THE GOOD
NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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| OKLAHOMA CITY ARCHDIOCESE |
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| from November 21, 2004 Archbishop Hosts Annual Parish Council Meeting A Show of Support
By Ray Dyer The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it. Mother
Teresa Father Robert Wood admits he wasn’t really being serious when he threw out the figure of $250,000 in response to the question of how much did he think his parish would contribute to the Mount Saint Mary High School endowment effort. It was December of 2003 and the announcement had just been made that the Sisters of Mercy and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City would each contribute $2 million toward establishment of the endowment with the understanding The Mount must also pitch in $2 million. No timetable was established for the Mount Saint Mary community to make good on its part of the deal, but even so, how big of a hill could a school that was teetering on the brink of closure really expect to climb? Even with the support from the Sisters and the archdiocese, raising $2 million still seemed like a pretty tall order. Apparently, the people of Saint James Parish believe it’s a hill worth climbing. The last weekend of October Father Wood, at each of his three Masses, tossed the challenge to his parishioners to generously support Mount Saint Mary High School. His plea, described by one parishioner as “impassioned” included the fact that Saint James School sends more students to The Mount than any other Catholic school. And after all, according to Father Wood, “there is no better youth ministry than our Catholic Schools.” Absolutely nothing compares, he said. Convincing points, and how does one argue with a priest who believes so strongly and passionately in his message. But even Father Wood admits he had no idea the response to his plea would be so overwhelming.
Father Wood said that kind of response is worth a round of applause and that’s exactly what he instructed his fellow Catholics at Saint James to give themselves- and they did. “This parish is absolutely wonderful,” Father Wood said. “Just absolutely wonderful. The truly wonderful part is this money was given so joyfully. I’m very proud of this parish. It takes a generous heart to give to something when you might not see a direct result from that gift.” Jim Durbin, director of development for MSM, was in agreement. Himself a Saint James parishioner, Durbin said the support from the parish for the high school has been fantastic. He said the Saint James campaign puts Mount Saint Mary close to the half waypoint in terms of reaching the $2 million match. Durbin said Mount Saint Mary allocates more than 10 percent of its operating budget to tuition assistance for those students who would be unable to attend without some sort of financial help. He and Father Wood emphasized how pleased they are that the Saint James contribution will help ensure the tuition assistance program remains solid and in time should actually increase. And Durbin said once the $6 million endowment is in place, The Mount will begin looking forward to new construction, renovation and the addition of new programs. “The future for Mount Saint Mary High School looks very bright,” Father Wood said. More than 90 percent of Mount Saint Mary grads go on to college or university. The student body is a mix of cultures with 60 percent being Caucasian, 21 percent Hispanic, 5 percent Asian, 4 percent Native American, 3 percent African American and 7 percent other ethnicities. Durbin said The Mount attracts students from throughout the Oklahoma City area, including Edmond and Norman, while almost 25 percent of the student population commutes from towns such as Purcell, Choctaw, Yukon, El Reno, Guthrie and Harrah. Father Wood said he prays for the day when the many Catholic students who live in the neighborhoods surrounding Mount Saint Mary High School can afford to attend the school. He said the Catholic faith is dominant in south Oklahoma City because of the large Hispanic population. It’s a point not lost on the leadership at MSM, which has worked hard in partnership with the Sisters of Mercy to develop outreach programs for the Hispanic community. Durbin said those efforts will continue. He and Father Wood agreed they would like to see the Oklahoma City business community develop more of a relationship with Mount Saint Mary. Both men said the high school is a solid anchor for this area of the community and is vital to future progress. The Sisters of Mercy founded Mount Saint Mary in 1903 and it is considered the oldest high school in Oklahoma. Father Wood called it “one of the oldest Catholic icons in the state and said “we Catholics owe the sisters so much.” The good people at Saint James Parish
in south Oklahoma City obviously agree. Father Robert Wood and Jim Durbin
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Two
weeks later, on Nov. 12, 266 Saint James parishioners
had contributed or pledged to contribute right at $260,000
to the MSM endowment. If you add the $160,000 that was
committed early in the endowment campaign, again by
Saint James regulars, this one parish community has
contributed more than $450,000 to the MSM endowment
effort. The pledges will cover a three-year period.