3 minute read
Setting the PACE for Our Youth
The Providing Access to Catholic Education (PACE) Program Opens the Door for More Students to Grow in Knowledge and Faith
Connor Geraghty grew up attending Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school in the Archdiocese of Seattle. He received a formative education and a love of learning, a love of the art and craft of teaching, and eventually a love of Catholic school leadership.
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“I’ve been a recipient of this incredible gift that my parents sacrificed for, and I know what it has done in my life and the foundation that has been built through Catholic education,” Mr. Geraghty says. “I also know that the door isn’t open for everyone considering the cost of Catholic education, and I have always been aware of that.”
The Providing Access to Catholic Education program, or PACE, could radically change who has access to this education, for the goal of PACE is to fully fund our Catholic school through the stewardship of our parishioners.
“As a parish school, we are the last ministry not fully funded by the parish,” Mr. Geraghty says. “The goal for PACE is to build and create a model that results in the funding of our Catholic school without charging tuition. It is a natural extension of who we are as a stewardship parish. It is a big extension, but a natural one.”
The goal of PACE is to fully fund our Catholic school through the stewardship of our parishioners.
In 2018, Fr. Jim Lee commissioned a task force to create a working plan to lead the faith community toward this goal. The task force has seven components and a timeline that keeps its members moving forward to the goal, which is fully funding Saint Michael Parish School by 2026.
“That goal is not an arbitrary one because it was part of our parish’s strategic plan,” Mr. Geraghty says. “One of our initiatives was to fully fund Catholic education, and this is the means to get there. We’re on track with the timeline and the next steps are focusing on inspiring our parish with this awesome vision.”
Some steps have already been made toward this goal. In the last 10 years, the school had raised tuition three to six percent each year, but last year, it was only a one-and-a-halfpercent increase. This next year, tuition rates are frozen.
“That means a zero-percent increase, and that is fairly unprecedented in Catholic education,” Mr. Geraghty says. “Now we’re going to reduce tuition annually until tuition is fully funded in 2026. It is the culmination of Fr. Jim’s vision and heart of stewardship. It has been a dream of his for many years.”
PACE is our parish’s commitment to both stewardship and Catholic education, and how those two interact. For Mr. Geraghty, Catholic education led him into Catholic school leadership and being part of the formation of young people on their stewardship journeys.
“I feel that being the Principal at Saint Michael Parish School is really the culmination of this experience of being a student in Catholic education,” Mr. Geraghty says. “I certainly feel called to give back in the same archdiocese that shaped my own faith. This is a privilege.”
The Providing Access to Catholic Education program, or PACE, could radically change who has access to Catholic education.
This fall, the communications team for the PACE task force will be leading the way in increasing visibility and sharing information with the faith community through videos, testimonies, and other means.
“It’s entering more of a public phase where we’ve done a lot of the behind-the-scenes work,” Mr. Geraghty says. “Now we want to connect with the parishioners and invite them publicly into this vision so that, together, we can make this a reality.”
Look for more details about PACE and about how our faith community is embarking on a new journey that will hopefully offer other parishes and schools a model of radically living stewardship.
“We have this goal of accessibility, to open the doors wider, and to welcome more parishioners so that they can see Catholic education as an option,” Mr. Geraghty says. “To be part of that is an honor, and I pray that we can see this to the finish line.”
PACE is our parish’s commitment to both stewardship and Catholic education, and how those two interact.
