Do You Remember Praying for Baby Margaret Grace Scolese? An Update From Her Mom…

My daughter Maggie “graduated” from pre-k at the Basilica School of Saint Mary and is now in Kindergarten and part of the school’s first  Mater Dei education program for special needs children for the 2019-20 school year. It is truly a dream come true for our family.

With every milestone she reaches I am transported back to the day, 14 weeks into my pregnancy, when Maggie was diagnosed with a life-threatening birth defect. With every milestone she reaches I think about the doctors who told me week after week that Maggie was not viable, not compatible with life.

In those dark days I also recall with gratitude the many weeks and months that the Saint Mary parish community prayed for Baby Margaret Grace Scolese.

 Five years after her birth on the Feast of the Assumption, our family is grateful once again to this community. Through the new Mater Dei program, our parish and our school are providing access to Catholic education for students, like Maggie, who have special needs. Through the Mater Dei program, our parish is helping to build a culture of life in a world that so often, frankly, chooses death for children with disabilities. Our school is recognizing, not only how a Catholic education can benefit our special needs children, but also what unique gifts and opportunities these special children bring to our school. 

Kathryn M. Doherty

Maggie, Paul, Anna, Mary, Katharine and Patrick’s Mom

June 2019

With the commitment to establish a formal Mater Dei Program and Classroom, the school can provide a highly specialized curriculum, associated programs and dedicated classroom for children who require more intensive engagement with a leading faculty member and teachers aids throughout the school day. 

We anticipate being able to accommodate six students (ranging all school grade levels) annually.  These students may spend 60% of their school day in a dedicated classroom while spending the remaining 40% of their time with the general school population - depending on the student’s needs and abilities.  Annual staffing costs associated with providing this important expansion in access to our school is anticipated to be $175,000 which would cover the salaries and benefits of one dedicated faculty member and two teachers’ aids.  The costs associated with staffing, ongoing curriculum development and classroom furnishings and technology equipment will be first addressed through the School and Parish’s Mary Lead Us Campaign with a goal of raising $500,000 for the Mater Dei Program and Classroom operations for the 2019-20 school year through the 2023-24 school year. In addition, a Mater Dei Student Program fee of approximately $4,000 will be required as well as annual fundraising for the program. 

A Special Challenge Gift Has Been Made…

Join Ann and Joe Guiffre in their commitment to ensure children with special needs are afforded the blessing of a Catholic education at the Basilica School of Saint Mary.

An extraordinary $250,000 challenge gift has been made by Joseph and Ann Guiffre who seeks to inspire others to join them in supporting the Mary Lead Us  Campaign and the new Mater Dei  Program and Classroom in order to raise the   remaining $250,000 in critical funding needed to help sustain the program for the next five years. 

Better Together

Twins Allanah and Aideen Kummer thought that all siblings had to go to different schools. They had been separated since kindergaarten due to Aideen’s special needs. Allanah especially was effected by this after seeing all of her friends brothers and sisters attend the same school and did not understand how they were different. After learning about Saint Mary’s Mater Dei Program to benefit students with special needs of all kinds, Allanah came home elated that her sister would finally be able to join her after six years of separate schooling! After weeks of constant reminders to fill out applications, Aideen was accepted and the entire family could not be happier to all be in one place. “Last week I went to an observation with our in-home ABA consultant and she couldn’t stop raving about the school, the program, the teachers  and the aides. She was as impressed as we have been,” said mom, Katie Kummer, “Now, they love being in school together and so do we!”