A Message from the
President
Dear Alumni and Friends, For many of us, Fr. Richard Elmer, CSB ‘46 is one of the first priests who comes to mind when you think of Catholic Central. He was a student at CC, then a teacher, counselor, Athletic Director, Principal, Alumni Director, President, and finally, President Emeritus. He served Catholic Central for more than 60 years. It is not a stretch to say that he meant more to Catholic Central than almost any other individual has meant to a high school. Most importantly, he was a great priest. He loved celebrating the Eucharist, and for the last 10-15 years, he put all of his efforts into getting souls to heaven. Fr. Elmer was loved by countless people, and I am confident that his efforts to lead as many souls to heaven as possible will prove fruitful. Personally, he was one of the greatest people I have ever been blessed to know and call a friend. We thank him, will miss him, and ask him to keep praying for our wonderful school that he held so dear to his own heart. For those who may not know, Fr. Elmer is the biggest reason Catholic Central has found our home in Novi. He was the one who led the effort to relocate, and he started that project when he was 71 years young! He has raised a lot of money for Catholic Central using the term “velvet hammer,” a phrase that aptly described the man using it. We are proud to continue to build on his vision for Catholic Central and to move forward with developing this beautiful home he created for his alma mater. The new STEM addition highlighted in this issue is the next step in the master campus plan that will eventually look to touch on every aspect of student life, including other academic departments, athletics, the fine arts, student activities, and spirituality. These projects are being thoughtfully developed as we plan for our 100th Anniversary and as we continue our fundraising efforts. At his 90th birthday party (how fitting that Fr. Elmer and Catholic Central were both born in 1928), Fr. Elmer announced his birthday wish, which was to work ten more years for the Lord - to 100. While the good Lord saw fit to bring him home early, Fr. Elmer’s dream is now ours to fulfill. For our part in the Advancement Office, we continue to work toward the three goals of building our campus with the state-of-the-art facilities to offer the best educational experience possible, increasing teacher salaries, and building our endowment to make a CC education available to all deserving young men. As always, thank you for your prayers and financial support. We can only continue our mission with your help. Your fellow Shamrock,
Ed Turek ’85 President
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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT • WINTER 2022
