Office of Stewardship/Communications
The Diocese of Alexandria’s Catholic Schools Office encourages all of our Catholic schools to take advantage of the scholarship programs offered by the state of Louisiana Education Department. These programs include the “Arete Scholarship” designed to help break the barriers to academic and personal achievement by expanding access to high-quality educational opportunities. The “ACE Scholarship” awards financial assistance to students from low-income families so they can attend the school of their choice. These students are typically attending local schools that are failing to meet their needs academically and otherwise would not have a way to enter a better school for them. The result is these students are more likely to graduate high school and then go to college.
By accepting these students, our Catholic schools are able to diversify and help families who otherwise could not afford a Catholic education.
The Diocese of Alexandria also supports several vibrant parishes that serve our black population. St. Augustine Church in Central Louisiana was founded during the plantation era and still thrives in the historical Cane River area along the Red River near Natchitoches, serving our people of the Creole culture which is unique in the United States.
Another parish in Natchitoches, St. Anthony of Padua Church, is located in a low-income area of the city and helps those in the surrounding neighborhood.
