Above: From left to right, Donald Mills, deputy superintendent for the Diocese of Syracuse Catholic Schools office, Karen Reynolds, president of Trinity Catholic School Board, Frances Lanigan, Mary Sagneri (née Lanigan), Charlie Lanigan, and Trinity Catholic School principal Valerie Vespe. Photo | Tami S. Scott
Lanigan Family Foundation gifts $500,000 endowment to Trinity Catholic School in Oswego
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
For the Lanigan siblings of Oswego, attending St. Paul’s Academy (now known as Trinity Catholic School) between 1943 and 1969 was incredibly impactful. Of the nine siblings in the family, Charlie, Frances, Mary, and Terence shared memories of their formative years receiving a Catholic education with The Catholic Sun.
“Religion being taught everyday. I thought that was the biggest thing,” Charlie shared.
“We were a Catholic community,” Frances said.
“I think St. Paul’s Academy, now Trinity, gave me a first-class education. I might not have been the best student, but what they did is they planted the seeds,” said Terence, who now lives in Arizona. “It is the place where my brothers and sisters and I were given the world,” by learning about different cultures like the Greeks, Romans, Incas, and the Chinese. Terence said he believes those seeds blossomed into his successful career in the Department of Defense, traveling and teaching throughout the world, including the Philippines, Japan, Canada, and Germany.
Their roots in Catholic education bolstered the siblings’ faith, and they became involved in various ministries as adults. Both Frances and Mary have taught faith formation classes, Frances still teaches OCIA classes, and Terrence has worked in prison ministry and in local schools within the Diocese of Phoenix.
“Having that foundation through my schooling really kind of prepared me to go further and seek, ‘How can I be an evangelist? How can I carry on that mission in my own way? What are my gifts? What are my strengths? How can I do this?’” Frances said.
A couple of years ago, Terence established the Lanigan Family Foundation, of which he and Frances are the trustees. In late 2025, the Foundation gifted Trinity Catholic School an endowment of $25,000 per year over the next 20 years, totaling $500,000 — generous support to the school that had given them so much.
Of the $25,000 yearly assistance, $20,000 will be applied to tuition assistance for students, with priority given to families with two or more children enrolled. The remaining $5,000 will be used for operational support, such as maintaining the school’s vibrant library (to which Terence has donated over 3,000 books in recent years), ensuring students can defend their Catholic faith, and updates to the school’s website and newsletter.
The siblings shared that by gifting this endowment to Trinity, they are honoring the memory of their parents, Harold and Mary Ellen, who were both actively involved in their faith community and believed in the value of a Catholic education for their children.
Trinity Catholic School currently has 142 students enrolled, and four new students were welcomed this current school year. Principal Valerie Vespe said they have room for growth, and the Lanigan siblings shared their hopes that this gift will help increase enrollment in the years to come.
“I just hope that the kids will be able to have a choice — that the parents will encourage them if they would like to go to Catholic school, and not discourage them,” Mary said.
Donald Mills, deputy superintendent for the Syracuse Diocese Catholic Schools Office, shared the Office’s support and gratitude to the Lanigan family for “providing the opportunity to make it an option, as Mary said, for more children from Oswego County to be able to access a Catholic education.”
The Lanigan siblings hope that giving back to the school community they fondly remember from their youth will inspire others to give back to their own communities as well. Terrence shared his personal philosophy, which reflects these basic Christian values of gratitude and charity.
“It’s a story of a little boy and a grandma, and the little boy and his grandma are walking along the beach. The boy sees something ahead. He runs up fast, and he sees a starfish stuck in the sand. He picks it up and throws it with all his might back into the sea. And his grandmother comes up and says, ‘Well, why did you do that? That won’t help all the starfish.’ The little boy, with wisdom, says, ‘No, but I can help that one.’ And that’s my philosophy in my donation,” Terence said. “I can’t help everybody, but I can help some.”
