Grant Impact Story
When 19 high school students from Saint Tobias Parish in Brockway came back from the National Catholic Youth Conference, they were filled with excitement about the faith. To keep this momentum going, Tara Starr, Director of Religious Education, had to get creative with a way to keep the students engaged. At the same time, Saint Tobias Parish needed outreach experiences to welcome an influx of new families and breathe life into what felt like stagnant parish life.
The solution was to bring in young Christian music duo The Scally Brothers for a community-wide music and mission worship opportunity. This was designed for parishioners of all ages with Mass, food, witness talks, and a concert. To support the cost of the event, Tara applied for a grant from the Catholic Foundation.
“Opportunities such as this don't often come to our rural area,” Tara wrote in her grant application. “The event will directly benefit our high school age students by providing them a chance to gather and listen to Christian witness experiences of The Scally Brothers, Jacob and Zach, who are not much older than they are. It will allow our pastor and myself to continue connecting with our youth as well as give us a chance to extend a welcome to our community as our parish grows.”
The Catholic Foundation awarded a grant to Saint Tobias Parish to offset some of the costs of the event, which was a success for the 200 attendees. “The goal of providing an energizing atmosphere of love and joy for Christ was definitely met!” Tara wrote in her grant report. Gathered in their local park, Saint Tobias’s music ministry began the evening by sharing their talents, then handed the stage over to The Scally Brothers. “It was a great evening to see so many people of all ages from not just our Parish, but the local and surrounding communities as well. The weather could have been better, but families set up their blankets and chairs and openly participated in the music celebration with singing and dancing. The Scally Brothers performance was awesome, uplifting and interactive with the audience. Questions were asked about when we were doing it again!”
“I can't begin to express how thankful I am for all the Foundation provides,” Tara wrote in thanks. “Thank you so much for helping us make this event a possibility.”
This project was supported by a grant from the Education Endowment of the Catholic Foundation. Your gift to the Foundation in any amount designated for this endowment increases our capacity to award grants for programs like this throughout northwest Pennsylvania.
“I can't begin to express how thankful I am for all the Foundation provides. Thank you so much for helping us make this event a possibility.”