Oct. 1, 2020 – From Sept. 8 through 22, the USA East Province held its first Virtual Friends of the Jesuits Golf Outing Auction and Raffle.
Due to the continuing challenges presented by COVID-19, the Friends of the Jesuits Golf committee made the difficult decision to hold this year’s outing as an online-only event. While golfers were unable to compete against each other on the green, they were able to bid against golfers from across the country on exciting auction packages.
Over the past eleven years, the Friends of the Jesuits Golf Outing has raised more than $2.7 million to support men in formation and senior Jesuits.
Fr. Joseph O’Keefe, SJ, the provincial of the USA East Province, thanked donors virtually and talked about what the province is able to accomplish thanks to support from the outing. View his full remarks in the video below:
The virtual outing also featured a 50/50 raffle. Our winner, Mr. David Joyce, an Xavier HS alum, has graciously offered to have the 50/50 Raffle split with the Jesuits, and with this generous gesture, our total raised so far is more than $155,000! View the video below to see Fr. James Keenan, SJ, pull the winning name.
An anonymous donor pledged to match all gifts to the Formation Fund up to $12,500 by Friday, October 16th. Thanks to our donors we were able to meet this challenge. Our Jesuit scholastics represent the future of the Society of Jesus and the hopes of Ignatian education and values being brought to countless of students, lay ministers and those most in need in our society all around the world.
Please watch this compelling video from Fr. John Wronski, SJ, Delegate for Formation.
Thanks to our donors, our total for the 2020 Virtual Friends of the Jesuits Golf Outing is $166,310 in support the important ministries of the UEA Province. This has been our primary goal since we started the Golf Outing in 2010. Since its inception, these events have raised nearly $2.9 million to help thousands of those in the greatest need.
Despite the challenges we all face, we can say with confidence this year’s effort was yet another resounding success. We are grateful to our friends who supported us through their participation, sponsorships and donations. We hope that you and your loved ones stay well, and we look forward to seeing you next year in person on September 21, 2021 at Quaker Ridge for the 12th Annual Friends of the Jesuits Golf Outing.