Catholic schools offer new scholarship program

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SALT LAKE CITY – A new program recently launched in the Diocese of Salt Lake City aims to help provide a Catholic education for all Utah Catholic families who live within commuting distance of a Catholic school. The Pastor’s Promise scholarship offers Catholic families 60 percent off tuition for one year for their children.

Although Utah Catholic Schools offer a Catholic education to more than 4,200 students, the majority of Catholic students are not enrolled in Catholic schools, Superintendent Mark Longe said. Diocesan officials hope that these scholarships being offered in parishes in the Salt Lake, Ogden and Tooele areas will help Catholic families overcome the hurdles that have led them to enroll their children elsewhere.

“Along with providing a superior academic education to our Catholic children, our Catholic schools are able to offer daily instruction in Catholic theology, Church teachings, history and traditions,” Bishop Oscar A. Solis wrote in an introduction of the program to pastors in the diocese. “The teachings of Christ are emphasized not only in religion class but are routinely incorporated in every aspect of the child’s day at school. An all-encompassing orientation towards Christ and his teachings enable the formation of solid Catholic morals, values and behaviors very early in a child’s life.”

Providing children with a Catholic education means more than offering them superior academic opportunities, Bishop Solis said.

“Our Catholic children will be our Catholic leaders of tomorrow. They bring a vibrancy to our faith that is infectious,” he said. He encouraged local families and pastors to participate in the scholarship program so that “the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be an ever-greater source of life and light in the lives of our children and their families as well as a beacon of hope to those they encounter.”

While the available openings vary from school to school, most, if not all, families who would like to take advantage of this program could be accommodated, Longe said.

Under the Pastor’s Promise scholarship, tuition will be $260 per month for 12 months for elementary and middle school students and $360 per month for 12 months for high school students. The rate will not exceed $1,000 per month for families with three or more children. In addition to the reduced tuition offered through the scholarships, families may be able to qualify to obtain additional financial assistance depending on their circumstances.

The scholarships are also being offered to families who have had children enrolled in Catholic schools in the past but who have been out of the system for at least one year. All participating students will be required to go through the regular application process, which includes an educational assessment exam.

Pastors in the participating parishes have been provided scholarship certificates to dispense to interested families. They have been encouraged to let families in their parishes know about this opportunity through phone calls, announcements at Mass, bulletins and newsletters. However, with pandemic conditions, not all interested families may be reached through these means, so Longe encourages parents to reach out to their pastors.

“In the Catholic schools, first and foremost our mission is to educate Catholic students in their faith,” Longe said. “Our goal is to assist parents in their baptismal obligation and promise to educate their children in the Catholic faith. That’s why this program is specific in many ways to those active Catholic families that are participating in parishes.”

 “The value of a Catholic education is that we educate the whole child in a caring and loving  environment,” he added. “We believe that Christ is present in our school and because Christ is present in our school his love emanates in that community. So, as that student walks through that front door, they encounter Christ’s love in the people they come in contact with on a daily basis. We don’t look to just educate our students for the sake of education. Our purpose is to teach them their Catholic faith and to be able to take that faith out and really transform the world once they leave us.”

There are 16 accredited Catholic schools along the Wasatch Front. A complete list of schools in the diocese may be found on p. 16 or at www.utahcatholicschools.org.