By Kathi Stearns, Staff Writer

ROSWELL—A multi-foundation scholarship fund of approximately $1 million has been established to assist up to 350 students to attend Blessed Trinity and Our Lady of Mercy High Schools.

The scholarships of $750 each are available to assist currently enrolled and prospective high school students in both the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 school years at the two new Catholic high schools.

The scholarship fund was announced Friday, June 16 by Archbishop John F. Donoghue during a press conference at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell. Our Lady of Mercy High School is in Fairburn.

“The generosity of these multi-foundation gifts will assist families with some of the financial burdens that come when parents make the decision to send their children to these new Catholic high schools,” said Archbishop Donoghue. “My hope is that these scholarships will financially assist high school students who are committed to an educational system that is as uncompromising in its academic excellence as it is in the teaching of the Catholic faith.”

The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia made a contribution of $600,000 to the effort. Msgr. Edward Dillon, acting president of the Catholic Foundation, said that he hoped the foundation’s gift would be a strong vote of confidence in the archdiocese’s decision to open Catholic high schools in the area. The contribution was approved by the donor family and foundation board members, according to the archbishop.

“With the addition of the new high schools that are opening for the 2000 school year, metropolitan Atlanta is blessed with a remarkable number of high quality Catholic schools and the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, working with two Atlanta-based foundations, is determined to assist as many students as it can, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to experience the incredible college preparatory high school education that is now being offered,” Msgr. Dillon said on behalf of the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia.

Additional funding for the scholarship fund is being provided by the Katherine John Murphy Foundation and the Hanna Family Foundation.

Blessed Trinity, a 1,000-student school, and Our Lady of Mercy, a 500-student school, are opening this fall with ninth grade and possibly tenth grade if there are sufficient sophomore applicants.

The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia is an independently governed nonprofit corporation focused upon Catholic causes throughout North Georgia. The board of directors consists of six people who are appointed by the archbishop to work with the foundation’s assets to insure that gifts are handled in accordance with the donor’s wishes and that endowment funds are carefully invested. The members of this board make recommendations to the archbishop who has final approval of all disbursements. According to Archbishop Donoghue, the structure of the board was reconfigured earlier this year since the terms of its past members had expired.

The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia was established in 1992 by Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, to provide a source of endowment income for the ongoing work of the archdiocese.

Msgr. Dillon is serving as acting president of the foundation until the newly appointed board meets for a formal election. According to Msgr. Dillon, the foundation has approximately $12 million in assets.

Donald T. Sasso, Secretary for Education, said that hundreds of students stand to benefit from these scholarships.

“Catholic schools stand for a tradition of excellence and our newest schools complement that tradition with cutting-edge technology and facilities that are truly designed to meet the future needs of students and faculty. This pledge by three foundations will be leveraged with tuition assistance funds to ensure that we can provide this opportunity to as many students as possible. While many of the long established Catholic schools have waiting lists, our newest schools offer an opportunity for qualified applicants to immediately benefit from a remarkable educational experience. The decision by the foundations to additionally provide scholarships to the students already enrolled in the two designated high schools is a gracious acknowledgment of the dedication of those families who were prepared to enroll their children even before the schools were fully constructed.”

Scholarships will be available to qualified Catholics and non-Catholics alike for the two new high schools. The scholarships are being administered by Catholic Education of North Georgia, Inc. Tuition at the high schools has been set at $6,500.

In addition to the new scholarships, tuition assistance is available to assist active Catholic families through an endowment fund administered by the Department of Catholic Education.

The application process for both high schools is ongoing. Applications to the high schools and tuition assistance applications can be obtained by calling (404) 888-7833.