Why would a single mother of eight who’s struggling to pay the bills give up everything so that her children could attend their parish school? Why would a father of four who’s been downsized do the same? What about a parish school teacher whose wife was laid off months ago?

No matter the hardship, they value a Catholic education, and their personal sacrifices demonstrate why tuition assistance from the Bishop’s Education Fund is critical to the future of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

The gifts of nearly 45,000 donors flowing into Our Campaign for The Church Alive! help make these grants possible. The campaign will allocate $12 million to increase the fund’s permanent endowment by 60 percent, enabling thousands more students to benefit from a Catholic school education.

“I was a stay at home mom, but when my husband lost his well-paying job, he had a breakdown,” the single mother said. “He couldn’t handle it and left us. But we’ve been so blessed with an incredibly generous congregation and school. I am eternally grateful for this assistance.

“I had to go to work to support our family, but so many people have helped us,” she said. “The teachers are like second moms. Public schools might have fancier labs and nicer soccer fields, but nothing can beat a Catholic education.”

“I wasn’t raised in a religious family, and I want that for our children,” said the father who lost his job and is receiving tuition assistance. “I want them to grow up with the values and the morals that the Church teaches.”

Father Ronald Nuzzi, Director of Catholic Leadership Programs at the University of Notre Dame, sees these advantages and many others in a Catholic school education.

“Catholic school students learn that God is present and active in their lives and in the world,” Father Nuzzi wrote in an article entitled, ‘Top 10 Benefits of a Catholic School Education.’ “They see the signs of God’s love around them, and become instruments of God’s grace.

“Catholic schools promote service as an essential component of their curriculum,” he said. “Catholic school students learn that they are in fact ‘their brother’s keeper,’ and have a responsibility to respond to the needs of those around them.”

Students are also challenged to be Christ-like in word in action.

Catholic education always has been at the heart of the Church’s mission, Father Nuzzi said, as students are entrusted with the fullness of faith, and told to go out into the world and share the gifts they have received.

The teacher at a suburban parish school whose wife lost her job sees these benefits every day, and that’s why they’ve cut expenses, done without and sought assistance from the Bishop’s Education Fund to keep their children in the school.

“They’re treated with respect by the teachers, and the teachers expect it in return,” he said. “They keep them involved in their faith. It’s a better education.”

“The smaller class sizes enable them to spend more time with students one-on-one,” said the single mother. “I feel very blessed. Catholic education has meant the world to me.”

“The assistance is a blessing,” the teacher said. “God is watching over us.

“Thank you to all the donors. It’s a burden that has been lifted, and it matters that people care.”