BRUNO — This year, St. Therese has had more students than ever before, but now they’re asking for public donations, after over half the student body contracted COVID-19 with the Delta variant hitting the school.
St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission is a post-secondary Catholic institute out of Bruno providing adult faith formation in a common life of study, prayer, and fellowship.
According to John Romanowsky, St. Therese’s executive director, the Delta wave hit them in early October, and while the students have since recovered with no hospitalizations, the wave had its impact on the 47 students enrolled.
“Over half our students contracted the virus. Several got very sick. They had to self-isolate for 10 to 14 days. Those who could went home, more than half stayed,” Romanowsky said in an appeal to the public.
“St. Therese has been through tough times before but nothing like this. Imagine trying to run a hospital 24/7 with two dozen COVID patients, no cleaning staff, and one full-time kitchen staff.”
Romanowsky said that while they took as many precautions as they had to, including student bubbles, masking, and screening tests, it wasn’t enough to prevent the spread, which was first discovered from a non-symptomatic staff test.
“Unfortunately, as it always happens with COVID-19, it had already spread without anybody knowing, and no one had become systematic at that point,” he said.
“It was really quite shocking how contagious this virus is and then just how much work and sacrifice to be able, for a community like ours, to go into 14 days of self-isolation and care for people 24/7.”
Well some headed home to isolate once the outbreak hit, Romanowsky said a small handful of students who were not required to isolate began volunteering, delivering meals, medicine and care packages to other students in the school who had caught the virus.
“According to the Public Health Order if you were fully vaccinated you weren’t required to self-isolate and you aren’t considered to be directly exposed, so some of the students decided to go home anyway, which they were free to do, but there were a handful that decided to stay and help the staff… They worked very hard, it was quite an experience for them and their parents were all very proud of them for the work that they did.”
Through the Delta outbreak the school spent just under $30,000, which included hiring additional kitchen help, extra supplies, staff overtime as well as rebating room and board for students who returned home.
Last year, the school cancelled all public retreats and conferences, costing an estimated $50,000 of unearned revenue, with the school on track to lose another $50,000 this year.
Operations cost about $800,000 annually for the school, which is funded through the public retreats and conferences, enrollments, room and board, as well as donations.
Donations to the school can be made on its .
“I want to let folks know the kind of unity the students have here, even in the midst of the pandemic that causes so much division, and I hope it’s a sign of hope for other people out there who are suffering these divisions in the family, churches and communities. It doesn’t have to divide us even if we have different feelings and opinions.”
