‘Angel Investor’ founds much-needed school in northeast Colorado Springs

By Paul Dusseault

COLORADO SPRINGS. In the origin story of most ministries, inspiration precedes the capital requirements.  Someone heeds the call to initiate a food pantry, or a program for unwed mothers, or a retreat center for teens, and then they go looking for magnanimous donors willing to provide financial support.

But on rare occasions the money shows up first; the sequence inverts.

In 2021, a benefactor walked into the office of then Bishop Michael Sheridan and said, “I would like to fund the construction of a Catholic grade school in the fast-growing north end of Colorado Springs.” Holly Goodwin, then superintendent of Catholic schools for the diocese, was an enthusiastic fan of the idea.  Father Kirk Slattery, pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in the Briargate neighborhood, had the available land.  The bishop could hardly say no.

“It’s remarkable, even astounding, that one family would donate such a large amount to this new school,” said Robin Schneider, principal of St. Gabriel Classical Academy. “They could have spent it on anything, but they chose to place their trust in Christ, make the fruit of their decision eternal, and make an investment that will impact thousands of children and families.” 

“The first time the architect put a price on the new school building, it took my breath away,” said Sheila Whalen, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. “This was all happening during COVID when the availability of building supplies was disrupted and such materials were at a premium, but still the cost was a jaw dropper.” Final tab: $25 million. “A single gift of this size is certainly unprecedented for our diocese, and is extremely rare for any diocese,” said Whalen. “It’s a real testament to this family’s belief that the business success they have experienced is a blessing from God.”

That it is. “As children, we were taught in our Catholic school that our role in life is to serve in whatever capacity we can,” said Dianne Clennan, who, with her husband, Roy, donated the requisite $25 million. “That’s what your life is about.  That’s what all young people, but especially young Catholics, need to hear as an antidote to the culture of today which is telling them there is no God and your responsibility is only to yourself. God has blessed Roy and me with success in our mortgage business, so we believe we should extend those blessings to others.”

Demographically, the school is arriving just in time.  The population of Colorado Springs in 2021 was 677,000.  Today, it tops 701,000 and continues to surge.  The Briargate area at the north end of town is brimming with new housing popular with young families. Principal Robin Schneider is intimately familiar with the burgeoning demand. “Many moms and dads who tour our site tell us, ‘We’ve been waiting for a Catholic school out this way for years!’”

Kristen Law is one such parent. She credits her own Catholic education as essential to her formation and, because her home is just over a mile from St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, her 11-year-old daughter, Aggie, rides a bike to school.  “We discussed Catholic school options in the past but were unable to make the transportation logistics work for our family,” she said.  “The positive impact St. Gabriel Classical Academy has had on my daughter’s faith and education has been tremendous.  She recently wrote a letter to her cousin, who was receiving her first communion.  Aggie explained to her the gift of the Eucharist and how she will now have Jesus in her heart forever. It was so moving to read those words from a middle schooler. It was a beautiful testament to her deepening understanding and personal connection to her faith that this school has provided for her.”

St. Gabriel Classical Academy formally opened in August 2022, holding classes in a hodgepodge of underutilized parish meeting rooms while its 50 students anxiously watched construction crews raise the new school building on adjacent hills. Sept. 26 marked the dedication of the school serving pre-K through 8th grade with a 2024 enrollment of 235 students and capacity for 400.

The school curriculum and undergirding philosophy reflect a nationwide movement towards Catholic liberal arts education.  “With St. Gabriel Classical Academy, as with many other diocesan schools, we’re seeking to return to the roots of the Catholic intellectual tradition,” said Whalen.  “We are trying to make Catholic devotions, history, art, music, and tradition integral to every student’s educational experience, with the liturgical calendar the basis for the school schedule, and embracing the classical model of education.”

Principal Schneider concurs. “The classical Catholic school is intended to form the whole child —body, mind, and spirit — as made in the image and likeness of God. In all the subjects we teach, the activities we enjoy, the events we plan, we want to awaken the senses by synthesizing everything that is true, good, and beautiful — which is God himself.”

 “Perhaps the most awesome aspect of this entire enterprise is the long-term impact this initiative represents,” said Whalen. “St. Gabriel Classical Academy is an enormous gift to the families now in need of a Catholic elementary school in their area, but our generous benefactor wanted a school that would last 100 years or more.  That means the children who now are attending this school will someday send their own children to the same school, as will their children, as will their children.  The story of its founding may eventually fade from collective memory, but the positive impact will ripple through multiple generations.”

“It takes nothing away from our benefactor to note that the school came to fruition not only from one large monetary gift, but also from many other donors and the community of prayer warriors at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church,” said principal Schneider.  “This school is now shiny and new, but the most important benefit is not the lumber and steel that comprise the walls of the building,  but rather what is happening within the walls that will make all the difference in the souls of these children. St. Mother Theodore Guerin said, ‘Love the children first, and then teach them.’ As a faculty, we understand that we have a moral obligation to share the Gospel through our words and actions because much of what children learn is caught more than it is taught.”

In their remarks during the ribbon-cutting ceremony, both Bishop Golka and Roy Clennan described the building of the new school as a work of the Holy Spirit.

“I’m so grateful for the efforts of so many; I’m especially grateful that somehow we heard the voice of God and responded to that,” said Bishop Golka. “God has a dream for this school. Kids, this is for you. The Church loves you, and your parents want you to get to heaven. Our faculty and teachers are some of the best in the world.”

“I’m a planner; I don’t do anything quickly,” Roy Clennan said. Yet once his wife suggested the idea of building a school, plans were set in motion almost immediately.

 “It wasn’t a week before we decided that this was going to happen,” Clennan said. “This thing didn’t come together for any reason except it needed to. This school, in the next 100 years, will produce a Father Kirk. It will produce a Msgr. Jaeger and it will produce a Bishop Golka.”

Knights of Columbus Council No. 12335 at St. Gabriel Parish donated a new flagpole for the school and raised the flag for the first time during the ribbon cutting ceremony.