The 20th Annual Archbishop’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast has been cancelled
To Our Generous FACS supporters:
FACS is so very appreciative of your support for the children who benefit from scholarships awarded with net proceeds of this event.
As many of you are aware, the State of Connecticut, as well as the entire country, is being impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Please know that the health and well-being of our event attendees, students, sponsors, and volunteers are our highest priority.
After careful consideration and in an abundance of caution, the Foundation for the Advancement of the Catholic Schools (FACS) has decided to cancel the 20th Annual Archbishop’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at the Connecticut Convention Center.
Our breakfast annually supports educational scholarships so that many children can attend a Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Hartford. This cancellation has the potential of significantly reducing funds available this year to assist many young men and women.
In light of this decision, we hope you will consider your sponsorship of the 2020 Archbishop’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast as a donation to FACS in order that we may continue to fund the Archbishop’s Scholarship. If you would like to make an additional contribution, please click the button below.
FACS will be in touch with everyone involved within the next week. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please call the Foundation, 860.761.7499.
Thank you for your ongoing support of the students and we look forward to seeing you for a great event on March 17, 2021.
FACS would like to extend a very special thank you to our high school essayists who truly embody all of the blessings of a Catholic education!
Congratulations to our 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast finalists!
Eh – Northwest Catholic High School
I was born in Myanmar on April 20, 2005. The place where I was born, there wasn’t much to begin with. Our currency isn’t worth as much as US currency is. My people don’t use Myanmar Currency, they use Thai Baht. One US dollar is worth 30.41 dollars in Thai. There was poverty. My people relied on farming to survive, and some days we had to sleep with nothing in our stomachs. My parents tried their best to give us as many opportunities as they could. Education was a big opportunity for us. Some children must work every day to support their families, even when they are only five years old. My journey to America is one of my family’s greatest choices and opportunities that I was blessed with.
I have lived in Hartford for the last four years. Adapting to a new environment wasn’t hard for me, but for my parents it was; they were surrounded by languages that they couldn’t understand. Though food was better in Myanmar, there were more opportunities in America. My parents began to take English classes and did their best to learn the language. The first year of school was the most challenging of my life. I needed to make new friends and I needed to communicate in their native language. However, ESL class taught me what I needed to know about English, and by fourth grade I was able to talk to everyone.
My whole life I’ve been attending public school, and every school I’ve attended helped make me the person I am today. I didn’t know anything about private school until fifth grade. Private schools tend to have more opportunities than public schools. Before receiving the FACS scholarship and attending Northwest Catholic, I couldn’t attend private school because we couldn’t afford it and my family lacks transportation. Eighth grade was the year of choices for my next stage.
Because of the FACS scholarship, I am able to have a new amazing experience at Northwest Catholic High School. Ninth grade at Northwest Catholic is a new experience for me. It is my first year of attending a private school that is full of new things to learn. There are a lot of opportunities at Northwest — there are clubs, classes, sports, and events. Getting to meet new people around the world and able to learn about the planet that we are on is amazing.
FACS gave me an opportunity that isn’t available for everyone. I am grateful for their contribution to me and to my future. Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to attend Northwest. Growing up in a poor family was hard. I am blessed that I was able to have help. Attending Catholic school is a big opportunity for me and for my family. It guided me to the right path of life, and it will help me to succeed in life. FACS gives me opportunities that not everyone will receive. It is a blessing. One day I hope I will be able to stand on my own two feet and will be able to support the people who supported me when my path was fragile and help people who need my help.
Elizabeth – Sacred Heart High School
Every day when I walk through the doors of Sacred Heart High School, I am grateful to be allowed to attend such an excellent school. As a senior at Sacred Heart, I have taken time to reflect on my experiences and the opportunities that my school has provided me throughout the years. I think about these opportunities and realize that none of them would have been possible had I not been a recipient of the FACs scholarship. My family faced many financial struggles that made the idea of sending me to Sacred Heart complicated. I worked extremely hard throughout middle school, striving and praying for my future at Sacred Heart. My hard work paid off as the generous benefactors financially supported me, making my Sacred Heart dream a reality. The FACS scholarship made it possible for me to attend Sacred Heart High School, a school that made me the person I am today.
