What Alois Kohlbecker began almost two centuries ago has been perpetually secured by his great-grandchildren for centuries to come. Alois was one of the early parishioners of Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Bellefonte, Centre County, in the 1800s. His son, Aloysius, a glassmaker by trade, was the first of four generations in the family to attend St. John School, or “SJS” as many fondly call it. In April, 1905, at just nine years old, he addressed to his father in an Easter letter “that our risen Lord gives us all those graces which we need most.”
As Alois’ granddaughter, Patricia, approached her 90th birthday in 2017, she advised her six adult children that she “didn’t need any birthday presents to put on a shelf.” They decided the best way to celebrate the special occasion was to pool their funds and create the “Patricia Kohlbecker-Mulfinger Permanent Endowment for St. John the Evangelist School” through the Independent Catholic Foundation.
They agreed the gift was perfect so Patricia could witness the impact of annual endowment distributions that provide tuition relief to current and future students. St. John’s School was the obvious choice for the family because of their appreciation for the priests, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, lay administrators and teachers who cared about each student as an individual. They want others to receive a Catholic educational experience with similar blessings.
Aloysius concludes his letter to his father with “I shall not forget to pray to (the Lord) for you but I shall ask Him to bless you in every way.” Fred and Kim, Ed, Dave and Lorraine, Don and Pam, Mary Ann and Ron, and Tom and Marianne have blessed their mother with a special legacy, and have blessed SJS students for generations to come because of their generosity.
The Independent Catholic Foundation has been helping create Catholic legacies in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown since 1990. We would enjoy a confidential conversation with you so you too can honor your family with a Catholic legacy that will give witness to your faith for generations to come.