By Marie Mulvenna

The Catholic High School Scholarship Fund of the Archdiocese of Atlanta was initiated this past week with the presentation of a check in the amount of $1,000 to Father Daniel J. O’Connor, secretary for education for the archdiocese. The check, donated anonymously, is to be used for graduates of Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school who wish to attend a Catholic high school of their choice.

Father O’Connor stated that the fund, established by the archdiocesan board of education, “is to guarantee that there will be a fund into which individuals interested in the continuation of Catholic high school education might make donations of any amount, and with whatever stipulations they desire.” Father said the fund would be kept by the Department of Catholic Education and contributions of any denomination would be welcomed. Father explained that, as the cost of high school education rises, “we feel that more and more students will need assistance of this sort.”

In addition to the Our Lady of Lourdes donation, Father O’Connor announced that another contribution to the scholarship fund had been made by an anonymous donor as a memorial to John McQuaid, son of Samuel McQuaid, the first chairman of the archdiocesan board of education. Young McQuaid attended Our Lady of the Assumption school and St. Pius X High School and was killed in an automobile accident in October 1972. The donated amount of $100 will be applied to the tuition account of any student presently attending one of the archdiocesan high schools, with the award being determined by the recommendation of the high school principal and at the discretion of the secretary for education.

Father O’Connor said he was pleased at the initial scholarships now part of the scholarship fund, and added “this fund will provide support for Catholic parochial or public school students to attend a Catholic high school of their choice.”

“We hope that in the future, as the fund grows, no student in our archdiocese will be deprived of a Catholic high school education because of lack of funds,” Father stated, adding he hoped additional amounts, of any size, would be contributed to increase the current scholarship fund, thus enabling it to benefit more students within the archdiocese.

Persons wishing additional information, or those wishing to contribute to the fund, may contact Father O’Connor’s office at the Catholic Center.