Support VASJ during #WeGiveCatholic on Dec. 3

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is excited to once again partner with the Catholic Community Foundation for #WeGiveCatholic on Giving Tuesday, December 3.

#WeGiveCatholic is a one-day giving event that provides Catholic schools, parishes, charities, special ministries and nonprofits affiliated with the Diocese of Cleveland the opportunity to connect with current donors and establish relationships with new ones.

This year, VASJ is raising money to renovate its Martyrs Chapel. The Martyrs Chapel is a quiet, reflective space that helps students grow on their path toward spirituality. The chapel includes an area for students, faculty and staff to leave intentions, allowing the community to join in offering up prayers. The space can also be used as a confessional, which gives students the chance to participate in the Sacrament of Penance.

“Sometimes, our students just need a place to quietly pray and reflect upon events occurring in their lives,” said Bill Cervenik ’72, VASJ president. “The Martyrs Chapel provides that space and is used by students, faculty and staff as well as visitors. It is our goal to create an atmosphere that promotes spirituality and peace and reflects the teachings, traditions and charisms of our Marianist and Ursuline sponsors.”


In the early 1970s, the Martyrs Chapel was built to hold Mass in the morning and as a space that offered a quiet place to pray. Originally named after the four churchwomen who died in El Salvador, including Ursuline Sr. Dorothy Kazel, the chapel has since come to recognize others in the Marianist and Ursuline traditions who have died as witnesses to their faith.

Funds raised on Giving Tuesday will help to cover renovation costs, allowing VASJ to update the look and feel of the chapel and turn it into a more welcoming, prayerful space. The school’s goal is to refresh the space’s esthetics and create a dedicated prayer intention area so that students, faculty and staff can utilize the Martyrs Chapel to its full potential.

“The Martyrs Chapel contains a prayer request book where visitors can list their special intentions they would like the Viking family to include in our daily prayers. Many of these requests are a powerful reminder of the challenges faced by our students in their day-to-day lives and reinforce our mission of commitment to the spiritual, academic and personal growth of each student,” Cervenik says.

Please join us during these 24 hours of giving and gratitude on Dec. 3. To learn more, visit bit.ly/WeSupportVASJ.

Thank you for your support of our school and students!