Jack and Peggy Crowe received a blessing from the community of St. Giles School in Oak Park in thanks for their donation of $1 million to the Jack and Peggy Crowe Catholic Education Endowment Fund on Dec. 13. (Julie Jaidinger/Chicago Catholic)
St. Giles School in Oak Park announced the creation of the Jack and Peggy Crowe Catholic Education Endowment Fund with a $1 million donation from the Crowes, who are both graduates of the school. Jack Crowe is a 1942 graduate of St. Giles School and his wife, Peggy Toohey Crowe, is a 1948 graduate. “We are thrilled and grateful to the Crowes for their generosity. This transformational gift is the largest in the history of our school,” said Beth Linnen, director of development for St. Giles. “Through the Catholic Education Endowment Fund, the Crowes are giving back to help other families receive a Catholic education like they did. The future of Catholic education depends on this kind of support from alumni of our schools.” The endowment fund will provide need-based tuition assistance to families who may not otherwise be able to send their children to St. Giles School. The number of families in need of tuition assistance has risen significantly in recent years, requiring St. Giles School to make difficult decisions about allocating the historically limited funds available for assistance. “Our mission is to partner with families and provide a high quality Catholic education to all who desire one,” said Nancy Zver, principal. “In the past, our resources have limited the number of families we were able to support in their wish to secure a place in the supportive and rigorous educational environment St. Giles School provides. This visionary gift made by Mr. and Mrs. Crowe will help the school mission be realized for many more dedicated families long into our future, solidifying the foundation of an already vibrant and vital school.”
St. Bede School in Ingleside to close despite massive fundraising Father George Koeune, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes Parish and St. Bede School in Ingleside, announced on March 21 that St. Bede School would close at the end of this school year because of low registration for next school year.
St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero to remain open St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero received welcome news March 6 when the Archdiocese of Chicago announced that the school, which was slated to close in June, would remain open.
Marian’s Sister Mary Jo using newfound fame to talk about God Before she was a sister, Sister Mary Jo Sobieck was an athlete. Sister Mary Jo, 50, started playing softball, basketball and volleyball in elementary school, and she was a three-sport athlete all through high school and her first two years of college. She dropped basketball for her final two years, but stuck with softball and volleyball.