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Fr. Leo Weckerle, former pastor of St. Thomas Parish, in Redmond, Oregon, was a strong supporter of Catholic Education. While Pastor of St. Thomas, he opened St. Thomas Academy in 2006. In 2000 he gathered some of the parishioners of the parish to set up and raise money for a St. Thomas Education Scholarship Fund. The purpose of the fund was to provide scholarships to youth of St. Thomas Parish to attend Catholic schools. The fund would help youth wanting to go to Catholic schools from first grade through college. At its beginning, this fund was registered with the State of Oregon as an Endowment. After several years it was moved to the Legacy of Faith Catholic Foundation to simplify its administration long term. At that time the fund was $100,000. Each year, youth of the parish apply for scholarships from this fund. The scholarships are funded with a portion of the interest and a portion goes back into the principle to grow the fund.