Responding to the call to serve their alma mater, Joan Demetriades, Class of 1969, and The Rev. Gene Ritz, Class of 2000, have agreed to serve as co-chairs of The Marian Fund for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The goal of The Marian Fund is $500,000.

“Joan and Father Ritz are the ideal choices to lead The Marian Fund this year,” said Michael Brennan, Class of 2006, head of school. “Their enthusiasm, dedication and passion for Marian is contagious and I have no doubt that they will lead us to victory on June 30, 2024, with a record number of donors and a record amount raised, all of which benefits every student at Marian. With the continued increase in our student enrollment, more resources will be needed to continue to make Marian the outstanding Catholic school that it is.”

Gifts to The Marian Fund are added to the general fund of the school’s budget for use in meeting current operating expenses, providing over $400,000 in student financial aid, maintaining the physical plant, and ensuring the continuation of a quality Catholic education.

Joan Demetriades, from Lake Hauto, is originally from Lansford. She earned a Bachelor of Science in medical technology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh followed by an MBA from LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Her career spanned executive and leadership positions at pharmaceutical companies. Now retired, Joan volunteers as a One Mind Ambassador, board member of the American Millennial Society and Lake Hauto Club, and a member of the Advancement Committee of Marian.

Father Gene Ritz, a Tresckow native, graduated from Marian in 2000 and entered Saint Charles Seminary after graduation. He began studies for the Priesthood at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, Overbrook. During his time in the seminary, he earned degrees in Philosophy and Theology.

The Rev. Ritz was ordained to the priesthood in 2009 and spent the next eight years in Berks County, Pennsylvania. He was the assistant pastor at Saint Catherine of Siena Parish, and Chaplain of Berks Catholic High School, Reading. He also spent four summers and the 2017-2018 academic year at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. where he earned a degree in Canon Law, or Church Law.

He has since spent two years as Chaplain at Notre Dame High School, Easton, and spent five years as Diocesan Chancellor.

“One of our goals this year for the Marian Fund is to grow the number of donors,” said Dr. Erin Marek,

Director of Advancement. “We would like to see a 100% increase in our donor numbers for The Marian Fund this year. Our goal is 1,500 total donors including a goal to have 100% staff, faculty and board member participation.”

Tuition and auxiliary income are not adequate to cover the operating expenses incurred at Marian, as is the case for most Catholic secondary schools in the country. The actual cost of education for each student is approximately $10,607 for the 2023-24 school year. Tuition and fees cover about 63% of the cost of a Marian education. The Marian Fund bridges the gap between tuition revenues and operating expenses.

Members of the Advancement Committee who will assist with The Marian Fund efforts this year include Jim Beall; Janet Bonenberger; Patrick Boyle ’03; Paul Creedon ’80; Jerome Dvorak ’82; Larry Furey ’79; Dan La Bert ’93; John Lavelle Esq. ’81; Patrick McCall ’81; Sr. Rose Mulligan, IHM ’85; Erin O’Gurek, Esq. ’03; Jim Sauka ’66; Colleen Skrabak Scholl ’89 and Steve Sofranko ‘89

Marian Catholic High School, a Catholic secondary school under the ownership of the Diocese of Allentown, opened its 70th school year in September with an enrollment of nearly 285 students in grades 9 to 12. The enrollment this school year increased by 14%.