FUNDING THE FUTURE

The Father Kenneth J. Doyle Catholic Education Fund presents grants to its first recipients

Former Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings (from l.) Principal Alexandra Morazan or St. Mary’s Waterford; student Jack Prechtl, 11; Mary Ellen Doyle Sochor, Bishop Mark O’Connell; and (front row from. l.) students Kateri Green, 8, and Finn Prechtl, 8, are shown during the first Father Kenneth J. Doyle Catholic Education Fund awards on March 3 at St. Mary’s, Crescent in Waterford. The fund to support Catholic schools was established in 2025 to honor the legacy of Father Ken Doyle. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist) (Courtesy photo of Cindy Schultz)

The first annual grant presentation of the Father Kenneth J. Doyle Catholic Education Fund was held on Tuesday, March 3, at St. Mary’s, Crescent in Waterford. 

The morning ceremony was attended by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Catholic schools leaders, school grant recipients, and friends and family of the beloved late Father Doyle.

St. Mary’s School in Waterford, Saratoga Central Catholic School and Academy of the Holy Names in Albany were presented with checks to put toward each school’s individual needs. St. Mary’s was awarded two grants, one to support professional development and curriculum changes, and another to help support renovations following a flood in December that affected the entire first floor of the school. 

“We had very difficult months of December, January and February, but the key was we didn’t miss a minute of instruction for our kids,” said Alexandra Morazan, principal at St. Mary’s. “That was thanks to the tremendous outpouring of love and support and organizations like the Reverend Doyle Fund to keep us going and persevere.”Principal Christopher Signor of Saratoga Central Catholic speaks after receiving an award from the first Father Kenneth J. Doyle Catholic Education Fund on March 3 at St. Mary’s, Crescent in Waterford. Joining him are Former Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings (from l.), Mary Ellen Doyle Sochor and Bishop Mark O’Connell. The fund to support Catholic schools was established in 2025 to honor the legacy of Father Ken Doyle. (Cindy Schultz photo for The Evangelist)

Father Doyle, who died in October 2022, was a renowned member of the diocesan faith community. He served as Rome bureau chief of Catholic News Service, where he traveled with Pope Saint John Paul II, was an information officer of the United States Catholic Conference in Washington, D.C., a lobbyist for the New York State Catholic Conference in Albany, a longtime editor of The Evangelist, and a cherished pastor at the Parish of Mater Christi. 

The fund was established in 2025 as a tribute to Father Doyle’s work and to pass on his passion for Catholic communications and education to students for years to come. 

Mary Ellen Doyle, Father Doyle’s sister, said it was “just an honor” to see everybody come out in remembrance of her brother.

“He loved a good time,” she said, “he laughed, but he helped everybody.”

“I really miss Father Doyle, he was a personal friend of mine for a long time,” said Gerald “Jerry” Jennings, former mayor of Albany from 1994-2013. “Remembering Father Doyle is the least we can do for all his years of service and all the people who care about him. He is a person who really made a difference in many, many lives in this community.”

For more information on the Father Kenneth Doyle Education Fund, visit www.fatherdoylefund.com.