St. Vincent Parish Education Fund

The St. Vincent Parish Education Fund (SVPEF), in conjunction with West Virginia Catholic Foundation, is an endowment supporting the educational efforts of St. Vincent de Paul School (SVS). St. Vincent de Paul Parish sponsors St Vincent de Paul Parish School (SVS) and provides a regular subsidy to the School ranging between $100,000 to $200,000 annually. The goal of the SVPEF is to provide long-term financial support of SVS. The SVPEF is held within the West Virginia Catholic Foundation, a 501(c)(3)  organization whose purpose is to receive and manage private contributions for the benefit of parishes, schools and religious entities within the Diocese of  Wheeling-Charleston.  To provide ongoing support for the current and future activities of SVS, a portion of the endowment’s earnings are paid out annually, while the principal (or corpus) is retained for future growth. The principal of this fund is professionally administered by third party asset managers to provide an annual  income stream and preserve the value of the endowment in perpetuity. Join us as we build a strong future for faith-based, educational excellence for the children of our community.

Ways to Give to the SVPEF

We will work with each donor, on an individual basis to find the best option for their participation in the SVPEF. There are multiple ways to make a gift.

Gifts of Cash and Appreciated Securities

Stocks can be given which are either in certificate form or appreciated securities held in a brokerage account.

IRA required  minimum distributions (RMD)

Your RMD, when written directly from an IRA custodian to the SVPEF, would be considered a tax-free contribution. If you are  70-1/2 or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 to a charity tax free each year – even if it is more than your RMD amount.

Bequests

A gift made directly through  your Will can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage or the remainder of your estate through your Will or Trust

Beneficiary Designations

Name the SVPEF as  the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, retirement plan or pension. For additional information on ways to give, please contact Bryan Minor at (304) 233-0880,  Extension 263, or Matt Padden at (304) 650-9279.

For more information please contact:

Larry Bandi: (304) 280-6186
Bryan Minor: (304) 233-0880 ext. 263

Ways to Give to the SVPEF

We will work with each donor, on an individual basis to find the best option for their participation in the SVPEF. There are multiple ways to make a gift.

Gifts of Cash and Appreciated Securities

Stocks can be given which are either in certificate form or appreciated securities held in a brokerage account.

IRA required  minimum distributions (RMD)

Your RMD, when written directly from an IRA custodian to the SVPEF, would be considered a tax-free contribution. If you are  70-1/2 or older, you can transfer up to $100,000 to a charity tax free each year – even if it is more than your RMD amount.

Bequests

A gift made directly through  your Will can be a specific dollar amount, a percentage or the remainder of your estate through your Will or Trust

Beneficiary Designations

Name the SVPEF as  the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, retirement plan or pension. For additional information on ways to give, please contact Bryan Minor at (304) 233-0880,  Extension 263, or Matt Padden at (304) 650-9279.

For more information please contact:

Larry Bandi: (304) 905-6262
Bryan Minor: (304) 233-0880 ext. 263

At a Glance – St. Vincent de Paul Parish School

  • Faith Based Education: Regular prayer, liturgy and sacraments. Bible instruction, religious education and community service.
  • Average Student Teacher Ratio –  12:1.
  • Superior scores, at all grade levels, on the SAT 10 standardized test.
  • Generous tuition assistance.
  • Art, music, technology and physical education classes.
  • 1:1  laptop or tablet access, 2nd through 8th grade.
  • Strong sports teams.
  • Excellent early childhood program.
  • Strong community support.

School Vision

Black-and-white photo of St. Vincent’s Class of 1958. A large group of students in formal attire sit and stand in rows outside a brick building, with priests and nuns seated in the front row.
A group of students in blue graduation gowns and caps pose for a photo on stone steps in front of a brick building with arched doorways. One adult stands at the back left.

Class of 2021

St. Vincent de Paul Parish School in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston strives to provide a Christ-centered education that is rooted in Gospel values. This education, combined with academic excellence, empowers students to reach their full potential – spiritually, intellectually and physically. State of the art technology is available to our students and staff, whether in the  building, or if necessary, when providing education through distance learning. All of this is accomplished through coordination with our parish, under the  leadership of our pastor. Parents, grandparents and other family members, along with SVP parishioners, provide support on many levels including financial, social  and spiritual, with a strong emphasis on faith formation.

  • We will continue to offer our students academic excellence so that they have the necessary skills to recognize and achieve their goals.
  • We will continue to attract and retain highly qualified staff to further the mission of the St. Vincent community.
  • We will continue to improve our physical  properties to provide a safe and educationally enhancing atmosphere for our students.
  • We will continue to be a leader in the field of education by providing  excellent professional development to our teachers, a rigorous curriculum to our students and the best technology available to all.
  • We will continue to achieve  financial stability for our school, while continuing to provide families with an affordable Catholic education.

