At a Mass and reception held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End on May 23, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley recognized 161 students as Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) Scholars. The students were selected because of their educational achievement, potential and demonstrated community leadership.

Together, their scholarships represent a commitment of $540,000 by the Catholic Schools Foundation for their education.

"These young people are the future leaders of our society and we are thrilled to be able to invest in them through a Catholic education," said CSF executive director Mike Reardon.

"Regardless of where a student starts, a Catholic school education has proven to help students reach their full potential and develop the whole person. We are excited that these students will have this opportunity and look forward to their progress over the next four years of high school," he continued.

Following the Mass, students, their families and school representatives gathered in the gymnasium of Cathedral High School for a reception and photos with Cardinal O'Malley.

These new students join with the first two classes of CSF scholars to make up 500 students in the program. Next year, there will be CSF scholars in three years of high school, with the first class of CSF Scholars graduating in 2015. In addition to the 500 CSF Scholars, over 4,000 other students will receive scholarships from the Catholic Schools Foundation in the 2013-2014 school year.