Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation to honor Franciscan friars at Friend of Catholic Education Award dinner

QUINCY — The Franciscan friars will be the recipients of the 2022 Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation’s Friends of Catholic Education Award for their impact on Catholic education dating back to the 1860s.

Established in 2009, the award recognizes an individual, couple or organization whose contributions have significantly fostered and strengthened Catholic education in the Quincy community. The friars will be honored at the 13th annual Friend of Catholic Education Award Dinner on Feb. 5 at the Atrium Hotel on Third.

“As we look back on the history of Catholic education in Quincy, it began with the Franciscan Friars who established the first elementary school more than 160 years ago,” QCES Board President Elizabeth Brown said in a press release. “Their unique spirit and generous love built a firm foundation for the high-quality, faith-based education we have come to know today. We are thankful to have the opportunity to recognize their impact on past generations and their legacy which will shape future generations.”

The Franciscan friars arrived in Quincy in the late 1850s when the pastor of St. Boniface requested help to begin a school. The pastor and Bishop of Alton went to Germany and recruited Franciscans to come to Quincy. The Franciscan friars since have:

• Established and served at Quincy University from 1860 to present;
• Established and served at St. Francis Solanus Church and School from 1860-2020;
• Established and served at St. Anthony Church and School from 1860-2003;
• Served at St. Boniface Church and St. Boniface School from 1929-1932;
• Served at St. Benedict Church from 1939-1941;
• Established St. Dominic School in 1963;
• Served at St. Joseph Church from 1967-1968 and 1972-2010;
• Assisted at St. Peter Church; and
• Designed Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

Tickets for the dinner are $100. They available through the QCES Foundation office or through the QCES Foundation Facebook page. The dinner serves as a fundraiser for the organization and its tuition assistance fund. The QCES Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in tuition assistance since 2009 to students enrolled at Blessed Sacrament, St. Dominic, St. Francis and St. Peter elementary schools with demonstrated need.

The Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools Foundation was established in 2009 as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to support Catholic elementary education in Quincy.