Letter from the President

Dear Cor Jesu Community, Time. Talent. Treasure. I imagine any Catholic can give some version of the homily by heart —the importance of giving what we can, where we can has been engrained in us from a young age. And in the Cor Jesu community, especially, it seems that homily has resonated.

I have been at Cor Jesu now two full years, every month of which has been a little different. Yet, this community has remained simultaneously steady and nimble, ready to respond to changing circumstances and rise to the occasion. Take, for example, our Strategic Plan. We evaluate and renew our Strategic Plan every five years, creating benchmarks that are both attune to our institutional goals and sensitive to the times in which we live. In creating this plan, we have been blessed with the time and talent of two extraordinary alumnae, Laurie Hunsicker Phillips ‘88 and Lauren Schwartze Wanner ‘05. Working with consultants from Partners in Mission, these women led our community through an exceptionally engaging process, one that encouraged participation from all constituencies and demanded a depth of dialogue I had never experienced as a school leader. While we are still drafting the action items that will result from this exercise, I invite you to learn more about the process and where it stands as we embark on the next five years at Cor Jesu Academy, excited to Shine Forward (p. 26). As we worked through the strategic plan, we had moments in which we felt called to act with urgency. One was in the creation of the RISE program. RISE which stands for Readiness, Integrity, Spirituality and Empowerment, is a program for underserved middle school girls. It came about thanks to the generous financial support of the Boniface Foundation and the persistence of dedicated faculty and staff. I have no doubt it will be successful considering the passion of its director (meet Galicia Guerrero on p. 8), the drive of the students it will enroll and the ongoing support of our generous community. Neither of these endeavors would have come to fruition without you. Your commitments of time, talent and treasure continue to leave me in awe. Thank you for showing up with what you can, where you are able. The numbers that help illustrate this last year provide us an objective standard. The experience of seeing you in our halls, at open houses, reunions and receptions offer more subjective insight. By both markers, we are blessed to reflect on an exceptional 12 months and offer our gratitude to those who made it possible. To those who gave in some way for the first time—I thank you. For those who continue to show up, year after year—I thank you. Your gifts are making a profound impact on the lives of the young women at Cor Jesu Academy. We consider ourselves blessed that when you have time, talent or treasure to give, you choose us, enabling us to rise up and meet the needs of our wonderful students. Sincerely in Christ,

Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, Ph.D.

Cor Jesu Academy President