When early followers of Ignatius of Loyola prepared to open a school in Perugia, Italy, in the mid-16th century, the former Basque knight gave instructions that it must be “per tutti quanti, poveri et ricchi” -- for everybody, poor and rich.
For many years, thanks largely to wealthy patrons, many Jesuit schools and colleges were free, but eventually all had to impose tuition. In 1910 the four Jesuit high schools in New York charged $100 to $300; the average worker’s annual income then was under $650. That was the year Hugh Grant, a former Gilded Age mayor of New York, died and left wife Julia and three young children an immense fortune – more than $9 million, or $220 million today – with instructions to give $300,000 to charity. The pious widow turned to her pastor, David Hearn, S.J., of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, for spiritual and financial advice. She wound up giving Hearn $1.7 million – the equivalent now of $36 million – to fulfill his dream of opening a free school for talented Catholic boys, especially sons of immigrants who could not otherwise afford a Catholic education. Mrs. Grant imposed only one condition: absolute secrecy on where the money came from. Regis High School opened its doors in September 1914 and, a century later, remains the sole tuition-free Jesuit high school in America.
Read Full Article »