Why Give?
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For nearly 65 years, St. Michael Catholic School has empowered its students to learn, serve and lead as disciples of Christ through an education focused on faith, conscience, scholarship, and service. We are grateful for the many parents, grandparents, faculty, parishioners, alumni and friends who make it possible for us to sustain our mission and carry forward the gift of Catholic Education to future generations.
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The Gift of Catholic Education
The faith formation that Georgia and I received from attending Catholic school provided us
with a strong moral compass we have needed in life. Our faith plays a role in everything we do
and every decision we make. Catholic school allowed us to grow and develop in an
environment where the right choices were very evident and taught us that grace was bestowed
when we did not choose wisely.
The relationships we have made over the years at Duchesne,
St. Michael and St. Thomas High School enabled us to see, first-hand, what it takes to be a
leader and a disciple of Christ. It is truly amazing to see these friends now in the corporate
world and in their respective families continue to do God's will by making decisions that
improve His work in our lives.
We feel blessed to be able to give the gift of Catholic education
at St. Michael to our three children, McKee, Keely and Richard.
- Rick and Georgia Harmon, '16-18 Annual Fund Chairs -
I have been so fortunate to be a part of St. Michael as a parishioner, former parent, and teacher of 30 years. I feel truly blessed by the positive experiences St. Michael has gifted me and my family and have always been a passionate advocate of our school.
Witnessing our teachers, students, parents and parishioners respond with open hearts and hands to our city in need, I have never been more proud or honored to be a part of this extraordinary community. What we provide to our students is more than an education— its is a community of God’s love.
Now more than ever it is important to me to uphold what makes St. Michael such a special place.
- Kelly Duff, Math Resource Teacher -
My husband and I came from very different worlds, he was born and raised in Italy and I was Texan all the way. The common bond we had was our Catholic faith and a strong belief in family. Fifty- seven years later we are still here together enjoying our faith and family.
All three of our children, Tina, Claudia, and Pino Jr., graduated from St. Michael, Duchesne, and St. Thomas. We can add our grandson Massimo now, a graduate from St. Michael to St. Thomas. Early in our marriage education for our children was our top priority. Money wasn’t so plentiful though, we were starting our restaurant business. To spend money on tuition seemed very expensive to us in those years. During and later however, we have always said that the money we invested on their Catholic Education was the best investment we’ve ever made.
We had a partner in the Catholic schools that re-enforced our beliefs, that we ourselves had received in our education. They were always there for us and our children.
- Lenora and Pino Farinola, Parents and Grandparents of Alumni
Raising our children to have a love for Christ, a conscience and respect for others is a really hard thing to do these days; we chose SMCS because it was important to us that we have a partner in reinforcing these values in our children.
Our children can get an education at any school, but not every school teaches these values and has a community of parents that strive to teach their children the same values; we need all the help we can get, which is exactly why we chose SMCS as our partner!
- Louis and Emily Macey, Parishioners and Parents
St. Michael has been my second home as long as I can remember, first as a student and altar server, later as an alumni and parishioner and now as a parent. Walking into the old Tiger Gym or sitting in the Church pews today brings back amazing memories of PE and all school mass. The school building, parking lot, playgrounds and field are all new but the sense of community is the same as it has always been. This is what makes St. Michael so special.
St. Michael represents family, faith, lifelong friendships and service to others. The relationships formed during my years at St. Michael have been an integral part of my family and faith as an adult. Pictured are lifelong friends - Tim McConn, whose mother is our very own Mrs. McConn from the school office, Travis Graham and Andre Pereira whose daughters now attend St. Michael and Chuck Jamail, who passed away shortly after this photo was taken. It gives me great joy to see his younger sister Meredith around the school as a fellow parent, his younger brother Michael volunteering at the church or his parents attending the school’s annual Grandparents Day.
To me, this is the true gift of St. Michael.
- Jason Keyser, Alumni, Parishioner and Parent