3 Hawaii schools each get
$1 million from Marianists

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Associated Press

WAILUKU >> Maui's only Catholic high school is one of three Hawaii schools to receive a gift of $1 million for scholarships from the Marianist Province of the Pacific.

St. Anthony Junior Senior High School in Wailuku, and St. Louis School and Chaminade University in Honolulu -- the only Catholic Marianist schools in Hawaii -- will each receive an endowment from the Cupertino, Calif.-based group.

St. Anthony's high school Principal Daina Collins said she was initially told that her school would receive a one-time gift of $500,000.

But that number doubled.

"I was very grateful," she said.

Peter Wolf, spokesman for Chaminade, said it is the largest gift the 47-year-old university has ever received.

The Marianist Province of the Pacific is in the process of merging with Marianist Provinces of New York, Cincinnati and St. Louis in July.

"I think because they're reorganizing how they do things, they just wanted to put all their money back into education," Wolf said.

The money will be used for scholarships and financial aid at all three schools.

The Marianist Province of the Pacific has been providing financial support to St. Anthony for years, contributing between $35,000 and $60,000 each year for financial aid alone.

But because of the merger, St. Anthony officials expect the school will no longer receive a yearly gift from the Marianists. The school will instead use the $1 million endowment to build its tuition assistance funds.

Development Director Janice Pruett said the large gift does not necessarily mean the school will be able to provide more financial aid.

"It means we'll be able to retain what we've been giving," she said.

Wolf said the Marianists generally take a vow of poverty, donating what money they earn to pay for education.

"All the brothers that are here, all the Marianists who are here, generally donate their salary to scholarship to make sure the students have money," he said. "The Marianists' goal is to take students -- no matter how bad they are or good they are -- from where they are to where they can be."

Wolf said about 80 percent of Chaminade's 2,400 students are on some form of financial aid.

Chaminade University was named for Guillaume-Joseph Chaminade, a French priest who founded the Marianist Family in 1800 and who advanced toward sainthood in 2000 when he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.