The past year has truly been one of great blessings and great hope for the future. The new Board of Trustees for Saint Anselm's Abbey School came into being this past June, the governance of the school has moved into a President / Headmaster model and the search for a new headmaster is going well, and the renovations of the 1955 academic building are expected to be finished in June 2008. None of these things could have happen if it were not for your prayers, dedicated work, and financial gifts. Again, as St. Anselm's Abbey School approaches the end of 2007, it is my duty to write this letter asking for your help in our Annual Fund Drive.
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We have two futures: one is the future we prepare for; the other is the future that meets us. Simply speaking, we do not always know the future that God has in store for us. As carefully as we prepare for the future in terms of financial planning and long range budgetary concerns, there never seems to be enough money to go around to meet all the expenses for the school or our aging monks.
The Fall Scholarship Gala was a magnificent success, netting nearly $200,000. However, even after income from the endowment fund and other revenues allotted for scholarship are counted, the school still needs another $100,000 to meet our financial aid budget of $520,000. Also, our recent Renovation Fund raised another $335,000 in gifts and pledges. To this building fund, the school still needs another $70,000 to help pay for unexpected costs during the delayed renovations of the 1955 academic building. Incidentally, these improvements include remodeling the old theater into a new lecture / music room, and the old music room into a new science laboratory. Also, we have upgraded the front of the school by adding new administrative offices, and constructed ramps to meet the handicapped accessibility code.
So once again, I am appealing to your generosity so that St. Anselm's Abbey School can continue its mission to educate the young men that God continues to send to us. Remember that academic excellence is not only a social responsibility on our part, but it is a means to create a sense of social responsibility within our students. Each student has his own service commitment to the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth. This Benedictine educational mission is unique and irreplaceable. St. Anselm's School community becomes a privileged and well-organized home where every member can find his own place.
With constant financial challenges before us, and on behalf of Prior Simon, the monks, the faculty, and the students, we thank you for your support, and we wish you a most Blessed Holiday and Christmas Season with prayers for a prosperous New Year. At Christ's Birth near the winter solstice, the light of the world grows each day into a new Rising Dawn, a Radiance of Eternal Light, and the Sun of Justice comes and enlightens those that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. |
