‘Night of Hope’ draws more than 700

Donors help school endowment fund take shape

By Ambria Hammel | Nov. 3, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

Although their business cards would say otherwise, everyone who attended the second annual Night of Hope was an artist of sorts.

“Tonight we all sit at the potter’s wheel,” said Fr. Patrick Mowrer, pastor of San Francisco de Asís Parish in Flagstaff, to more than 700 people Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel.

That’s because the crowd — a fair mix of Catholic school staff, parents, religious leaders and other generous supporters from throughout the diocese — had the ability to form something uniquely beautiful: an affordable Catholic education.

And while financing Catholic education can still be a muddy mess for some, students also have a clean, sturdy source of support. While final numbers are not in yet, organizers feel the second annual Night of Hope, the signature fundraising event for the Catholic Schools’ Endowment Fund, was a success.

Donations will be earmarked for tuition assistance for any of the diocese’s nearly 15,000 students.

Finances only made up a small part of the evening’s focus though. The rest of the formal dinner was about celebrating the work already done for Catholic school students and their campuses. Photos and statistics showcasing student achievement and school development looped across two giant screens.

Dr. Elinor Ford, the evening’s keynote speaker, reminded the crowd of Phoenix’s other strides in Catholic education. The first laywoman superintendent of Catholic schools in the country now lectures at universities about proper administration techniques.

“My poor doctoral and master students get tired of hearing about you,” Ford said.

She always cites the Phoenix Diocese as a model of what Christ meant by a eucharistic community, namely working together to pass the dollar-for-dollar tuition tax credit for individuals, families and corporate groups. No other state — including her own, Ford admitted in a thick New York accent — has that.

It’s a rarity for a democratic nation not to support a parent’s choice for Catholic education, Ford said.

“We tell people you have the right to send your child to a religious school, but you have to do it on your own,” Ford said. “That’s why I’m so glad you got that tax credit.”

Despite her credentials and experience, Ford often drew on other sources, including a 2003 U.S. Department of Education report showing that children are “hardwired” for moral and spiritual meaning, and Pope Benedict XVI, to show the value of and need for a Catholic education.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted acknowledged the countless priests and religious women who have impacted more than half a million Catholic school alumni in Phoenix alone. He identified so many religious orders that have served Phoenix over the last 40 years that the bishop said only God could keep track of them all.

“Without our women religious, our Catholic schools wouldn’t exist and can’t be the beacon of light that they are today,” the bishop added.

Many local Catholics would also agree that the diocese’s schools wouldn’t be where they are today without help from The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.

The charitable trust has invested more than $32.5 million over the last eight years in diocesan schools. Recent projects include $8 million worth of health and safety improvements at 25 elementary schools.

“The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is a name that is perfectly synonymous with hope,” said MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent for the diocese. “Hope lives and it flourishes in every one of our Catholic schools. Make no mistake about it.”

She named the charitable trust as this year’s Guardian of Hope Award recipient for its steady and immeasurable commitment to Catholic education. Judy Jolley Mohraz, president and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the board of trustees.

Virginia G. Piper never had children of her own, so investing in schools was her way of embracing children, Jolley Mohraz said.

And while largely absent from the Night of Hope — save the 50 or so students who served as greeters, ushers and mini emcees — students crafted handmade thank you notes for each guest.

“It’s cool so many people came tonight,” said Ethan Lee, a seventh-grader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Scottsdale.