NACEPF Challenge
“I would like to thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate the money that you are donating for my education. St. Patrick Academy continues to change my life and it challenges me to be the best version of myself. Whether it’s education or faith, the teachers always push me to succeed. SPA helps us to have a deep connection with God both now and for the future. The teachers are so friendly and loving and their leadership inspires me and my classmates to live with good hearts.” - Thomas, Class of 2022
Once again, as is the tradition every fall, I prayerfully ask for your support. Please consider making a contribution to the 2021 NACEPF Challenge, a matching gift program sponsored by John and Barbara Primeau, founders of the North American Catholic Educational Programming Foundation, a lay entity. For every dollar contributed to SPA through December 31st, NACEPF will give an additional $1, up to $250,000!
The NACEPF Challenge is the most important fundraising campaign of the academic year. Your gift directly supports the St. Patrick Academy tuition assistance program AND it’s matched dollar-for-dollar by NACEPF!
Help a student who may be the first in her/his family to attend college. Put her/him on the path to achievement, self-determination, and economic self-sufficiency. Please give generously.
Remember, no student is turned away from St. Patrick Academy due to an inability to pay tuition. In the academic year, 2021/22, 81% of SPA students will pay $1,000 or less per student. The cost to educate a student at SPA is $12,800; the unfunded portion of the tuition is supported by contributions from donors like you.
If you have contributed to the NACEPF Challenge in the past, I thank you. Please continue to give. If you are new to the Challenge, we invite you to become a partner with SPA and NACEPF as we serve high school students from Rhode Island’s metropolitan area.
When I reflect on the last year, with the extraordinary challenges we faced due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans comes to mind, and specifically, Chapter 8, verses 18 and 28:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
I am happy to report that the 2021/22 academic year has begun with a greater sense of normalcy. We are exuberant to have all 85 students in the classroom enjoying a new freedom. However, we proceed with caution, adhering to the Rhode Island Department of Health's recommendation to wear masks in school and maintain a distance of 3 feet between students.
The last academic year was demanding, and although we are grateful for the use of technology in the form of Zoom and Google classroom, there’s nothing to compare to human interaction. During the height of the pandemic, the SPA campus remained open for students who needed to return to a more structured environment, and after 19 months of separation, it’s a blessing to come together again as a full community.
Please join me in welcoming our new principal, Mr. E. Christopher Myron, an accomplished administrator and teacher in Catholic education for 30 years. Chris served as the president and principal of Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River, MA, for 21 years before coming to SPA.
At the same time, we express our greatest gratitude to principal, Bruce Daigle, who retired in June after a decade of exemplary service to the Academy. During his tenure, Bruce fortified the mission of SPA with great faith and sound judgment.
Once again, thank you for your generous support of the NACEPF Challenge. May God bless you and keep you safe.
Rev. James T. Ruggieri
Pastor