'L ittk Flower' taking world by storm, say devotees By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON (CNS) St. Therese of Lisieux, whom Pope Pius X called the "greatest saint of modern times ," was hailed as "one of us" during one of the initial U.S. stops on a tour that is taking her relics all over the world. The massive crowds that have gathered to see the relics have surprised even the planners of the nationwide event . "Therese has taken the world by storm," said retired Auxiliary Bishop Patrick V. Ahem of New York, one of the organizers of the U.S. segment of the relics' international tour. "What common sense she had, what down-to-earth spirituality, suited for the likes of us who are little souls the same as she," said Bishop Ahern during an Oct. 7 homily at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. LITTLEFLOWER continued on page 11 Members of the Carmelite order carry the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux into the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery in Washingto n, D.C., on Oct. 6.
$30 million endowment campaign rolls past halfway mark
The archdiocesan campai gn to generate $30 million for long-term Catholic school tuition assistance, Today's Students — ' Tomorrow's Leaders, rolled by its halfway mark last week and even shows signs of picking up steam, according to those involved in the effort. As of early last week nearly $17 million in pledges and gifts had been received — about 56% of the goal, according to the Office of Stewardship and Development. The campaign 's ultimate goal is total funding of the Archdiocese of San Francisco's Catholic Education Endowment Fund. Its estimated eventual income of roughly $2 million annually would be used in perpetuity to pro-
vide tuition assistance for students seeking to attend local Catholic schools. "Without this campaign , hundreds if not thousands of young people would be denied the opportunity of a Catholic education," said Dominican Sister Glenn Anne McPhee, superintendent of Catholic Schools. She said school officials across the Archdiocese are "very excited" about the campaign 's progress and were grateful for the support from "parish communities, private donors, foundations and corporations." The educator said the typical recipient of the endowment's tuition assistance "would probably be a youngster of color, a
new immigrant or the son or daughter of a new immigrant, struggling financially and beginning to make their way in our American culture and our American Catholic culture as well." The total number of donors as of last week had passed 2,600, according to Scott Vachon, campaign director. He also noted that five individuals had made gifts of $1 million each. "In fact," he said, "the first 19 (major donor) commitments to the campaign totaled nearly $7.5 million — almost half of the total given so far." Nearly $2.5 million has already been paid in cash, he said. "We know that the students of low-income families and ENDOWMENT, page 7