The Good News Spring 2024

The Good News from Alums, Friends and Families providing tuition assistance to Community of Saints Regional Catholic School

Download PDF: The Good News Spring 2024.pdf

• COS Graduate Fulfills Wish to Help Homeless People – Six years ago, we shared the story of 11-year-old Isaac Garcia, then a 6th grade student at COS, whose Christmas wish was to help homeless people in his neighborhood. With his family’s help, he started Isaac’s Blessing Bags. Now a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall High School, Isaac has expanded his ministry. Here’s an update to his story.
  
• Message from Father Steve – COS is a Catholic school, an academy for evangelization. Administrators, teachers, and staff seek to help students to not only become well-educated young people, but also to grow into the role of significant actors in their communities, fostering the works of mercy and justice.
• Sister Ann Schoch, SSND, St. Matthew’s Principal 1972 -1977 – During her years at St. Matthew’s, Sister Ann formed close bonds with many members of the school community and remains in contact with some of her former students today. Still working at age 85, Sister Ann shared highlights from a remarkable career that has taken her around the world. Below is an excerpt from our conversation.
• Mike Fernandez ’74 Shares Memories of Family and Our Lady of Guadalupe School – I called Mike Fernandez because he was a member of St. Matthew’s class of ’74 who was willing to share a few memories. As we spoke, he told me about first going to school at Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG), why his family switched to St. Matthew’s, and how his family came to live on the West Side in the first place. It reminded me how rich and entwined the history of the West Side is. Here are a few of Mike’s stories.
• Class of 1974 Photos– St. Michael, St. John Vianney, St. Matthew.
• St. Matt’s Football Team 1974 – Fifty years ago, St. Matthew’s 8th grade football team, led by legendary coach Joe Rowan, won their conference, and played in the city championship.
• Memories from St. Matthew’s Class of 1974 – Steve Andersen ’74, 8Th Grade Class Play, John Maloney ’74, Mike St. Martin ’74
• School News: Every Meal Fills in Food Gaps
• School News: Ready, Set, Smile — Free Dental Clinic Comes to COS
• Your Support Makes It Possible — More than 90% of students attending COS receive tuition assistance. Your support makes that assistance possible. A&F&F has been providing this assistance for 17 years. This Spring, cumulative donations will surpass $4M. We thank each and every donor, from the first contributions given in 2007 through the most recent ones in 2024.
• Why I Love My Catholic School! – During Catholic Schools Week, COS students shared what they love about about their school.
• Carlo Franco ’09 Wins Seat on St. Paul School Board – St. Matthew’s Alum Advocates for Youth and West Side Point of View

See previous editions of The Good News

The Good News Newsletter is a periodic publication that provides updates on the Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.  We currently distribute to over 3000 alums, families and friends. We would like to continually increase our distribution.  So, if you know of any alums, families or friends of St. Matthew’s who are not currently receiving The Good News, please contact us with their mailing information.