Celebrating and Supporting Catholic Education

FACE Annual Scholarship Dinner

On Wednesday, November 2nd, over 400 friends, supporters, Catholic school students, faculty, and staff attended the 28th annual Foundation to Advance Catholic Education (FACE) Fall Scholarship Dinner at White’s of Westport.
 

A dedicated Fall Scholarship Dinner Committee led by John Feitelberg, President of HUB International, and Janna Lafrance, of Lafrance Hospitality, worked together and remarkably raised over $300,000 in support of FACE student scholarships.
As part of the evening’s events, I presented the Timothy J. Cotter Friend of Catholic Education Award to Sandra Sevigney in recognition of her tremendous leadership and unwavering support of our Catholic schools. Sandi was instrumental in fundraising for St. Mary’s Education Fund (which preceded FACE), was a FACE board member, and chaired the FACE Fall Dinner event from 2014-2016.

This year’s guest Speaker, New England Patriots 3X Super Bowl Champion and Team Captain Devin McCourty, spoke about his Catholic school experiences and how they helped shape his strong faith, his life, and his career. McCourty said, “had it not been for financial aid from my high school my success story might not have happened. It is great when you get to support causes, not only that you believe in, but what you benefitted from. Putting me in that environment as a kid brought out the best of me and taught me a lot of discipline and ways to become a good human being,” McCourty continued. “If I could help out young people to get that opportunity, I want to be there to help them out.” It was a great honor to have Devin McCourty with us, especially with his great witness to the benefits of not only receiving a Catholic education but also assisting others to receive one as well.
I concluded the evening with a prayer and by inviting an excited group of student volunteers to present McCourty with a special photo collage representing each school in the Diocese of Fall River as a small token of their appreciation for believing in FACE’s mission and being part of this special annual event. For more information about the Foundation to Advance Catholic Education and to make a donation, please go to www.FACE-dfr.org

Rediscover Catholic Schools

Devin McCourty’s testimony of the blessings associated with a Catholic Education is just one of the many that exist from students attending Catholic schools since the first Catholic school in America opened in Philadelphia in 1783. The Diocese of Fall River Catholic Schools Alliance has been busy collecting many such testimonies on their Rediscover Catholic Schools webpage. I invite you to visit and read them here: www.RediscoverCatholicSchools.org
 

As part of our Diocesan Catholic Schools Week campaign coming in January 2023, the Catholic Schools Office has been visiting all the schools in the Diocese, collecting images, including outdoor and drone footage, which they were able to capture this week thanks to the beautiful weather. We look forward to seeing it all come together early next year. In the meantime, above is a sneak peek from their filming sessions.

Honoring Veterans

On Friday, November 11, the nation will celebrate Veterans Day. In honor of their service and sacrifice, I ask you to take a moment to remember our veterans with a prayer. 

A Prayer for Veterans

Help us, dear God, to see your face in every Veteran we encounter.

Guide us as we imagine new ways to support Veterans and their families.

Bring healing and peace to all who have been wounded physically, mentally, and spiritually during wartime.

Help us bring your saving grace to heal the invisible wounds of war.

We ask this in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

 
Yours in Christ,
Bishop da Cunha

O Reverendíssimo Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., D.D.

The Bishop of Fall River