Friday, March 19, 2010

Catholic Education : $20 Million Gift

A retired grocer who credits its Catholic schools for providing a crucial safety net for his family when his mother died has given $20 million to a center at Boston College charged with revitalizing Catholic education in America.
The gift from Patrick Roche, a co-founder of "Roche Brothers" supermarkets, and his wife, Barbara, will be used by the center for Catholic Education to help train Catholic school teachers and administrators, the "Boston Globe reports. President of Boston College the Rev. William P. Leahy said he hoped the gift would prompt others to support and promote thw mission of Catholic schools.
According to the Boston Globe, Roche is among a small group of wealthy Catholics devoting their philanthropy to Catholic schools at a time when the archdiocese of Boston - and dioceses elsewhere - are closing small parish schools in the wake of rising costs and falling enrollments.
Peter Lynch, the former Fidelity money manager and a longtime supporter of Catholic education in urban communities, says the newly named Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education at Boston College will improve the quality of Catholic schools nationwide.
Roche, who's now 80 and living in Florida, was 9 when his mother died, leaving his father with four (4) sons to raise. He told the Globe his parish and school, then called St. Francis Xavier, took them in during their time of need.
"It hurts, really, to think of what's going on with the financial trouble," Roche said of the struggling schools in Boston. "We want to see if we can correct those problems now, and I'm fortunate enough to be able to try."
My spin: It all has been said and there is a lot of students and others that will benefit from the generosity of the Roches; there are still people who made it and don't forget where they come from: But hey, that's just me.
Kicking back and keeping it real.

42 comments:

  1. What a kind couple. Just the kind of folks I like.
    Encouraging education is what we should all do a bit more of.

    Hi,how are you??

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  2. Anonymous9:38:00 PM

    Hi
    Hope Brian is feeling a little better tonight.
    Maybe you can get a movie and watch it with him til he go to sleep.
    Did Nana boss him much today?
    Have nice weather now but it's going to turn cold and nasty Sunday, hope your weather is still nice.

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  3. Anonymous9:40:00 PM

    They are sweethearts.. we had a Roche supermarket here about 7/10 years ago.

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  4. Our weather is still beautiful thankyou.
    Brian is still bad ;don't know what to make of it.

    Nana just came down and gave him a couple of her favorite chocolates and told him a little story.

    Steve and wife and kids are coming tomorrow. Maybe they will cheer him up.

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  5. Anonymous9:45:00 PM

    So glad to hear Steve and family is coming over, it will cheer him up.
    You think he may be depressed? He's never stayed still this long, he has always been active and he can't do the things he want to do.

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  6. Anonymous9:46:00 PM

    Nana really care for Brian.

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  7. All he does is sleep. He is tired all the time. He won't eat.

    I guess it's back to the doctor on Monday.
    Just when we think we're out of the woods, we have to start worrying again.

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  8. Sometimes life sucks.

    How is your life?? Did you make an upside down cake?? You probably did you big sucker.

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  9. I love how you work so hard to make your family happy.

    Have you had a report lately about how the casino is getting on??

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  10. Anonymous9:52:00 PM

    When Nan had a hysterectomy it was about 2 months before she returned to work, and Brian's surgery is much moe serious. I think he's doing good.

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  11. Anonymous9:56:00 PM

    Clara says everything is going fine, I get a weekly report.
    I made the cake with the peaches and I also put pears and sliced apricots on it.

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  12. Poor Nan. That is hard on a woman physically and emotionally.

    One of Brian's problems is that they have put his heart at risk by taking him off a lot of his heart medications so that his wound can heal.They are afraid the blood thinners would start the internal bleeding again and delay healing.
    So he is getting heart pain too.

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  13. You sure whipped the casino into shape. You know your stuff.

    I knew you would bake a cake for the old boy. You're a softy.

    I love apricots and pears. I bet that was delicious.

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  14. Anonymous10:02:00 PM

    I had to let the yeast bread rise and took a loaf out of the oven about 6:pm and dad and Gilly has cut it while it's still hot.

    I don't really have to much to do beside cook since Mamie is here.

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  15. Anonymous10:04:00 PM

    Is there anything else they can give him for his heart?

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  16. Canadians are funny.Normally we have snow at this time. Since it is sunny and warm everyone is in their summer shorts and tops and have adapted very quickly.

    I believe the snow will be back in a couple of weeks.They have put their boots and snowmobiles away too soon.

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  17. Anonymous10:08:00 PM

    Sis says when they was in Reno, dad told his housekeepers and staff about my cooking and maybe when we come to live out there I would teach them how to cook.

