Deacon Martin “Marty” Eisert knows firsthand the financial struggle many face to give their children a Catholic education. Both of his parents did not obtain a high school diploma because the early deaths of their fathers forced them into the workforce to help provide for their families. They wanted to be certain Deacon Marty and his brother Harold were not denied an education like they were.
The whole family worked together to raise the extra income needed to send the boys to Catholic schools. Their mother worked at G. C. Murphy and Deacon Marty and Harold had their own odd jobs as well, starting with newspaper routes in grade school up to other part time jobs in high school. They were fortunate to be able to attend Saint Joseph Parochial School, Cathedral Preparatory School, and Gannon College. Both Deacon Marty and Harold have had successful careers, which they attribute to the first-class education they received from those institutions.
Today, reflecting on his blessings, Deacon Marty established the Deacon Martin P. Eisert Scholarship Endowment for Cathedral Preparatory School to provide tuition assistance to students in financial need. “While I can never repay the huge debt to our parents, we can, and should, help others who are striving to obtain an education. I hope that my gift will make a difference in young people’s lives,” he says, but goes on to specify that this difference is more than being helped financially to obtain an education. “It’s what they do with their education, how it shapes their life, and how they use their life to make a difference in this world, a difference that somehow spreads the Gospel message.”
On the subject of charitable giving, Deacon Marty is very practical; after all, you cannot take your wealth with you when you die. “From my vantage point, whatever money we have accumulated is a gift from God. It is a gift that should never be hoarded, but always shared with others,” he says. “What better place than the Catholic Foundation to be assured that our money is wisely invested and used for the purpose in keeping with our wishes.”
“What better place than the Catholic Foundation to be assured that our money is wisely invested and used for the purpose in keeping with our wishes.”