My name is Rose (Riedel) DeFer and I was blessed to be able to attend St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School from Kindergarten through 8th grade and then I graduated from Bourgade Catholic High School in 1981. I am the youngest of 6 children and my parents sacrificed for many years to put all of us in Catholic schools because they believed that Catholic education was the best for their children. Catholic schools have the unique opportunity to not only shape the minds, but the hearts and the spirits of children to grow into service-oriented adults.
I am a compassionate and caring person because of the education I received at SVdP and at BCHS. At both schools, I was taught by loving and patient lay teachers as well as Christ-centered religious. At SVdP the Daughters of Charity and the Vincentian priests taught me about the love of God and encouraged me to love as God loves. At BCHS, the Holy Cross priests brought my Catholic faith alive with their teachings of the faith and the challenge to live that faith in our world.
I believe that my Catholic faith has made me a better wife, mother and stepmother. My husband and I have been married for almost 32 years and we raised five daughters together in a blended family. Each day we choose to love each other…as Christ loves us. Three of our daughters were able to attend a Catholic school.
I have been privileged to work with the Daughters of Charity at SVdP Catholic School for the past 27 years, serving as its Development Director for the past 10 years. Our school community relies so much on the goodness of others to redirect their tax dollars to SVdP School. Our families are sacrificing just as my parents did years ago…but they need so much more help as the cost of a Catholic education is much higher. The tuition assistance that we get from Catholic Education Arizona is critical as it supports almost ALL of our families at SVdP.
If you have thought about looking into tax redirection but haven’t actually done it yet, I encourage you to try it out this year and see what a difference it makes in the lives of students all over this Diocese. To all of you who already redirect your taxes, THANK YOU! We couldn’t do it without people like you. Share what you do with others and invite them to do the same!