As our country continues to head toward becoming a secular society, and public education is quickly moving to teaching children values that are contrary to Christian values, it is imperative that we make our Catholic schools stronger than ever. Catholic Schools have to be a viable option to give parents a choice on how and what they want their children to be taught.

Mark Peluchette

We support the St. Vincent Parish Educational Fund because we believe it gives all families desiring to give their children an affordable Catholic education the opportunity to do so. Our children received a quality education in a structured Christian environment which provided them a strong moral compass. It seems that today’s social culture is spent using its time to remove God from public schools, public buildings and social media. Catholic schools are one of the few remaining avenues providing a rich understanding and relationship with God.

Matt Padden

The Educational Fund will ensure the sustainability of St. Vincent’s School as we move into the future. Let’s work together to keep a good thing going with our school.

Susan Koval, St Vincent Parish Accountant

The SVPEF is exactly what the school needs at this present time.  Efforts such as this will assist families who desire Catholic Education in Wheeling.  Since it was announced in November of 2020, the SVPEF has grown quickly.  Alumni and St. Vincent de Paul Parishioners are responding generously.

Msgr. Paul Hudock

Pope John Paul the 2nd said that “Catholic Education is above all a question of communicating Christ, helping to form Christ in the lives of others”.  Catholic Education builds character, instills values, promotes service above self while maintaining a vigorous curriculum in a loving, caring and faith filled environment.  We must preserve catholic education in Wheeling and throughout the country.  That’s why I support the St. Vincent’s Parish Education Fund Endowment.

Lawrence Bandi

Frequently Asked Questions

It becomes more and more difficult to provide an affordable Catholic education. Our parish is challenged to fund the deficit between the cost to educate a student and the amount charged for tuition. In order to provide a future for Catholic education at St. Vincent’s de Paul we must plan ahead to fund the needs of our school.

We have set a goal of $4,000,000. Reaching this goal would generate $160,000 in annual income (assuming a 4% return), which is equivalent to the average shortfall that we have experienced in recent years.

Possibly you or a family member has benefited greatly from an education at St. Vincent’s de Paul or maybe you value the education provided by Catholic schools in general and want to make sure the opportunity is there for others. By donating to this fund you are providing for the future of Catholic education at St. Vincent’s de Paul.

Funds are placed in an account held by the West Virginia Catholic Foundation and are invested with Wesbanco Trust Department following the guidance of the Trustees of the Foundation and their investment policy. Currently a 4.0% annual distribution is provided based on the assets value on December 31st of each year.

If the St. Vincent de Paul school should close, the endowment fund would allow for distribution of funds to St. Vincent de Paul parishioners who need financial assistance and are attending another local Catholic elementary or high school.

Yes, you can set up automatic withdrawals from your checking account or credit card. You can also send a check each month to the Parish indicating “School Endowment Fund”.

Yes, this is a wonderful way to avoid capital gain taxes on appreciated stock. Just call or have your financial advisor contact the parish office for the details on how this can be done. Or click here for the guidelines and information that you can provide to your broker to facilitate the transfer.

Guidelines for Gifts of Stock

There will be regular updates, including the value of the fund, posted in the parish bulletin and listed on the St. Vincent’s de Paul parish and school websites.

Yes, the fund will be ongoing and able to receive donations regularly. You may want to consider talking with your estate planner and including the Endowment Fund in your will.

Several offices in the chancery support St Vincent School.

    • The Office of Safe Environment works to create a culture that protects our children.
    • The Office of Marketing and Communications hosts and helps manage our school and parish websites.
    • The Office of Stewardship and Development helps us to cultivate third-source funding.
    • The Office of Buildings and Properties gives helpful advice as we manage our physical plant.
    • The Department of Catholic Schools provides professional support to our teachers and principal.
    • The Diocese offers a “Tuition Assistance Program” which gives direct payments to schools to assist families in financial need so that they can enroll their child in Catholic Schools.    https://wvcatholicschools.org/financing-options/
    • Two recent gifts from the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston to our school were the painting of the exterior of the school in 2015 and the replacement of the school boiler in 2019.
The financial statements of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston are available on their website.  https://dwc.org/2020-audit/

View the Brochure

A trifold brochure for the St. Vincent Parish Education Fund features school building photos, the school crest, contact information, donation form, and fund details on white and purple backgrounds.
A tri-fold brochure for St. Vincent de Paul Parish School features donation options, school vision, quick facts, and photos of students in uniform, with a detachable donation form on the right panel.

Click Here to Download the Brochure