Donors eradicate $6.2 million debt at Tolton Catholic H.S.

Generous gifts open the door to growth and development

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Free of heavy debt, Fr. Tolton Regional Catholic High School in Columbia can now focus more intently on its mission and its future.

Bishop W. Shawn McKnight announced Feb. 25 that “multiple generous benefactors from the Columbia community and beyond” had agreed to pay off the school’s $6.2 million debt over the next three years.

“I am humbled, delighted and very grateful,” the bishop stated during a gathering at the school. “By removing the burden of this debt, our benefactors have given us the chance to expand and enrich the educational and formation programs at Tolton Catholic.”

The donors wish to remain anonymous.

Jill McIntosh, the school’s interim president, said the benefactors’ gift will have an immediate effect on day-to-day operations.

“It will allow us to serve our students even better,” she stated.

“We can now invest more in teacher training and retention,” she said. “We can invest more in the classroom. We can invest more in student resources that will increase the quality and substance of what we already have in place.”

Opened in 2011, Tolton Catholic has 252 students in grades 9 through 12.

The diocese raised about $8 million toward the roughly $15 million cost of building and opening the school, financing the rest through about $7 million in bonds.

“Over the years, we’ve been slowly, ever-so-slowly, chipping away at that bond amount,” said Bishop McKnight.

He noted that the debt had slowed the school’s growth and development and forced the administration to place several necessary long-term projects on hold.

Early this year, Bishop McKnight began contacting possible donors.

They came through, pledging enough to retire the bonds and pay back a loan of about $337,000 from Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Columbia.

“The level of humility is unbelievable,” said Ms. McIntosh. “When people make an investment like this with zero expectation of receiving anything in return, it’s an example of pure philanthropy and genuine stewardship.”

“Forming young disciples”

Bishop McKnight made the announcement to about 60 members of the administration, faculty, staff, the school advisory board and the community at large.

Among those present were Kenya Fuemmeler, interim diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools; Gwendolyn Roche, principal of Tolton Catholic; Father Christopher Cordes, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Columbia; Father William Peckman, pastor of the Boonville and Fayette parishes; Father Michael Coleman, a chaplain at the school and pastor of the Centralia parish; and Father Paul Clark, a chaplain at the school and associate pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish.

Bishop McKnight said Bishop Emeritus John R. Gaydos’s decision, in consultation with local leaders, to open a Catholic high school in Columbia was extraordinary.

“I hope you now have a sense of the permanence of Fr. Tolton Catholic High School,” Bishop McKnight told the audience.

He emphasized the school’s importance to the Church and the wider community in Columbia and beyond.

“Catholic schools enrich the education of our young people,” he said. “And as part of our mission as the Catholic Church, forming young disciples is front and center.”

“Stay the course”

Ms. McIntosh said this moment is “transformational.”

“There are so many families and faculty members and people in the community who have been invested on a personal level here for so many years,” she said. “Now, they’ll be able to see us take their investment to the next level.”

It will require a quick change of mindset from debt-service to planning for things that were previously out of reach.

Ms. McIntosh looks forward to the school offering more dual-credit classes, bolstering fine arts programming and adding more depth and substance to its faith-formation activities.

She believes God continues to reveal His presence “in the commitment that we see from our donors, from our faculty, from our families who continue to stay the course and invest and believe and advocate for us.”

Ray Beck, who led the building committee for the school and was active throughout the planning process, said the announcement made for “a great day for the Church and the whole community here.”

He said it was important to build the school with the future in mind.

“You have to do that in Columbia,” he said. “You always have to plan for growth ahead of time or you won’t be in a good position when it comes.”

Where it all starts

Tolton Catholic advisory council president Jay Burchfield said this will be remembered as a turning point in the school’s already impressive history.

“Now that we’re relieved from the burden of servicing that debt, we can focus all of our energy, money and resources on the mission of the school, which is to educate and intentionally form our students — spirit, heart, mind and body — to help them become servant leaders in our community,” he said.

More than half of the students at Tolton Catholic belong to Our Lady of Lourdes parish and went to Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School.

Fr. Cordes, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, believes eliminating the debt sends a strong message to parents that Tolton Catholic will be around for a long time.

He said Catholic schools provide a solid foundation for lifelong spiritual growth.

“I believe Catholic education really does give the best opportunity for formation in the Catholic faith during the developmental years of a person’s life,” he stated.

Ms. Fuemmeler said she recognizes a collective will to emulate the school’s namesake, Venerable Father Augustus Tolton, in “blazing a trail” for God and for future generations.

“Removing the debt will allow the people at this school to truly live out that mission for the students entrusted to their care,” she said.

She believes Catholic education is an investment in the legacy of the Church.

“If we’re going to have vibrant, lifelong, enthusiastic Catholics, it starts in the walls of our schools,” she said.

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