How I Turned Out

Affording Tuition
I really wish our state provided the $1000 tax deduction for families who send their children to private or parochial schools. It would really have been the fair way to go. When you consider how high school taxes are, a lot of thanks go to our Catholic schools who educate thousands of children on Long Island with no extra cost to the tax payer.
So the $1000 of state tax relief would make it easier for more families to send their children to Catholic Schools. But that proposal keeps getting stuck in Albany.
So our church is trying to do something to help families afford tuition in Catholic schools. The Diocese of Rockville Centre now provides scholarship money through the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation. Many of the families in our parish will be eligible.
Stop in during our Catholic School’s Week events and find out more.

e-mail Father Ralph:

Past Columns:
January 20: Being Safer
January 13: Conversations in 2008
January 6: Matthew's Magi
December 30: Matthew's Magi
Christmas 2007 Homily
December 23:Joseph Awoke

Columns from 2007

Columns from 2006

Columns from 2005

Columns from 2004

Columns from 2003

Columns from 2002

Columns from 2001


		January 27, 2007 How I Turned Out
Affording Tuition I really wish our state provided the $1000 tax deduction for families who send their children to private or parochial schools. It would really have been the fair way to go. When you consider how high school taxes are, a lot of thanks go to our Catholic schools who educate thousands of children on Long Island with no extra cost to the tax payer. So the $1000 of state tax relief would make it easier for more families to send their children to Catholic Schools. But that proposal keeps getting stuck in Albany. So our church is trying to do something to help families afford tuition in Catholic schools. The Diocese of Rockville Centre now provides scholarship money through the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation. Many of the families in our parish will be eligible. Stop in during our Catholic School’s Week events and find out more. e-mail Father Ralph: Past Columns: January 20: Being Safer January 13: Conversations in 2008 January 6: Matthew's Magi December 30: Matthew's Magi Christmas 2007 Homily December 23:Joseph Awoke Columns from 2007 Columns from 2006 Columns from 2005 Columns from 2004 Columns from 2003 Columns from 2002 Columns from 2001	The other day I heard that the Catholic elementary school I attended when I was a boy raised its tuition rates by another $50. How times have changed. When I went to that school, the tuition for the ENTIRE YEAR was only $50! Now it costs a lot more to send a child to Catholic elementary school and Catholic High School. But I know that I wouldn’t have turned out the way I did without the education and formation I received as a student in a Catholic school. At the time, I lived in a village where the public schools were among the finest on Long Island -- and indeed they offered classes and extra-curricular activities that our parish school could never afford to offer. Yet my parents strongly believed that the church community was the best place for me and my sisters and brother as we grew up. (They were quite right -- look how I turned out!) Today, St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope School offers more than my school ever did. The kinds of technology, arts, sports, special services, field trips, partnerships with colleges, etc. are enriching our children’s education. And the academic results are something to be proud of, when you look at the results of the state tests. Our school is accredited by Middle States Association. Our children attend classes in a safe and caring environment. Yet, for me, the value of enrolling children in our school goes far beyond excellence in academics. Families have come to know that from the time their children are in pre-school, through their early years of learning the basics, to the socially and emotionally challenging middle school years, their children are nurtured by our church family. The things that matter so much to moms and dads (and grandparents) -- seeing their children develop as happy, self-confident, caring, generous, creative, spiritual, hopeful young people -- these are the things that our school community fosters. Our principal, Paul Clagnaz, our teachers and staff, have dedicated their lives to God and our children. The work they do is not a “job”, but a response to a call to be in partnership with families in forming our children. Yes, it costs more than $50 for a Catholic School education. But what a value there is in enrolling our children in our school!