ASHEVILLE — During her life, local parishioner Catherine Horan was a staunch believer in the importance of Catholic education and backed that passion with financial support – not once but twice.
Horan first surprised Mike Miller, then principal of Asheville Catholic School, with a gift of more than $110,000 prior to her death. Those funds paid for a new playground at the school, located next to St. Eugene Church.
“I knew Ms. Horan as a devoted supporter of the school. She would often stop to see how things were going. It wasn’t uncommon for her to ask us if there was anything we needed,” recalls Miller.
Upon her death, Horan also bequeathed a $1.4 million gift to the Sheridan-Mangan Endowment, established by Father Edward Sheridan, a retired priest of the diocese and former Catholic schools leader. The endowment, named for Father Sheridan’s parents, started with $50,000 and prior to Horan’s contribution was valued at $169,000.
Father Sheridan came out of retirement for two years starting in 2009 to serve as pastor of St. Eugene Parish in Asheville and Asheville Catholic School.
Notes Father Sheridan, “It was great that she did this. She left a legacy for the endowment to continue. People have been very supportive, and hopefully it will continue to help a lot of people.”
The Sheridan-Mangan Endowment has benefited hundreds of students at Asheville Catholic School by providing financial support, including tuition assistance.
Gina Rhodes, diocesan director of planned giving, said she knew Horan intended to leave a gift upon her death, because she wanted to make a lasting impact.
“Ms. Horan’s transformative gift will benefit Catholic students at Asheville Catholic School for generations to come,” Rhodes says. “More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”
Miller, who now serves as an assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte, encourages anyone who would like to leave a bequest to support Catholic education to contact Rhodes.
“This is a wonderful way to leave a legacy that will have a positive impact,” he says. “Allow God to work through you to accomplish this important work.”
Fund an endowment
Interested in setting up – or adding to – an endowment to benefit your parish or Catholic school? You can establish an endowment in the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation by leaving a bequest in a will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a trust or annuity, or a gift of real estate, life insurance, cash or securities.
Donors who make a planned gift become members of the Catholic Heritage Society, which now has almost 1,750 members.
For details, contact Gina Rhodes at 704-370-3364 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Courtney McLaughlin
CHARLOTTE — Students at Charlotte Catholic High School will have a new opportunity to explore education through the window of Catholic liberal arts beginning with the 2025 school year.
The St. Augustine Scholars Program is a four-year honors pathway that will take students through a classical course of study that will explore philosophy, logic, Latin and primary classical texts.
The inaugural class of freshmen will be admitted to the program in the fall of 2025.
“This program is an interdisciplinary approach in the Catholic liberal arts tradition that integrates knowledge from various fields to form a cohesive, Christ-centered understanding of the world,” said Brian Dorrian, who teaches philosophy at the high school and has been selected to oversee the initiative.
Through the study of subjects such as theology, philosophy, literature, history and the arts, students will receive not only a strong academic foundation, but also learn how each subject reveals different dimensions of truth, he said.
St. Augustine was selected as patron of the new program because of his legacy as “one of the greatest students and teachers in the history of the Church,” Dorrian said.
The program has a four-year structure, with each year building upon the previous, Dorrian said. Each year has a specific theme: The Great Adventure, The Search for Wisdom, The Battle (for spiritual and moral integrity), and The Great Commission.
The program will take students through a classical course of study.
“This structure encourages students to connect their learning across disciplines and see how these themes are relevant in every area of life, from literature to science to the arts,” Dorrian said.
The program was developed as a response to surveys that indicated more parents were seeking a Catholic-based classical education for their children, according to Dr. Greg Monroe, superintendent of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic schools.
“As all of our schools lean further into their Catholic identity across academics, the arts and athletics, it’s exciting to see a program like this where students can go even deeper into their faith through the liberal arts,” Monroe said.
— Christina Lee Knauss
Learn more
At www.charlottecatholic.org/about-us/st-augustine-scholars-program: Get more information about the new St. Augustine Scholars Program