More than 1,000 students receive tuition assistance in a single academic year
By Liz Hernandez
Special to The Texas Catholic
The Diocese of Dallas and the Catholic Schools Office are celebrating a historic achievement in Catholic education. During the 2025-2026 school year, more than 1,000 students will receive tuition assistance scholarships — the highest number of student awards in a single academic year to date. This milestone reflects the growing impact of two vital pillars of tuition assistance support: the Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament and the Dallas Diocesan Education Endowment Trust.
This is more than a number. It represents over a thousand lives empowered by access to Catholic education — students who now walk through the doors of our Catholic schools each day growing in wisdom, faith, and discipleship. This achievement is the fruit of a community united in mission. School administrators, parish communities, and generous benefactors who have come together with a shared purpose: to make a transformative, Christ-centered education accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstance.
Building a legacy
Established in 2010 by then-Bishop (now Cardinal) Kevin J. Farrell, the Dallas Diocesan Education Endowment Trust was created to provide ongoing and sustainable tuition assistance support for families with the greatest financial needs. With prudent investment strategies and a policy of preserving the principal, the Endowment Trust has grown from an initial corpus of $13 million to more than $45 million today.
“What began as a dream in 2010 — to provide tuition assistance to many deserving students through the Endowment Trust — has become an ever-growing reality today. And the future looks very bright,” Joe Murphy, chair of the Dallas Diocesan Education Endowment Trust, said.
In the past year alone, the Endowment Trust has awarded over $2 million in tuition assistance and since its inception has distributed $20 million in scholarships to over 8,000 students across the diocese.
In moments of economic hardship, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Endowment Trust responded with compassion and urgency, issuing extraordinary distributions and working directly with schools to bridge financial gaps for struggling families.
Teeing up opportunity
The Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament, founded in 2011 by Don and Jane Hanratty, began as a simple but bold effort to expand access to Catholic education. Over the years, it has grown into a powerful expression of community generosity and faith in action. To date, the tournament has raised more than $8.5 million, providing over 4,300 need-based scholarships for students in kindergarten through eighth grade across the diocese.
These scholarships open the door to Catholic education for families who never imagined it could be a reality, many of whom give sacrificially to provide their children with a faith-filled foundation. The Hanrattys’ vision and leadership have left a lasting legacy — one that continues to bless numerous children and families each year through the gift of a Christ-centered education.
“We’re blessed with a dedicated team and growing support that has elevated this far beyond a typical golf outing,” Don Hanratty said. “It continues to draw both golfers and non-golfers committed to supporting strategic scholarships.”
Renewing commitment
At the heart of this achievement lies a shared conviction: that Catholic education is essential not only for the pursuit of academic excellence but for lifelong formation in the Christian life. Catholic schools shape not only students but entire families, nurturing faith, shaping values, and supporting a life grounded in Christ. In this way, Catholic education plays a foundational role in cultivating a vibrant and enduring Church.
This year’s milestone invites both gratitude and renewed purpose. The vision for Catholic education in the diocese is not simply to sustain what has been achieved, but to widen the path so that more children can experience the gift of learning rooted in faith, regardless of a family’s financial means. Thanks to the generosity of many, more than 50% of students eligible for tuition assistance this year received funding through the Diocesan Education Endowment Trust or the Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament. While this marks significant progress, it also reminds us that the need is still great.
“Our schools are places where students are nurtured to grow as disciples, scholars, and compassionate leaders,” Jeannette Lambert, superintendent of Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools, said. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to expanding access, so that even more families can say yes to this life-changing journey. We are deeply grateful to the many benefactors, school leaders, and families who make this mission possible.”
As students across the diocese return to their classrooms this fall, some stepping into a Catholic school for the very first time, we are reminded that the vital work of forming young minds and hearts is shared by all of us as a community.
In this spirit, we entrust the year ahead to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, patroness of Catholic schools. May her intercession bless our students with wisdom, our teachers with strength, and those who walk with us in mission with continued generosity and grace.
This remarkable year reminds the faithful that Catholic education is more than instruction — it is a ministry, a mission, and a gift.
To learn more about how to support Catholic education in the Diocese of Dallas, contact [email protected].
Liz Hernandez is the associate director of Catholic School Development for the Diocese of Dallas.