Deo Gratias: Creating a Culture of Gratitude

Reprinted from Traditions, Winter 2016-2017 - By Brother Pat Conway ’71, FSC
February 15, 2017

As part of our Deo Gratias (Thanks Be to God) Program, the Advancement team has been working in conjunction with the administration, faculty, staff, and students to create and instill in our school community a culture of gratitude.

Clearly, CDH is blessed to have such wonderful philanthropic support from alumni, past parents, and friends. Because of their kindness and generosity, we feel it is imperative that our students grow in both understanding and appreciation of the critical role our benefactors play in their education.

Did you know: Tuition only covers part of the whole cost of a CDH education. The impact of donors cover enough of our budget so that the tuition charged is reduced by $4,000 – with more than $2.5 million of tuition assistance provided to those with need. Our goal is to keep the excellent, faith-based education at CDH available and accessible for our families!

As a result, the administration, faculty, and staff worked with our students in two different CASA sessions focusing on gratitude. This was accomplished through prayer, personal sharing and videos produced by our own students. In the end, students began the process of writing letters to our benefactors and thereby integrating and manifesting a culture of gratitude at Cretin-Derham Hall.

The impact of the CDH experience on our students’ lives is tremendous. These authentic words of students tell the story much better than anyone in administration ever could.

This article and more are featured in the Winter 2016-2017 issue of the CDH magazine, Traditions.