My family and I were active parishioners of St. Catherine of Siena for approximately 13 years, and our children attended the school for 12 of those years. We closed that chapter of our lives on May 22, the final day of K-8 education at this parish. We are grateful for the years we spent in this community and the many friendships we built. We are also genuinely excited about our future at St. Thomas parish and school, where we have been welcomed warmly.

I had every intention of moving forward without looking back. However, the letter sent to the parish by Fr. Stef on May 29 contained implications about the St. Catherine Athletic Boosters that I cannot allow to stand without a response. As the president of that organization for the past seven years, I feel an obligation to the people who gave their time, money, and energy to this Boosters community to set the record straight.

Background: What the Boosters Are and How They Operated

The St. Catherine Athletic Boosters was created specifically to serve the children of the school through athletic and extracurricular activities. It was not founded as a general fundraising arm of the parish. The organization has always maintained separate financial accounts and exercised independent control over how those funds were used. This was the longstanding arrangement, established well before I became president in 2019.

I took on the role of president reluctantly, because no one else stepped forward. I have held it for seven years for the same reason. In that time, Fr. Stef did not attend a single meeting or engage with me about financial concerns. The one conversation I recall having with him involved replacing sideline chairs that had become a safety hazard. If there were concerns about how the Boosters operated financially, those concerns were not raised with me directly.

Fr. Stef refers in his own letter to "the Booster uniform account" and "the Booster checking account." That language is telling. These were never considered parish accounts. They were never part of the parish general fund or included in parish budgeting. The money in those accounts was raised by the Boosters, through our sports leagues and concession stand, by the labor of our volunteers. For context, we grossed over $30,000 this past year through our 2 volleyball and 2 basketball leagues and concessions. When the parish came to us with needs over the years, we said yes almost every time. When we were asked to simply transfer a large sum to the general parish fund for no stated purpose, we declined.

What We Did With the Money, and Why

When it became clear that the school would close, the active Boosters met to decide how to use the remaining funds responsibly. We identified four priorities, and we were unanimous in our agreement on all of them.

1. Normal End-of-Year Expenses ($10,737)

We covered the things we always covered at year-end: food and beverages for Grandparents Day and Olympic Day, awards for students who participated in our sponsored activities, contributions toward the 8th grade trip, and support for the 8th grade Confirmation and graduation receptions. We also provided scholarships to 8th graders continuing on to Catholic high schools. These were ordinary Boosters expenses, no different from prior years.

2. Giving the Children a Sendoff They Deserved ($2,785)

These children were facing something no child should have to face: the closing of their school. We wanted their final weeks to include memories of joy, not just sadness. We contributed toward field trips, sponsored ice cream days, and worked with the PTO on the last day to bring in bounce houses, prizes, and Kona Ice. Seeing those children's faces on that last day was worth every dollar. We make no apologies for this.

3. Recognizing Our Teachers and Staff ($7,750)

Our teachers spent years sacrificing their time and often their own money for our children. As the school closed, they faced the loss of their jobs and, in some cases, their health insurance. We had heard nothing from parish leadership by way of recognition or thanks. The Boosters decided to give them a monetary gift as a gesture of appreciation for what they had meant to our children and families.

The response from teachers was deeply moving. One said she would use the money to buy glasses for herself and her daughter. Another said it would help bridge her insurance gap. Yet another said she could use it to help buy supplies for her new teaching position. We understand the diocese/parish may need to reflect these gifts as taxable payroll, but providing those funds from Boosters' money was not improper. Our intention was entirely honorable, and we would make the same decision again. These teachers were caught in the middle. To that end, some teachers were able to cash checks. Others deposited them only to have them removed as bounced checks and charged a fee, possibly even harming their credit. I truly hope that the parish makes it right with them as Fr. Stef insinuated in his letter. If not, the community will find a way to make it right.

A simple question worth asking: what did the parish do to thank the teachers for their years of service?

4. Supporting Our Kids at St. Thomas ($8,500)

The St. Catherine Boosters never charged a participation fee for any of our sponsored activities. The St. Thomas Boosters charges $70 per child. We are not criticizing that; it is simply a different model. But our families were not accustomed to that expense, and with approximately 50 St. Catherine children transitioning to St. Thomas, we wanted to ease that burden. We sent $3,500 to the St. Thomas Boosters to cover that participation fee for 50 kids, and an additional $5,000 to help offset uniform and equipment costs at $100 per child. We were specific about how we wanted the money used, and the St. Thomas Boosters readily agreed.

St. Thomas parish and school have absorbed a significant number of our students on short notice and pivoted substantially to accommodate them. To my knowledge, St. Catherine parish leadership has done little to help offset that burden. We thought $8,500 directed toward those children's activities was the right thing to do.

I recognize that this put the St. Thomas Boosters and Fr. Ross in an uncomfortable position when Fr. Stef raised the matter with Fr. Ross. While I still stand firm that giving money to the St. Thomas Boosters is the right thing to do, I will understand if Fr. Ross decides to return that money. I sincerely apologize to Fr. Ross and the St. Thomas Boosters community for creating this difficulty.

Where the Money Stands

Fr. Stef confirmed in his letter that the Boosters had approximately $43,000 in the general checking account and about $30,000 was spent. Here is a summary of where it went:

• Normal end-of-year expenses$10,737
• Special activities for the children$2,785
• Teacher and staff appreciation$7,750
• Assistance to St. Thomas Boosters$8,500
• Total spent$29,772

That leaves approximately $13,228 in the general checking account and $17,727 in the uniform account, for a combined remaining balance of roughly $30,955. The Boosters have contributed, on average, approximately 25% of all revenue back to the parish and school in some way over the years (over $125k over the last 20 years). In fact, just prior to news of the school closing, the Boosters was discussing providing funds towards the new church doors, since we had heard the initial estimates were lower than reality. That discussion ended quickly with news of the school closing. Now the parish is getting our final $31k, a generous gift that was not in their budget.

The Questions That Matter

Three questions sit at the center of this difference of opinion. First: are the funds raised by the Boosters part of the parish's general fund? They never have been and were never represented as such. If parish leadership really thought so, why would they ask for us to provide money to specific causes from time to time instead of just taking the money as they saw fit? Second: was it appropriate to give a thank-you gift to teachers and staff? We believe it was the least we could do. Third: was it appropriate to direct funds toward the children of our school as they transition to St. Thomas? We believe it absolutely was. In fact, one could argue they should get all of the Boosters' money.

The St. Catherine Finance Council, after reflection, agreed that allowing the teachers' checks to proceed was the right path toward peace. Fr. Stef decided instead to send his email. The broader question of the status of the St. Thomas funds remains unknown at the moment.

A Final Word

The St. Catherine Athletic Boosters existed for one reason: the children of this wonderful school. Every dollar we raised, every weekend we staffed the concession stand, every meeting we held, was in service of that mission. In the final chapter of this school's life, we stayed true to that mission. We gave those kids the best ending we could. We said thank you to the people who gave so much to them. And we tried to make sure their next chapter would be a little easier.

We are proud of what we did. We are grateful to every family, every volunteer, and every community member who made the Boosters what it was over the years. That community deserved better than what it received from parish leadership during this process.