Owensboro Catholic High School recently celebrated the blessing of its new Alumni Enrichment Center and Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Memorial Project.
The Alumni Enrichment Center was made possible due to the generosity of alumni Earl and Paula Fischer, class of ’57. Earl Fischer said he was thankful for the “faith-based education, positive experiences, and special friendships” he received during his time at OCHS, and he wanted to give back to the school and memorialize those special people in his life.
After OCHS, Fischer’s career began at Western Kentucky Gas. He worked his way up to president in 1989. By the time he retired in 2006 with 44 years of service, he was the president of Mid Tex, a division of Atmos Energy.
A release from Owensboro Catholic Schools said the purpose of the Alumni Enrichment Center is “to rejoin the alumni classes back inside the walls of Owensboro Catholic High School.”
“We are putting this room to great use,” said Natalie Hayden, OCS Director of Advancement. “We use it for our administrative team meetings, we use it for our annual appeal calling nights, and we have alumni who reserve the room for reunion planning. We even brought in alumni to watch the girls’ basketball All-A game. This is a room we are proud to showcase. It is a beautiful space to welcome potential new families interested in enrolling in Owensboro Catholic Schools and other potential donors who visit with us.”
A special memorial wall in honor of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth was placed in the center, given by alumni and friends of the school. The memorial celebrates the legacy of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and their pivotal role in establishing Catholic education in the area, and carries their legacy “Caritas Christi Urget Nos”— translating to “The Love of Christ Impels Us.”
The Sisters’ ties to Owensboro began in 1849 when they were called upon by priests in the area to begin educating the children of Catholic families who had migrated to Western Kentucky. The school, then called St. Frances Academy, started in an old frame building, a former hotel at 3rd and Allen Streets. The academy was established 22 years before the first public school opened.
The space was blessed by Bishop William Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro.
