For St. Raphael Academy senior Julian Salazar, and freshman Chloe Banks, the dream of a Catholic education was made possible through tuition assistance from the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island, which awarded $2.6 million in scholarships to students attending Catholic schools across the Diocese of Providence. The two were photographed last Friday during Saints Olympics, an informal afternoon of friendly competition in St. Raphael’s gymnasium to celebrate the conclusion of an annual week of service to the area community by the student body.
PHOTOS: RICK SNIZEK
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2026 6:00 am
By RICK SNIZEK, Executive Editor
PAWTUCKET — Julian Salazar hadn’t attended a Catholic School before, but when he was graduating from Blackstone Valley Prep and thinking about the path he wanted his future to follow, he set his sights on St. Raphael Academy, where he wanted very much to play on the football team.
With a younger sister now in the same middle school he attended with her high school education to also plan for soon enough, the $15,000 annual cost to attend the diocesan high school seemed daunting for his family.
Even though Salazar was accepted, he — like 75 percent of St. Raphael students — would still require some financial assistance in order to attend.
Thanks to the generosity of those who’ve enshrined the legacy of loved ones through the establishment of 110 different endowments within the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island, Salazar was given a financial aid package that allowed him to attend his dream school.
Salazar’s scholarship was just one fraction of the more than $2.5 million the Catholic Foundation awarded last year alone in tuition assistance to students attending Catholic schools in the Diocese of Providence.
“It means a lot to me; it means a lot to my family,” Salazar, 18, and now a senior, told Rhode Island Catholic.
“It definitely took off financial pressure from my family. I did not go to a Catholic middle school like a lot of kids here. I wanted to come here to play football and that financial pressure being lifted granted me that opportunity and it made my parents comfortable with the decision.”
He said that St. Raphael Academy had exposed him to a whole new world. During his four years on the football team, he said he was fortunate to have been chosen to serve as a team captain each year.
Salazar was also involved in multiple clubs, even helping to establish the Active Minds Club, a forum to enhance students’ mental wellness.
“It’s opened a lot of doors for me. This school has helped me to grow a lot,” he said.
Salazar now has his sights set on attending Bentley University this fall, where he aspires to earn a degree in international business.
Chloe Banks, a freshman, is at the beginning of her high school education.
But with a brother two years ahead of her at St. Raphael, her family also faced financial pressures when it came to providing the best education they could afford for their children.
She attended grammar and middle school at St. Joseph School in West Warwick, and wanted to continue her education in a faith-based school.
“My faith is very important to me, so it was essential for me to go to a Catholic high school like this where I can practice it,” Banks said.
Once again, the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island helped to make possible for her what otherwise would not have been.
“I think it’s really great that the Foundation provides assistance like this because I also have a brother who attends here, so obviously paying for two private school tuitions can be a lot,” Banks said.
“It’s very helpful to get that kind of assistance when families have multiple people they’re paying tuition for to go to a private school like this, especially when St. Ray’s is such a great school. It’s very helpful they have resources like this so more kids can come to school here.”
Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island Executive Director Tim McCaig said that tuition assistance forms the largest component of the annual awards granted from the endowments established to benefit various entities and causes.
“In 2024-2025, the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island awarded $2.6 million in tuition assistance to help families and $225,000 for school maintenance projects,” McCaig said.
“That’s a figure that increases each year.”
At St. Raphael Academy, the average financial assistance grant is about $4,000 per student, aid which comes from various sources, with the largest being grants from the Catholic Foundation.
This allows about 125 to attend the Pawtucket Catholic high school alone who otherwise might not be able to afford the full tuition.
“Partial scholarships make all the difference,” said St. Raphael Principal Dan Richard.
Richard noted how the additional 125 students keep the entire student body total above 440, which is crucial for the school to continue to thrive.
“A large portion of our students are able to stay here because of the kindness and generosity of the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island and the people who give to it,” Richard said.
“The affordability issue throughout the local community is making it harder for everybody, and some people are working second jobs and still don’t have the resources to send their kids to a private school.”
Just as it has helped the students at St. Raphael to better afford to attend the school of their choice, Foundation grants help students at all Catholic schools across the diocese.
McCaig said that anyone can create an endowment scholarship in honor of a loved one, in honor of a school, or even in gratitude for their own experiences in Catholic education.
“It’s going to take all of us who’ve benefitted from a Catholic education to pay it forward for the schools to remain competitive,” he said.
To that end, McCaig said his own family has sought to pay it forward to honor his late father.
“My dad passed away in 2020, and he was the product of a Jesuit education in New York, so my family and I set up a memorial scholarship for him,” he said.
McCaig noted the process was straightforward and easy and his family now enjoys the benefit of seeing the torch passed as his father’s legacy lives on in those students who benefit from much-needed scholarship assistance to earn a Catholic education.
Banks said that even a partial scholarship can make a tremendous impact on a young kid’s life.
“When you give more kids an opportunity to come to a place like St. Raphael, it can be very helpful to prepare them for their future.”
To create an endowment or learn more about the work of the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island, please contact Executive Director of the Catholic Foundation of RI Tim McCaig, at 401-865-6851.