Minot Bishop Ryan unveils campaign

On Nov. 11, Minot Bishop Ryan Catholic School launched an ambitious campaign with a $5.4 million-dollar effort to provide for teachers and students on a number of levels. 

More than $4 million has already been committed toward the campaign, with lead gifts provided by 75 private donors and a matching gift opportunity offered from the Diocese of Bismarck. 

“Catholic education done well uniquely forms its students to live full and meaningful lives,” said Fr. Jadyn Nelson, Bishop Ryan Catholic School President. “Today we are celebrating a milestone in our commitment to put all the pieces in place to ensure that this kind of educational experience can exist here at Bishop Ryan well into the future.” 

He added, “The most important piece to successfully achieving the goals of our strategic plan is what we celebrate today: to invest in our teachers, so that the highly competent, mission-driven men and women who choose to teach at Bishop Ryan can afford to dedicate their careers to the mission of Catholic education. With the success of this campaign, we project that within five years we will be able to raise our salary schedule to a level that our base pay is on par with surrounding public schools.” 

With nearly $1.4 million remaining and $250,000 available from the diocese to match pledges through the end of the year, Bishop Ryan believes Living Our Mission is an investment that will be paid forward to the community in many ways for years to come. 

Campaign dollars will support education excellence through: 
· $4 million designated to reaching the goal of matching the projected base salary of area public school instructors within four years, encouraging mission-driven teachers to stay at Bishop Ryan instead of leaving for higher-paying positions 
· $500,000 to increase the current Student Scholarship Endowment, providing enrollment opportunities for Catholic education through tuition assistance 
· $600,000 to provide teachers and students with the support and tools they need to achieve optimum success in their future endeavors 
· $300,000 to manage the physical campus, maintaining and improving the state of the grounds, current safety measures and an emergency maintenance fund.

“What we do here at Bishop Ryan Catholic School is of the utmost importance…” said Bishop David D. Kagan. “In this community of faith, everyone has the opportunity to come to know and love and serve Almighty God even better. This capital campaign, I am convinced, will take that necessary apostolate to a whole new level.” 

“There are beautiful things happening in the halls and classrooms of Bishop Ryan on a daily basis,” said Fr. Nelson. “The potential for good here is enormous, but I’m absolutely convinced that we have not even begun to imagine the power for good that will result from the successful completion of this campaign.” 

To learn more about Living Our Mission: The Campaign for Bishop Ryan, to view a recording of the press conference, or to make a gift, visit www.bishopryan.com/livingourmission.

—Submitted information