Catholic University Scholarship Named for Terri Schiavo
A Roman Catholic liberal arts school has established the country’s first educational scholarship in the name of late Terri Schiavo this week.
Parents of Schiavo, Robert and Mary Schindler, and brother Robert Jr., were hosted by Ave Maria University, Naples FL. on Friday to speak about the funds created to carry on the Schiavo legacy and assist students planning careers in the priesthood.
According to News-Press, Robert Schindler, father of the brain-damaged Florida woman who died March 31 after removal of her feeding tube, said the scholarship represents the future of his family's right-to-life efforts.
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"Terri's story is not over, by far. Terri's story is a wake-up call to this country," said Schindler, 67, who was raised as a Catholic in a Philadelphia church his grandparents helped establish.
The legal battle over Schiavo brought Schindlers into contact with the scholarship founder, Joseph Grady. Grady is the president of My Jesus Mercy Ministries and father of an Ave Maria student.
"Terri would often say, 'Where there is life, there is hope,' " said Grady, who made the first donation to the fund. "If we can bring future priests and bishops out of Ave Maria University with this same ideal, then her life-given gift will continue."
Set up to become one of the university's annual endowed scholarships, the amount the school hopes to raise is up to $4 million within the next few years, according to the Associated Press (AP). The university also aims to award at least one scholarship this fall.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we're just so pleased and honored," said Schindler. "It's great to have an institution willing to take on something like this. We feel that Terri was chosen by God to combat evil, and what a fine way to pay tribute to her life.”
Meanwhile, University Provost Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., also expressed his hopes in this special fund created to commemorate Schiavo.
"Terri's death was a tragedy not only to her family but for the entire country," said the Fessio. "But it can also be a new beginning in renewing the conscience of Americans, and this type of pro-life scholarship will certainly contribute to that."
Ave Maria University is the first new Catholic university built in the United States in more than 40 years. Founded by Domino's Pizza magnate Thomas Monaghan, the school graduated its first class this spring. The school has been conducting its classes in temporary facilities while a $220 million, 750-acre campus - expected to open next year - is completed.
