By Connie Berry
Sun editor

Father Joseph Champlin died Jan. 17, 2008 but his legacy remains alive and well in his Guardian Angel Society. It was Father Champlin’s vision that created the Society and it is still his dream that guides it today.

Fifteen years ago Father Champlin was rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and closely connected with Cathedral School. The school has since closed and merged with Our Lady of Pompei School to create Cathedral Academy at Pompei (CAP) on Syracuse’s north side. High school graduation rates for students leaving Cathedral School were low and Father Champlin recognized the need to not only help with tuition assistance, but to also find a way to encourage and inspire students so they would stay in school. To date, Father Champlin’s Guardian Angel Society has raised almost $2 million dollars with over $1.2 million dispersed in scholarship assistance for Cathedral School and now CAP, as well as $254,000 in tuition assistance to students continuing their Catholic education at Bishop Ludden, Bishop Grimes and Christian Brothers Academy.

Today, CAP students come from diverse backgrounds and from countries all over the globe. The school offers them a Catholic education and an academic foundation in what is still very much a city neighborhood. The unique school specializes in strong academics in a culturally diverse environment. CAP has a significant partnership with Le Moyne College, which enhances the educational experience even more.

Many of those still connected to the Guardian Angel Society have been there since the early meetings in the basement of Cathedral School. Karen Tifft and Paul Drotar were there, and Kathy Fedrizzi was there early on as well.

Tifft had known Father Champlin through St. Joseph’s Church in Camillus where he had been pastor. Father Champlin and Tifft’s late husband Ted shared an interest in running and Father Champlin became a friend of the family, like he did with so many families over the years. He was a friend of Paul Drotar’s family and undoubtedly became one to Fedrizzi’s family, too.

“You remember how it was with Father Champlin,” Tifft remembered. “He would try to interest you in something and he would put his hand on your arm and talk to you and you couldn’t say no. And besides, whatever it was — you knew it was good.”

Tifft is a trustee of the Society now after serving on many of its committees over the years. She was a member of the board of the West Genesee School District for years and Father Champlin recognized her expertise in the education field. He would gather some of the most talented members of the community to guide and cultivate his vision.

The Society’s earliest efforts were focused on mentoring more than financial assistance; that would come later. When Cathedral School was located downtown, employees from businesses would spend their lunch hour or an hour before or during work with a student at Cathedral. They encouraged them, helped them study and served as role models and friends. The successful outcome of the program can be seen in the students. Graduates of Cathedral School and CAP have gone on to graduate from Catholic high schools in the diocese. Several have continued their education at places like Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Syracuse University, Le Moyne College and New York University.

Drotar was another friend of Father Champlin’s called into service to “help out” a few hours a week during his retirement. He is now the business manager at the Cathedral.

“I think it was 1997 when Father Champlin asked me to sit on a committee to start mentoring at the school,” Drotar remembered. “Karen [Tifft] led the group and then from there we worked on development of a fund that would support and sustain the school. He just plowed through it.” Drotar is a current member of the Society’s finance committee.

Fedrizzi was looking for a part-time job in those days when she had a little one at home. She heard about the possible position through another of Father Champlin’s contacts, Marsha Tait. Tait is a former board member. What started out as a temporary part-time position for Fedrizzi has grown to a full-time job. She is executive director of the Guardian Angel Society. Her first project was producing a mass mailing with Father Champlin.

“He didn’t know what would happen,” Fedrizzi explained. “I had a young child at home and we gave it about six months. Soon, though,  things started to flourish. The mentoring program gained community support. He had a vision and he captured the audience. A year to the date I was hired I asked him, ‘Am I still temporary?’ We both laughed.”

Fedrizzi said Father Champlin’s goal was to reverse the cycle of poverty for the students. “Father Champlin always said finances should not get in the way of any child who wants to come to school,” Fedrizzi remembered.

Just as the Guardian Angel Society has evolved over the years, tuition for Catholic schools has increased and families have to be more creative in how to provide a Catholic education for their children. There is tuition assistance available based on need through the diocese, and the Guardian Angel Society has its own application process. This, Fedrizzi said, allows them to get to know the students and families they are assisting.

The mentoring program with its roots in the community is still in place at CAP these days.  Thanks to a $7,500 grant from Niagara Bank, the Guardian Angel Society plans to beef up the program adding mentoring opportunities for older students who continue their education at Bishop Ludden, Bishop Grimes and Christian Brothers Academy. The tuition assistance program is well established and the Society continues to look for funds to sustain it. There are many people in the community who remember Father Champlin and who have been touched by him directly or by the spirit of his endeavors. Many are already supporters of the Society. Fedrizzi says the spirit of Father Champlin is all around the organization.

“He’s always going to be the heart of the organization,” she said. “We just need to remember what he was all about. I’m always asking, ‘What would Father have done?’ There’s always a sign, there’s always something that comes through. We definitely experience a little divine intervention every once in a while.”

There are nearly a dozen ways to keep up the good work. Donors can give as little or as much as they can afford. They can sponsor a student anonymously or buy a package of Christmas cards designed by CAP students. They can go to one of the many fundraising events such as October’s Monte Carlo Night, the Camillus Memorial Day 5K Race — something Father Champlin always participated in on behalf of “his kids.” If those options aren’t appealing then there’s the golf tournament in August or the upcoming 11th Annual Swinging Sweet Cabaret on Saturday, Feb. 11, from 7 p.m. to midnight at Temple Adath Yeshurun. The night promises a delicious variety of pastas and salads and a decadent array of desserts. Music is provided by the Mario De Santis Orchestra and a swing dance demonstration by professionals is part of the evening’s events. This year’s Cabaret  promises to be extra special with honorary chairman, Father Champlin’s good friend retired Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Costello, on hand to talk about the Guardian Angel Society’s evolution over the years.

“The Guardian Angel Society is a great tribute to Joe Champlin,” Bishop Costello said. “People come to these events still because of him, in memory of him.”

For those whose calendars are already full, it is easy to visit the Society’s website, www.guardianangelsocietysyr.org, and donate using a credit or debit card. Call Fedrizzi at (315) 422-7218 or write to her at Father Champlin’s Guardian Angel Society, 240 E. Onondaga St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13202. Students at CAP still need assistance to continue their Catholic education and they are still very much “Father Joe’s kids.”