliet/Green Island, someone stepped forward and promised to give St. Brigid's School $10,000 toward Beacon of Hope scholarships - as long as the parish was able to match the donation.

That someone, however, will not accept any publicity.

"If I told you [who it was], a lightning bolt would come down and strike me," said Mr. Provenza with a laugh.

Nevertheless, thanks to that anonymous $10,000 donation and another $30,000 in donations from others, 20 families were able to keep their children in St. Brigid's last year.

"We're very proud of what we're doing here," Mr. Provenza boasted. "If it wasn't for the Beacon of Hope fund, some families would not be able to send their kids here."

The Beacon of Hope scholarship was created in 1991, and is used to provide financial assistance to qualified, underprivileged students. Many families at St. Brigid's meet those criteria; for example, a "Watervliet Trends" website claims that jobs in the city have decreased by 32 percent since 2007.

This year, the anonymous donor has raised the bar even higher, pledging to double every dollar up to $15,000 donated for the Beacon of Hope fund for St. Brigid's.

Father Deimeke called the support a blessing: "It makes it possible for the school to remain open. We're not a prosperous school and every student we get, even if that student doesn't pay tuition, helps us."

Immaculate Heart of Mary parish was created in 2005 from the merger of six parishes. Officially, all six were closed; St. Joseph's in Green Island and St. Brigid's and St. Patrick's Churches in Watervliet are still used as worship sites for the merged parish, while Sacred Heart of Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Immaculate Conception Churches were closed.

That means about 1,600 parishioners -- a total of 838 families -- are currently on the parish rolls to ask for help in funding scholarships for St. Brigid's. 

Commitment cards were sent out to those parishioners and to 500 St. Brigid's alumni, local businesses and other corporations around the area. 

After weekend Masses, Father Deimeke reminds exiting parishioners of the fund - often receiving donations from them on the spot.

"It makes a Catholic education available to so many people [who] otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it," he said persuasively.

There are no hidden costs, either: All the money "comes directly back to the school," said Mr. Provenza. 

Last year, the principal was pleasantly surprised when donations for Beacon of Hope scholarships exceeded expectations.

"We have a 'thermometer' to show how much money we have gotten, and we set the goal at $30,000. Well, it turned out we got over that amount, and the 
thermometer exploded!" he recalled.

He hopes that those numbers only increase this year. "Right now, we're approaching $23,000," he told The Evangelist. "We're getting there, and we won't stop until we do."

(Learn more about Beacon of Hope scholarships by contacting the diocesan Catholic Schools Office at 453-6666.)[[In-content Ad]]

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