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  18. Nothing is nicer than hot homemade bread with melting butter on it. Brian loves that more than anything (minus the butter,he hates butter)but he loves bread, especially homemade. I have never made it.

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  19. Anonymous10:11:00 PM

    The groundhog seen his shadow...6 more weeks of bad weather.
    We start putting our winter stuff away after Easter...we always have a Easter snap.
    The way this weather is going now, you'll never know it may be like this all year.

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  20. Mamie sounds like a jewel.You picked a good one.

    Wouldn't you rather cook than clean ??

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  21. They can't give Brian any substitutes for blood thinners. The risk of bleeding is too high. He can start heart meds again next month.

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  22. Are you going to live in Reno any time soon????

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  23. Anonymous10:17:00 PM

    The bread is real easy, it the punching and kneading thats bothersome,but after a few time it gets easy.
    The recipes I use is the ones you gave me, I have them in a folder and dad swears you posted all them for him.
    He says he will talk to you but right now you have your hands full, and the little time you get you need to rest.

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  24. I am so happy the recipes were useful to you.
    I would like to thank Pete for being there for me when Brian was in hospital.He would pick me up and drive me home at 12 o'clock at night sometimes.He loves his food so maybe I will bake him a cake.

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  25. Anonymous10:22:00 PM

    I don't know, I ask Gil and he said if the school system didn't get better, we would talk about it this time.
    Yes I rather cook than clean, but I clean my own kitchen, I like my things just so, but she's learning.
    Dad has a very large house there about 5/6 bedrooms and a caretaker's house . I asked Mamie if I go would she be interest in coming she say sure. All her kids are grown.

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  26. Nana used to make bread. It always looked too hard to me. She was an excellent cook.

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  27. Anonymous10:25:00 PM

    Bake Pete a cake , and when you have time make him a small pot of chili, as they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...HA !

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  28. Anonymous10:28:00 PM

    They have frozen bread in the freezer at the supermarkets, that's what sis used.

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  29. I bet it will be hard for you to pull up stakes and move again. At least you can keep the house as your special place to visit.

    You put a bit of your heart and soul into the creation of that house.

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  30. Is your school system so bad??

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  31. Anonymous10:34:00 PM

    Rest right night is the best thing for the Rock.
    Sweetie, it's hard on him to stay still, he's always been on the go,he will enjoy Steve and family, he will be comfortable and can doze off when he want to and know they don't mind.

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  32. All I know about Reno is that it is one of the gambling meccas of the USA and also you can get a quicky divorce there.

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  33. Anonymous10:38:00 PM

    Our school system is terrible, we have some good schools but they have closed a few and the state have taken ouer some, some of the teachers is dumb as shit.

    Gil still have his office there and it won't be too bad, but it's a wait and see thing. he says he will keep both.

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  34. I loved the desert when I was in Nevada. Although some of it isn't very scenic. It was peaceful and vast and in some places looked like I imagine the moon looks.

    It's a paradise for a painter.I am not that serious a painter any more.

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  35. Anonymous10:41:00 PM

    I doubt very much if we move,Gil and I was talking about talking to some parents and home schooling the kids.

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  36. It's sad that the schools don't offer your kids more. That is so important.

    Well, you have to do what's best for them.That's your obligation.

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  37. Anonymous10:47:00 PM

    I don't want them to get bored with learning, we didn't tell them to read when they was younger, Gil read bedtime stories to them and when they started reading by themselves, just picked it up.
    Gilly reads but his book is upside down, and he just laughs.

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  38. Home schooling is a great idea. Also you can have more input into their education and you can pick the teachers or teach them yourself.

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  39. Anonymous10:50:00 PM

    We want them to stay in public school. There will be no private school for them.
    Gil says private schools just teach kids how to be snobs and not about the real world.
    Right now, if we go it will be a long way off.

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  40. The kids are settled in their home. It's better for them to have one stable environment.

    It's tough being a parent these days.
    Well Toots, I better do my nightly nursing duty. I hear Brian moving around.And Maxy needs his quota of R.P.

    Have a good night, be happy and I will see you at the picnic by the river.( no gators allowed, bring your stick)...HA!...PIC

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  41. Anonymous10:54:00 PM

    Oh sweetie you are so funny...what will I teach them, they are too young to learn about the choochie.
    I told Gil Reno is worse than here.
    If I move again I will be going east....
    I don't think so, I have my roots here, and he has his dad here, so I am calling the shots now.[giggles]

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  42. Anonymous10:57:00 PM

    Take care of your Man and let Maxy out.
    I will be on the river bank.
    You have a great weekend.
    I know you will enjoy Steve and family and it woill do the Rock good.
    Goodnight and sweet dreams.
    Later....Goodnite....PIC

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