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Date: 5/17/2022
SPRINGFIELD – Bishop William D. Byrne announced the “Discover the Difference” Catholic school scholarship program on May 5, in front of Mater Dolorosa School in Holyoke.
“I am pleased to announce that today, thanks to the generous underwriting of an anonymous donor, we will be offering a special scholarship program for families who are new to Catholic schools,” said Byrne.
The scholarship is being offered to Catholic families throughout the 2022-23 school year. Parents who send their children to any diocesan elementary location will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship per student, as well as $2,000 per child at St. Mary’s High School in Westfield or Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield.
During the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a 13 percent increase in Catholic school enrollment.
“I believe we’ve had an increase as a result of a few things,” said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Baillargeon. “Some of our schools have spent a considerable amount of time focused on enrollment management and that’s really been helping us keep the message out to new families about the benefit of a Catholic education.”
To be considered, the families of each student must be enrolled in a Catholic parish.
“When we made the decision to keep our schools open, we were able to do so safely. A lot of new families who really desired their children to be in school during that time chose Catholic school,” Baillargeon remarked.
With the increase of students, there was worry regarding the future of a faith-based community after the coronavirus pandemic. “We were slightly concerned that we might lose several of those families when the schools opened, but the families that came to us really liked what they found in the Catholic schools and decided to stay.”
The commitment of the Diocese of Springfield has strengthened under COVID-19 pressure, with families taking notice of their monetary efforts to boost community education.
“We have always worked closely with our families and have tuition assistance programs in place,” Baillargeon explained. “The majority of the money we get to operate the Catholic school goes directly to scholarships, so most of the families have tuition assistance programs in some manner. Most of our schools will not turn away a family for a financial need, rather work with what they can afford and find ways to help subsidize them.”
Considering the amount of families in dire need of support, Baillargeon isn’t worried about limiting anyone, thanks to the generous help of their anonymous donor.
“There is no cap for this. The donor was very specific about that,” Baillargeon said. “Whatever number of families decide to come, the donor is ready to pay for that in order to assist them for the first time. We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the families that come into our Catholic schools where they can experience a faith community that is supporting them as parents of their children.”
With the sun shining and COVID-19 restrictions lifting, Baillargeon feels great about the continued progress of his faith-based community.
“We’re hoping that families may take this opportunity as well to move from the Catholic schools, even into the parishes, and really understand that the church is here to support them and help in raising their kids with faith,” Baillargeon said. “It’s not just the schools, it is the entire Catholic community here that really is behind them in trying to help them to discover the difference not only in our schools, but the difference that a faith-filled life makes for them.”
For more information regarding the “Discover the Difference” Scholarship Program, go to diospringfield.org.