St. Bernard’s endowment campaign finishes with $10.3 million

By Tanya Connor
The Catholic Free Press

St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg just finished a historic $10.3 million endowment campaign, Kelly Jennison, director of external relations, told The Catholic Free Press Monday.

Last fall an anonymous donor offered to provide a three-to-one matching gift of $6 million to establish an endowment fund if the school community raised $2 million by June 30, according to Mrs. Jennison and a press release sent out Monday.  

“A small campaign committee worked tirelessly to raise the money to meet the $2 million goal,” and raised $2.3 million in gifts and pledges, she said. They quietly approached certain prospective donors, and made the campaign public in January after raising $1.2 million.

“The donor, deeply moved by the community’s commitment, extended their match to 100% of the funds raised, rounding it up to a monumental $7 million,” the press release says. “In a further act of generosity, the donor made an additional $1 million gift to the endowment, bringing their total contribution to $8 million. Combined with the community’s efforts, St. Bernard’s High School now boasts a $10.3 million endowment fund.”  

“This fund will guarantee long-term financial sustainability, supporting student programs, faculty, financial aid, and facilities,” John Zarrella, chairman of the board of trustees, said in the press release. “We cannot thank our anonymous donor and our community enough for securing the future of St. Bernard’s High School.”

In a video announcing the endowment fund, Mr. Zarrella said this is the first time, in the five years that the school has been independent, that it has had a balanced budget. He said those who took it over inherited a nearly $650,000 deficit.

St. Bernard Central Catholic High School, as it was called for years, was owned and operated by the diocese, but got to the point where low enrollment left the diocese covering financial deficits. The diocese agreed to pay the deficit, at a cost of $800,000, once more for the 2019-2020 school year - if enrollment exceeded 100 students. This was to allow a private organization time to find a way to keep the school open.  

With 105 students enrolled, St. Bernard’s remained a diocesan school, then opened in the fall of 2020 under new leadership. In August 2021 the admissions director reported an  enrollment of 186, up from 143 the previous fall. Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year was 235, according to the website stbernardshighschool.org/at-a-glance.

Also in August 2021 it was announced that the “All In” fund-raising campaign exceeded its goal and raised $2.63 million.

It had been launched to support a five-year strategic plan for an independent school.