Since 1883, St. Mary’s has been providing Catholic education to Sleepy Eye and surrounding communities. Without the support of our generous benefactors, this would not have been possible.
We are so grateful for the continued support of our benefactors and ask you to prayerfully consider how you can continue to support our mission of guiding students to form an authentic relationship with God while achieving academic excellence to live as faithful disciples of Christ.
Thank you for your support of the mission and ministry of St. Mary’s Catholic School!
Give to St. Mary’s
Your generosity makes a difference at St. Mary’s Catholic School. The following programs and funds have been established to allow you to designate your donation toward a specific area of need and impact our students and school community.
Adopt-a-Student Program
With the generous donations given to the Adopt-a-Student program, many students who would otherwise leave St. Mary’s now have the opportunity to attend and grow in faith along with our student body. Adopt-a-Student, in conjunction with our financial aid program, FAIR provides financial assistance to those who show a need for help with tuition costs. Each year about 40-50 families apply for FAIR assistance. Since there is such a large gap between the need FAIR determines and the funding St. Mary’s can provide, Adopt-A-Student provides additional funding for families that desperately need help.
The Adopt-A-Student program helps specifically in the following ways:
- Assist large families with tuition costs
- Assist those who do not have the ability to pay full tuition costs
- Assist those who have hardships in their lives
- Assist single parent families
To qualify for Adopt-A-Student aid families must meet the following criteria.
- Request a need for aid
- Families must be making a monthly payment towards their tuition costs
- Students must be in good standing at school
- It is strongly recommend that students also participate in work study
Students who are included in the Adopt-A-Student program are very appreciative of the help they receive from the program. As stated before, most of these students would not be able to attend St. Mary’s if not for the help given to them by Adopt-A-Student. For all donors who have given or will give to this program, THANK YOU for directly affecting the life of a young child and giving them the opportunity to attend St. Mary’s!
Annual Appeal Fund
Gifts received in the past for this appeal have been used for various purposes, such as helping to pay for the mandated new sprinkling system in 2005, new playground equipment and certain building improvements. Since 2011, the gifts received for this fund have been used to satisfy the budgeted salary increase (plus benefits) for school personnel already factored in for the school year. Once the money is received to satisfy the budgeted amount for this year, the extra funds will be factored in to help pay for the increased salaries for the next fiscal year’s budget.
The goal for this fiscal year is again $175,000.00 by June 30, 2026.
Scholarship Trust Fund
The purpose of this fund is to invest the principal and distribute the interest earned by the fund to students based on need.
This fund is just one source used for tuition assistance. We receive all types of donations throughout the year from parish bulletin notices and funeral memorials.
Parish Endowment Fund
This fund was established in 2013 with the purpose to serve the financial needs of St. Mary’s Parish. Proceeds from this endowment may be used to repair, maintain or upgrade any and all of the parish’s buildings and/or to financially support the ministries and the salaries of the ministers of the parish including the school and its staff.
This fund is an endowment with the principal always remaining intact. Each year eighty percent (80%) of the interest and dividends derived from the investment of the fund may be used for parish needs as determined in the parish’s budgeting process. The remaining twenty percent (20%) of the growth will be reinvested in the fund to insure the fund’s ongoing growth.
We are grateful to Wayne and Pattie Pelzel for their substantial gift in establishing this fund.
Online Giving
St. Mary’s School offers online giving for your convenience. You will need to create an account to utilize this option. This site allows you to set up automatic contributions and change the timing or the amount of your gift at any time. You may make pledges and manage your contributions to the pledge amount, and you may make one-time donations to special causes.
Gifts may be made to the school or St. Mary’s Church on this site. Various funds are listed for you to designate your gift.
Attend & Support Our Annual Fundraising Events
Shop with Scrip
SCRIP is a fundraising program that allows you to earn “free money” to lower your tuition costs and support the school. “Free money” is earned every time you purchase SCRIP gift certificates and cash cards for groceries, gas, clothes, and gift purchases that you make every day.
