Principal Message: June 2021

I am pleased to be writing my first Principal’s Message in a great while! We have just finished the most unique school year in recent memory very successfully, having our students attend school every day for in-person, full-day instruction. This was quite a feat considering what happened in the Spring of 2020 due to Covid-19 and the school closures. Some schools are still not back full-time, and those students are suffering tremendously, both academically and socially! Many of us have been lucky, but many of our parents have not been as fortunate.

Saint Mary, Mother of God Parish is the most giving and generous parish I have ever been associated with. Its reputation is second to none when we speak about taking care of our own. Saint Mary School benefits tremendously from that generosity through the parish subsidy the school receives on an annual basis. As the school’s principal, I cannot put into words, how important this school is to me and the families who send their children here. Hence, I am writing this message as an appeal for help. The last 15 months have been some of the most stressful that I can remember in my 60 years on this planet with businesses closing, unemployment skyrocketing, and parents needing to be teacher aide as well as perform their own jobs and take care of their families. Against all odds, many families have done a tremendous job of enrolling and keeping their children in Saint Mary School over that time. However, there comes a time when very difficult decisions must be made and, hopes and dreams are dashed. Personally, my wife and I were able to send three of our four children through SMS and Mater Dei Prep. This was no easy task, as my third child is disabled and my wife had to give up her career, leaving me to find ways to pay the tuition for my three other children. You see, there was no way I was going to take my children out of Saint Mary School or Mater Dei Prep after they had developed friendships and we had made friends with many of the parents. They were in a “family” setting and I wanted to ensure they remained in that setting. We sacrificed a lot to give them the best Catholic education we could as I worked two, three, sometimes four jobs to make this happen. And so do many of our current families. I dare say it has become even more difficult to do this today!

So, that is enough about me and my family. This is not a grab at pity or sympathy. It is a request for help from those of you who value Catholic education as much as I do and want to see families desiring the same for their children to possibly attain it for them. What I am asking is that those parishioners or organizations who can, consider sponsoring a child, either through paying all or part of their yearly tuition through our “Sponsor a Saint Program”. This program will be part of a larger effort to make Saint Mary School affordable for families desiring a Catholic education that has just been unveiled entitled Building Together: Our Family, Our Faith, Our Future. This effort will include building an endowment known as the Saint Mary School Education Fund where there will be ample opportunities to support many of the funding needs of the school. In fact, we have begun a relationship with a financial advisor, well-versed in endowment building, to assist us in furthering this process. However, with registration for the 2021-2022 school year almost complete, it has become apparent that a few solid, Catholic school families have circumstances that could possibly lead to them withdrawing their children from the school. That is why I am writing this message with a somewhat “heavy heart”. If you or anyone you know might consider this type of giving, please reach out to me at 732-671-0129 or cpalmer@stmaryes.org.

There will be more information about the SMSEF coming soon with a formal rollout, but my priority right now is to ask, albeit uncomfortably, if there are any “blue angels” out there willing to help current school families keep their children at this school they and I have come to love. Thank you for your consideration and I will pray for you as always!

God Bless,
Craig Palmer
Principal