GREENSBORO — A life-changing surprise awaited Our Lady of Grace teacher Carol Wiedwald and her eighth-grade son Chase in the school’s lobby the morning of March 29. It was a $20,000 scholarship to Bishop McGuinness High School from parishioners Don and Mary Gay Brady, who were there to present the award.
“We are absolutely grateful,” Wiedwald said as she searched for words to express her joy. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. Bishop has been great for Tyler, my older son, this year.”
Don Brady added, “We wanted the first recipient to be from our parish school.”
For the Bradys, belief in the crucial role of Catholic education in society stems from extensive personal experience. Their five children and many of their grandchildren have attended Our Lady of Grace, and two of their grandchildren currently have Wiedwald as a teacher. The couple and a small, dedicated committee are seeking contributions to match their $500,000 donation to raise the fund’s total to $1 million while encouraging others to actively support Catholic schools.
“More and more Catholics across the diocese are making a difference with five-, six- and seven-figure donations,” said Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte. “This is a testament to the life-changing difference our Catholic institutions are making.”
The Catholic Schools Employees Scholarship Fund – the largest donation the high school has ever received – has a twofold purpose. “The goal is to recruit and keep quality educators. It’s an incentive for them to fulfill their vocation and allows them the opportunity to send their children to Catholic schools, even if their financial situation wouldn’t have allowed for that,” said Katie Williams, advancement director for the diocesan high school in Kernersville. “It also will, over time, increase enrollment.”
When it comes to retaining quality educators, the fund is already succeeding.
“Carol (Wiedwald) has been a great gift to OLG because she started the STREAM program, so she’s teaching all our kids from kindergarten to eighth grade,” said Our Lady of Grace School Principal Catherine Rusch. “She’s really leading the charge with advanced math in middle school, up to two years advanced, so we’re very lucky to have her.”
Father Casey Coleman, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, noted, “Teachers here and at other parochial schools are oftentimes already making a sacrifice because they can make more money as a teacher elsewhere, but they buy into the mission. If they buy into the mission of Catholic schools by doing such hard and dedicated work, then we should be giving back to them in ways like this. By making that sacrifice, putting their own kids through Catholic school is harder to do. This is a wonderful opportunity that makes it more feasible.”
As of press time, nine students are eligible for the scholarship during the 2021-’22 school year. Additional scholarships have continued to be awarded since the first one on March 29. Any faculty or staff member from Bishop McGuinness or other Piedmont Area Catholic Schools (PACS) are eligible for the scholarship for their children. Qualifying students are rising ninth-graders or transferring to Bishop McGuinness. For every year of enrollment at Bishop McGuinness, the eligible students receive $5,000 toward tuition.
PACS includes Bishop McGuinness, Our Lady of Grace and St. Pius X in Greensboro, Immaculate Heart of Mary in High Point, Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo in Winston-Salem, and Sacred Heart in Salisbury.
“We have great teachers and staff at all our Catholic schools including the Piedmont Area Catholic Schools,” said Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of the diocese’s Catholic schools. “This scholarship is a way to make Catholic education available to the employees who work for and with us, and at the same time provide their children with the gift of a Catholic education.”
Since 2017, Don Brady has served on a committee to help increase enrollment while fostering religious vocations from Bishop McGuinness, which has a capacity for 600 students and a current enrollment of 420. Brady also helped with the search for its new head of school, Dr. Jared Rashford, who starts in June.
The Bradys are longtime advocates of Catholic education, having generously donated time, talent and treasure to new building projects, a preschool playground and technology upgrades at OLG School over the years, as well as many projects for the church and community.
“We want to promote Catholic education and culture, so we can literally change the world,” Father Coleman said. “We’re extremely blessed and privileged to be the first beneficiaries and to have such wonderful parishioners like Don and Mary Gay Brady who have done so much for Catholic schools and continue to do so.”
For more information or if you are interested in helping with a matching gift, contact Katie Williams, the director of advancement at Bishop McGuinness, at 336-564-1009 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Annie Ferguson, Correspondent
Pictured (from left) Catherine Rusch, principal of Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro; Katie Williams, advancement director for Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville; philanthropists and Catholic school supporters Don and Mary Gay Brady; scholarship recipient Chase Wiedwald and his mother Carol Wiedwald; and Father Casey Coleman, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church. (Photo provided by Paola Scilinguo)