January 8, 2020

Pope Francis Preparatory School receives $2 million gift from anonymous donor

REGIONAL
Staff report

(Catholic Communications file photo/Fred LeBlanc)

SPRINGFIELD – Pope Francis Preparatory School (Pope Francis Prep) has received a $2 million gift from an anonymous alumnus. The gift, one of the largest single gifts received in the history of Pope Francis Prep and its legacy schools, Cathedral High School (CHS) and Holyoke Catholic High School, will support the school’s operational budget and is unrestricted, allowing Pope Francis Prep to direct the funds to its highest priorities and areas of impact.

“We are honored and deeply grateful to this donor for such generosity,” said Paul Harrington, head of school. “A gift of this magnitude is transformative for Pope Francis Prep. To provide our school with such a generous gift, demonstrates this donor’s confidence in Catholic education and our potential for even greater positive impact on students’ lives and of those they will affect in the future.”

The unrestricted gift will be the founding donation for the Pope Francis Preparatory School Legacy Fund and will be maintained in an investment account owned by Pope Francis Preparatory School and managed by Merrill Lynch.

 “Although the donor wishes to remain anonymous, we believe their story may reflect that of many of the school’s alumni and supporters who found their Catholic education to be the pivotal foundation for success in their lives,” said Harrington. The school learned through the foundation representing the donor, that the donor very much valued the Catholic education at Cathedral High School and credits it to having opened many doors throughout their life.

Daniel Fenton, CHS ’09, the school’s director of development, called the donor “inspirational” and noted that as Catholic-educated alumni, there is no better way to honor the legacy of one’s own education than to ensure the sustainability of Catholic secondary education for future generations.

“A gift of this magnitude is the ultimate expression of confidence and trust in our school, its mission, its financial management, our leadership, and our vision for the future,” said Fenton.

The gift will provide Pope Francis Prep with a solid financial foundation as an independent Catholic institution governed by its own board of directors, and will join the ranks of numerous supporters making gifts to the school’s annual fund each year.

For more information about P ope Francis Preparatory School and its history, visit popefrancisprep.org.