Spring Brings Life to Our Community - Archbishop Prendergast ...

Letter from the EditorDear Archbishop PrendergastAlumnae and friends,Can you remember receiving yourclass ring? When I first arrived atPrendie I was overwhelmed withthe importance and relevance of thePrendie Ring. By every account thosewho wear the ring share a specialdistinction – seeing the ring worn says,“I am Prendie”. Wolfgang AmadeusMozart offered,” Neither a lofty degreeof intelligence nor imagination nor bothtogether go to the making of genius.Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”I feel a twinge of envy when I seethe unmistakable love within your specialsorority that transcends a specificclass and begets a bond of immediatebelonging to this sisterhood. Perhapseach day I witness genius!We live in rapidly changing times andfind the benefit of a solid Catholic educationmay be the most precious giftwe can afford the next generation ofCatholic leaders. What does it take today?The same thing it took going backwhen Prendie began in 1953, dedicatedfamilies, faculty and staff and oh yes,financial support from the worshippingcommunities. This combination,working together to serve and formthe individual student betters our entiresociety. These kids get it; as Sociologistsreport, the millennial generation wantsto fix what is wrong in our/their world.Prendie empowers its girls to do so.What has changed is the source ofcommunity support. No longer dothe parishes or Pastors, it is You, ourPrendie family, that assists most incontinuing to insure that TraditionsLive Here! Tuition fees fall far belowfinancial requirements. The internalPresident’s budget includes additionalstudent fees and fund raising initiativeslike Annual Appeal, capital campaign,chance drives, pay to play and participationfees plus other worthy effortsto fund scholarships and financial aid.You can adopt-a-student, channel EITCfunding and support potential voucherprograms. Special events bring ustogether as a worshipping communityand yield a modest surplus of revenue.Each makes a difference and togetherStudent Council Officers & Advancement Director. left to right; Alicia Pescatore (Sec.),Jahira Longcrier (V.P.), Jim Catrambone, Catherine Goldschmidt (Pres.),and Jackie Washco (Tres.)these programs can add up to solvency.To some it is shocking to hear thattuition and school fees equal morethan $6,200 a year. When you readthat Camden New Jersey schools costsits state more than $16,000/child, haspoor attendance and a graduationrate at ~ 30% , Prendie is a significantbargain! As such we continue to bechallenged in raising stretch goalslike $500,000 above our originalplanned Annual Fund objectivesof some $200,000.This March the class of 2012 receivedtheir class rings. Either I am quite impressionableor too new to the Prendieexperience because, to me, this was anextraordinary night! Students arrivedin exceptional dress and beautifulattire. I commented that if I could getall these girls to walk on my lawn withthose high heels, my lawn would becompletely aerated for spring seeding!More seriously, these are the preciousmoments that can only occur in a singlegender school. In some ways, somethings could only happen at Prendie.Under the tons of pictures, dancing andfood, showing off of the classic Prendiering was a subliminal love shared bythose gathered. As the dance’s conclusionneared, without provocation orrequest, the girls sang in unison, ana cappella version of “We are the Bodyof Christ.” Though some think thisoccurrence is not common place. I bidyou,it is here at Prendie! Join me in continuingto make a profound difference intheir lives and our world.Every year provides its own uniqueset of objectives and challenges andthis year seems more critical. I remainextremely confident that with the helpof God, the strength of our collectiveprayers, the intercession of St. KatharineDrexel, the discipline to focus on ourmission, and perhaps most importantly,your consideration, we togetherwill begin to reach the highest destinyto which He is calling ArchbishopPrendergast.I thank you deeply for making Prendiean important consideration in your life.As well, I invite you to continue yoursupport of our mission in all ways thatmight make you feel good about givingto Archbishop Prendergast.Blessings and every good wish,Jim CatramboneDirector of Institutional Advancement4