The Monsignor Jerome MacEachin Scholarship Dinner affectionately known as the Fr. Mac Dinner is the premier event of Lansing Catholic High School ’s fundraising year. Proceeds from this event benefit the Fr. Mac Scholarship Fund which provides tuition assistance grants to families in need at Lansing Catholic High School.
The 2011 Dinner will be held on Monday, May 16th at the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University. Festivities begin with a 6:00 pm Reception followed by a 7:00 pm Dinner and Program honoring our Community Service Award recipient Remember, your participation helps to grow our Scholarship Fund! For tickets or more information call the Development Office at 267-2109.
Parents, Friends, Alumni, Community and Business leaders, Parishioners and Clergy attend this gala event. The event is open to all and is supported by all those who have an interest in or affinity for Lansing Catholic High School.
Celebration of a Legend . . . Msgr. Jerome V. MacEachin, affectionately known as Father Mac, was an institution in the Lansing area. With a gregarious personality and a keen sense of humor, he drew people together building strong ties within his parish family and the broader community as well.
As the second pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, he shepherded that faith community from a small college campus church to a thriving metropolitan parish. The broader community also experienced his leadership and charismatic personality In the Diocese of Lansing , Father Mac served as the superintendent of schools for 15 years and in 1960, he was instrumental in acquiring the present site of Lansing Catholic High School.
Father Mac’s spiritual commitment took him far beyond the role of parish priest. Thousands of Michigan State University students remember him as the Newman Club chaplain and the priest who celebrated Mass in a basement church on Abbott Road. Others remember a theology lecturer and director of Catholic student affairs at Michigan State University. For more than 30 years, Father Mac served as chaplain of the Michigan State University football team.
The Father Mac Fund benefits families in need at Lansing Catholic. Over the last several years, grants from this fund have risen from $52,000 annually to over $230,000 today. More than 30% of currently enrolled families benefit from this fund each year. It is one of the most important and significant ways we assist families who desire a Catholic education to make that desire a reality.
As a result of years of success with the Dinner, generous contributions to the fund and the recent receipt of large legacy gifts, this endowed scholarship fund now totals over 1.5 million dollars. Earnings from the fund are used each year to provide grants to families in need.
Individuals, businesses, corporations and vendors can help make this signature event even more successful through their participation. Individual tickets ($125 each), Tables of 8 ($1,000 each), advertising and event sponsorships ($1,200-2,500), in-kind gifts of services (i.e., printing, promotions etc.) and outright donations to the Fr. Mac Fund provide a number of opportunities for participation. Additionally, Legacy gifts (bequests, memorials and other large contributions) help ensure that these funds continue to be available for the families of tomorrow. For more information call the Development Office at Lansing Catholic High School 267-2114.