A New School Year Underway
September 29, 2025
Just like that, summer has come to a close and a new school year is underway! As students settle into their routines and classrooms, the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana sends prayers for a joyful, safe, and fruitful year ahead. May God bless and guide our young people each day, and may He be especially near to the teachers who inspire and instruct them.
St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of students and scholars, pray for our young minds—that they may grow in wisdom and virtue.
Supporting our Catholic School Students
This year, the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana awarded thousands of dollars in scholarships to Catholic school students in our diocese! Here are some of the scholarship endowments that Catholics have created at the Foundation:
- Amy J. Wathen Scholarship Endowment
- Edward G. and Anne L. Haerr Scholarship Endowment
- Father John Houlihan Scholarship Endowment
- Friesen Scholarship Endowment
- George and Ida Schlosser Family (Scholarship) Endowment
- Ginnaty McArthur Family Legacy Scholarship Endowment
- Great Falls Central Catholic High School Scholarship Endowment (now St. Patrick’s Academy High School)
- John and Elaine Asbeck Whitman Legacy Endowment
- Joseph Loncki Scholarship Endowment
- Keenen Dunn Scholarship Endowment
- Nellie May Deegan Cox Memorial Nursing Scholarship Endowment
- Tom and Mary Jane Heisler Family Scholarship Endowment
Isla Duray
Isla Duray, 7th grade, St. Francis Catholic School
Isla is a 7th grader at St. Francis Catholic School in Billings. Recently, she was awarded one of three scholarships from the Father John Houlihan Scholarship Endowment.
In 2022, Father John started this scholarship endowment to provide scholarships to students from St. Patrick Co-Cathedral attending Billings Catholic Schools.
Cooper Drazich
Cooper is a 10th grader at St. Patrick’s Academy High School and recently received the Tom and Mary Jane Heisler Family Scholarship.
He shared, “Receiving this scholarship fills my heart with gratitude I can barely put into words. St. Patrick’s Academy High School has seen me, believed in me, and loved me for exactly who I am, guiding me to discover the gifts and strength I carry within. I will carry this blessing with a full heart, striving to embrace who I truly am and to bring light, hope, and love to the world.”
Cooper Drazich, 10th grade, St. Patrick’s Academy High School
To the gracious donors of the Tom and Mary Jane Heisler Family Scholarship Endowment, Cooper added: “Your generosity didn’t just remove a financial burden, it lifted a weight off of my entire family’s shoulders … thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Alexis Cook
Alexis Cook, Senior nursing student at Carroll College
This year, Alexis received the Nellie May Deegan Cox Memorial Nursing Scholarship as a senior studying nursing at Carroll College. Alexis grew up in Great Falls and her home parish is Holy Spirit Catholic Church.
“The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana has generously supported my college education. The ‘Nellie May Deegan Cox Memorial Nursing Scholarship‘ has made it possible to attend Carroll College, where I can both deepen my faith and pursue my dream of becoming a nurse. I am truly grateful for the opportunities, experiences, and education this nursing scholarship has provided.” — Alexis Cook
Your Generosity is Changing Young Lives!
Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors to the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana, students like Isla, Cooper, and Alexis are blessed with critical financial assistance to receive a Catholic education—one rooted in faith, academic excellence, and values that will guide them for a lifetime.
Scholarship endowments are a beautiful legacy—offering not just financial assistance, but the gift of formation in Christ. These endowed scholarships open doors for families who desire a Catholic education but might not otherwise be able to afford it.
To our generous donors who have established and continue to grow these scholarship endowments: thank you. Your compassion and foresight are truly building strong foundations for the Church’s future, especially through your investment in our youth.
Will you help make Catholic education possible for more students in our diocese? Please join this life-changing mission.
Click the button below to give a scholarship endowment or contact President Judy Held at (406) 315-1765 to create a new scholarship endowment.
Give to a Scholarship EndowmentSupporting our Catholic School Teachers
The Catholic Foundation of Eastern Montana also has a number of teacher endowments to meet the needs of teachers at our Catholic schools. For example, in recent years, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Livingston has used their annual teacher endowment distribution to increase teachers’ salaries, which are often lower than public school salaries.
Teacher endowments at the Foundation include:
- Great Falls Central Catholic High School Teacher Endowment (now St. Patrick’s Academy High School)
- Sacred Heart Catholic School Teacher Endowment (Miles City)
- St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic School Teacher Excellence Endowment (Havre)
- St. Mary School Catholic Teacher Endowment (Livingston)
It is so important to support our Catholic school teachers! Your gift becomes part of a lasting legacy that uplifts our teachers and strengthens Catholic education across our diocese.
Click the button below to give to a teacher endowment today.
Give to a Teacher Endowment
