'CabrINi ReimagINed': Pastor announces investments to Allen Park school's campus, culture thanks to late parishioners' generous gift
ALLEN PARK — St. Frances Cabrini High School in Allen Park kicked off Catholic Schools Week with a bang, announcing a new esports program, a new head of administration and a gift of $1.3 million all part of a new initiative called "CabrINi ReimagINed."
Over the weekend, the pastor of St. Frances Cabrini Parish, Fr. Tim Birney, announced the community were beneficiaries in the estate of late former parishioners Don and Dolores King in the amount of $1.3 million.
The Kings were longtime parishioners at St. Frances Cabrini but had no children to call their own, Fr. Birney said in a news release.
“Their ‘giving without counting the cost’ will enable our school, and the children who reside within it, to receive countless years of formation: personally, morally, spiritually and intellectually,” Fr. Birney said.
The monetary gift will allow the school to launch an esports program, a form of virtual competition in which members participate in video gaming tournaments, Fr. Birney said. Thanks to previous donations, the campus has undergone multiple renovations, including the construction of a high-tech STEM lab and interactive learning space last year.
“As one of only a few Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Detroit and very few public schools in the area, Cabrini High School will now offer a highly technical and cutting edge sport in a state-of-the-art facility,” Fr. Birney said. “Meanwhile, we are also making countless renovations across the campus including a full remodel of the biology labs and adding more interactive technology in the classroom.”
In addition to the esports program, Fr. Birney announced the school hired Ryan John to be its new head of school.
The growth and advancements at the school are all part of a Cabrini culture Auxiliary Bishop Gerald W. Battersby said he often hears described as “a family.”
“Let us honor the memory of these two deceased members of our family who chose to gift Cabrini School with such an inspiring example of charity, by treating one another with the Christ-like attributes of respect, kindness and mercy,” Bishop Battersby said in the news release.
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