Spotlight dinner to honor supporters of Catholic education
The Diocese of Metuchen will hold its fifth annual Spotlight on Catholic Education Dinner to recognize St. Francis Cathedral School, Metuchen, as the 2007 Spotlight School April 17 at 6 p.m.
The dinner, which will be held at the Double Tree Hotel, Somerset, is used to raise funds for scholarships and tuition programs at St. Francis Cathedral School as well as other schools throughout the diocese. A $5,000 scholarship will also be awarded to one eighth grade student from St. Francis Cathedral School.
Since its inception in 2003, the Spotlight dinner has raised a combined total of over $617,000, half of which has been used to benefit each year’s spotlighted school. The remaining funds have supported the Foundation for Catholic Education, an endowment fund which offers tuition assistance to families in need throughout the diocese.
The dinner will also feature the presentation of the Theodore Cardinal McCarrick Distinguished Partner in Catholic Education Award and the Bishop Edward T. Hughes Leadership in Catholic Education Award.
Leonard Hill, a long-time financial supporter of Catholic education, will receive the Cardinal McCarrick Distinguished Partner in Catholic Education Award.
Hill, 87, first developed his strong devotion to Catholic education as a student of Sacred Heart Elementary School and St. Peter the Apostle High School, both in New Brunswick.
After completing his graduate studies in business at New York University, Hill embarked on a career in banking, during which he served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for the National Bank of New Jersey.
Hill also served as president of Middlesex General Hospital and, after developing a friendship with Robert Wood Johnson in the 1960’s, became a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
After retiring, Hill became a parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral Parish in 1986. He decided to use his financial expertise to help support Catholic education at St. Francis Cathedral School and anonymously established the St. Francis Cathedral Scholarship Fund in 1998.
Hill set a goal of continuously increasing the principal balance of the fund in order to offer scholarships derived entirely from interest. After having helped numerous families who otherwise could not afford to send their children to the school, Hill has now come forward to be honored for his efforts.
The Bishop Edward T. Hughes Leadership in Catholic Education Award will be presented to Brother of the Sacred Heart Ronald Cairns, a former teacher at St. Francis Cathedral School and current faculty member of St. Joseph High School, Metuchen. The award is given to a member of the clergy or religious community who has exhibited strong leadership and commitment to Catholic education.
Brother Ronald, 73, grew up outside of Montreal, Canada, where he was taught by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. He resolved at an early age to join the Brothers and began his formation in 1948, culminating with his final vows taking place in 1958 at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Metuchen.
Since becoming a teacher at St. Joseph High School in 1963, Brother Ronald has spent over 40 years working to enrich the lives of every student he has encountered.
He served as a faculty member at St. Francis School from 1974-79, teaching seventh and eighth grade math and history classes. Brother Ronald’s work extended beyond the classroom, as he created a ski club to take students on skiing trips and organized educational trips to New York City. He has also helped students in the role of guidance counselor and serves as moderator of the Father’s Club.
After leaving St. Francis School, Brother Ronald served for eight years as principal of St. Joseph High School, where he now teaches accounting.
He also spent two years as principal of St. Augustine of Canterbury School, Kendall Park. Through his charismatic and personable approach to teaching, Brother Ronald served as a mentor to many students throughout the years and remains dedicated to furthering Catholic education.
Tickets for the Spotlight dinner are available for $200 per person and must be purchased by March 26. A 50/50 raffle will also be held to raise funds for both St. Francis Cathedral School and the Foundation for Catholic Education. Raffle tickets are available in advance for $50 each.
For more information on purchasing tickets for the dinner, contact Tina Sofo, Office of Development, at 732-562-2429.
— Scott Alessi
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law