Auxiliary Bishop Edward Rice from the Archdiocese of St. Louis celebrated Mass Friday morning, April 4, 2014 at the Church of Ste. Genevieve with the Valle Catholic student body and members of the Ste. Genevieve community. He spoke of the importance of Catholic education and thanked the entire assembly for their generosity to Catholic Church of St. Louis. A key point in Bishop Rice’s message was to the love that Jesus has for each of us and the time spent getting to know Him is an important component to Catholic education.
At the conclusion of Mass, Bishop Rice presented a check from the ACA (Annual Catholic Appeal) to Valle Catholic for $135,000. The check was accepted by Archbishop John May Service Award Winner, Morgan Mueller. Morgan is the daughter of Tom and Jennifer Mueller.
Bishop Rice acknowledged ACA Essay winners: Nathan Zerwig, son of Steve and Sherrie Zerwig; Allison Drury daughter of Chris and Connie Drury; and Maria Hermann, daughter of Jerry and Vicki Hermann, all juniors at Valle Catholic High School.
Brian Niebrugge, ACA, Father Greg Klump, Associate Pastor, Bishop Edward Rice,
Fr. Dennis Schmidt, Pastor Church of Ste. Genevieve
Allison Drury, Maria Hermann, Nathan Zerwig, Morgan Mueller, Dr. Mark Gilligan
Archdiocesan representative, Brian Niebrugge, shared the importance of the Annual Catholic Appeal and the good works the appeal supports throughout the Archdiocese. Approximately 91 cents of every dollar raised goes back into the community in the form of direct services. The ACA is held each spring in nearly 200 parishes. Catholics make pledges to support programs for people of all faith traditions that assist the homeless, the hungry, and families seeking an education for their children. Scholarships for students in Catholic schools, tuition grants, and support for teachers’ salaries are provided through the Appeal. Resources for pro-life programs, assistance for women and their babies, and family counseling are also made available.
The goal for the 2013 ACA was $12.5 million. Due to the more than $500,000 in additional support from estate gifts to the Appeal and the company portion of matched gifts, the total impact of the Appeal was over $14.7 million.The additional funds were used to support the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis and the Basilica of St. Louis King of France (Old Cathedral).
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ACA Student-produced video:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=587134098045322