Sacred Heart opened so many doors for me. Beginning my freshman year, I joined the Girls Swimming and Diving Team. I also joined the Debate Team, Student Government, newspaper club, and the theatre production that my school produces. Every single club and team that I joined brought a new opportunity and lesson for me as they taught me how to be a leader, how to be a team player, how to work with others, and many other fruitful teachings. I have remained in these school organizations throughout my senior year, and I am grateful every day to be involved in such a great community. I have formed strong relationships with my peers because of my participation. I learned about new interests and fit them into my life. These activities helped merge me into the Sacred Heart family.
Academically, Sacred Heart High School taught me so much. I am challenged every day by the rigorous coursework every teacher provides each day. I am given opportunities to take a wide range of courses that include honors and advanced placement classes. I do my very best each day to earn excellent grades. I know that if I work my hardest, I will thrive in college, and for long after college. The teachers at Sacred Heart genuinely care for the students and make sure that every student is prepared to do their best work. My education is the most important thing to me, and I am so grateful to have received such an incredible education at Sacred Heart High School that will benefit me for the rest of my life because of the scholarship that I received.
Without the FACS scholarship, I have no idea who I would be. Sacred Heart has created the best version of myself, and I am grateful every day to be able to attend a school that has prepared me for the future. I dread the thought of leaving a place call home, and I dread the thought of leaving my family and faculty when I graduate. I know that they will continue to cheer me on as I continue my journey in college. I will always work hard so that I will be able to give back to the community that gave me so much. I thank God for providing my family and me with the FACS scholarship and for leading me to Sacred Heart. My dream school brought me the learning experiences of a lifetime, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I have been given.
Laura – St. Paul High School
I wanted to thank FACS for the opportunity that you have given me. This scholarship has allowed me to be in a safe environment and to prosper. I have been fortunate enough to take a number of honors classes throughout my four years at Saint Paul. These honors classes have prepared me the most for my future in college. Because I have been given this scholarship it makes me work ten times harder in all that I do, so that I may be a good representation of what Saint Paul is. I truly believe that without my scholarship I would not have been able to grow academically and spiritually. I have become closer to God and found myself relying on my faith more and more every day. In many situations such as testing or even arguments with friends I look to God for guidance. Saint Paul has taught me how to look for God’s message and to understand it. This scholarship has also helped my family with the financial burden which would have been placed upon us. It allows us to know I will be getting a good education and be in a safe place without having to worry about being able to afford the next payment.
Lindsay – East Catholic High School
I was awarded a FACS scholarship at the beginning of my freshman year at East Catholic High School. I have spent a majority of my time in Catholic schools, but it was sometimes difficult to find the money to afford it since I have three siblings. Now, as a sophomore at East Catholic my experience here has been better than any other school I could have possibly chosen. There are so many great opportunities at East that I am taking advantage of such as the Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra, Concert Band, the challenging but rewarding Honors classes, sports, and more. I might not have been able to include myself in any of these things if I could not attend East Catholic.
One of my biggest interests is music (flute) and East Catholic has an incredible music program. Unlike some schools, because we are smaller, it feels like family and I feel comfortable trying out different opportunities as a way for me to learn and share my musical gifts with others. I have two brothers also attending East Catholic, one is a junior and the other a sophomore, my twin! My parents both work hard to be able to provide the money for us to receive the high-end education that East Catholic provides, but paying for three children to attend a private high school has proved to be a financial burden. I also have a younger sister who will be attending East Catholic in the fall of 2020 so receiving scholarship money is so crucial. My siblings and I really enjoy being a part of the East Catholic community, not only because of the excellent teachers and extremely welcoming atmosphere, but also because it is a place for us to grow into the people we are meant to become. In addition to my rigorous classes, I appreciate the ability to learn about my Catholic faith and grow spiritually. I can confidently say that by the end of my time at East Catholic High School I will be a well-rounded individual, thoroughly ready for whatever God sends my way in the future. None of this would be possible without the help of the FACS donations that paid for my scholarship to attend East. One day I hope to return the favor to other students who seek a strong college preparatory education.