Thank you for giving!
As many of you may know, OLQM is experiencing a financial crisis. It is imperative that school raise a substantial amount of money or risk the possibility of closing. Please read the text below and give generously! Please contact our School Board President, Thereassa McDaniel at
thereassa.mcdaniel@colfin.com or the front office (see the link to the right).
"Catholic parents are reminded of their duty to send their children to Catholic schools wherever this is possible, to give schools all the support in their power, and to cooperate with them in their work for the good of their children"
- Declaration on Christian Education, Vatican II
There is a crisis in our Catholic schools, and many of you reading this may not even be aware of it. A wave of Catholic school closings has swept the country, leaving empty building where once stood proud anchors of the Catholic community. In 1965, 13,300 Catholic schools dotted the country, enrolling 5.6 million students, but by 2007, the number of Catholic schools in the U.S. has fallen to 7,500, with a total enrollment of just 2.3 million students. In other words, even though the overall Catholic population has doubled since '65, the number of Catholic students has basically been cut in half!
Sadly, this trend has made its way to Montgomery , Alabama where parents and staff recently learned that their beloved school, Our Lady Queen of Mercy, would not last another year. The news was greeted with a great deal of sadness, not just because another Catholic school had to close its doors, but because this one is special. Something sets this one apart from the rest. A minute or two at the school would quickly reveal there is a strong traditional faith that thrives within each classroom - definitely something special in this day and age!
Our Lady Queen of Mercy is a small parish school serving 80-100 students in grades K-6. Without question, the education a child receives is top notch, with the majority of valedictorians of the local Catholic high school being O.L.Q.M. graduates. However impressive the academics may be, it is the rock-solid and vibrant faith present in our school that has been the true gift of Queen of Mercy for over 40 years. Whether it's the Living Rosary, May Crowning, the celebration of Holy Days, school-wide benediction, or just the daily prayers and catechism – Queen of Mercy is a living example of what most Catholic schools once were, and what all should strive to be.
So why is it closing? It's a simple matter of finances. Montgomery has a Catholic population of just over 3%, and new students are hard to come by. It takes a surprising amount of money these days to run a competitive school, and Queen of Mercy just can't generate enough tuition income to meet the costs. This is why we are asking for your help. A little bit of charity on your part will go a long way to keeping this Catholic school's doors open. The crisis in Catholic school closings is certainly alarming, but it doesn't have to continue. Please donate and know that you have helped to turn the tide, and spared this one little school. God bless you and your family.
Listed below are some other opportunities for giving to our childrens' education. There a variety of ways; hopefully, a few will fit the needs of your family. Again, thank you for giving to such a worthy cause.
