Dear Friends,
You may be aware of the Catholic Alumni Partnership Grant (CAP) which was awarded to the Diocese of Buffalo Catholic Education Division to reconnect the alumni of our Diocese of Buffalo elementary schools with their school communities and friends. Seven Arch/Dioceses ( New York, Hartford, Buffalo, Brooklyn, Bridgeport, Norwich and Rockville Center) are participating in this exciting pilot project. It is the goal of this grant to raise awareness that despite their strong history of academic excellence, Catholic schools are faced with tremendous challenges, including school closures resulting from their inability to keep up with rising costs. We are also hoping that by reconnecting alums to one another and their communities it will help to strengthen the fabric of the overall Western New York Catholic community.
Through this CAP grant, we have identified 210,000 graduates of our Diocese of Buffalo elementary schools. A first letter should arrive in the mail within the next week or two, welcoming the alumni to re-engage with alumni across the country in support of Catholic schools. Because the names are based on 8th grade graduation records we have no way of knowing titles: Reverend, Sister, Doctor , etc. It would have been impossible to scour the 210,000 records in advance. Each letter will be addressed by only first and last name - no title. We apologize in advance to anyone who might take offense at this lack of formality. We have provided a return form for the alums to update their contact information. If you receive a letter, or know someone that does, please return the form so that we may correct our database. If you are a Catholic Elementary School graduate and did not receive a letter or if you have any questions please contact the Catholic Alumni Partnership team at 847-8374 or 847-8375.
Please encourage participation and help us spread the word - --our Catholic schools provide academic excellence infused with faith and values in an environment where Christ is the center of each day. Our Catholic schools are educating our future leaders, our future Church.
We ask for your prayers and blessings on this exciting and important project.
We thank you for all that you do.
Carol A. Kostyniak
Secretary for Catholic Education :
Catholic Schools, Catechumenate
Lifelong Faith Formation,
Campus Ministry,
Youth & Young Adult Ministry
Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
795 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
Ph: (716) 847-5520 Fax: (716) 847-5593
Email: ckostyniak@buffalodiocese.org
Buffalo News Article: http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/889030.html
The above was received on Nov. 18, 2009 in the website's inbox