Dear Friends,
It was so wonderful to celebrate 30 years of Mother of Divine Grace School at our first-ever Gala this past weekend! It was such a blessing to reflect with so many of you on what God has brought to fruition in Mother of Divine Grace School over the last 30 years.
In preparing for my keynote address, it became clear to me how greatly God has blessed us over the last three decades. I know that I personally have been brought closer to the Lord through the families that I have met and the good work that we have accomplished together. For 30 years we have worked to build strong Catholic families by providing support in using the MODG Catholic classical curriculum. In this endeavor there have been many beautiful moments accompanied by prayer and due to the generous support of my friends and family. One person in particular stands out. It has always been clear to me that this work of Mother of Divine Grace School would not have been possible without my dear husband, Marcus Berquist.
Mark was an irreplaceable contributor to the founding of our school. I have often said that every good thing in my adult life either came from or through Mark. MODG is one of the true fruits of our marriage. Guided by Mark’s wisdom and exemplary fidelity to the truth, I have worked continuously throughout these 30 years to establish, sustain, and grow MODG into the respected, globe-spanning educational program on which more than 6,000 students rely each year.
Throughout our 30 years of development, our mission has remained firm and clear. We exist to help Catholic families raise their children in a living Catholic culture in their homes, mentoring them in using the MODG Catholic, classical curriculum to lead their children to good judgment concerning the good, true and beautiful. For many years now I have thought of this mission as being like the master craftsmen who together built the great cathedrals. What are their names? What were their lives like? We don't know, but we see the magnificent buildings they made. We see the work that they accomplished, not for their glory but for God's glory.
This is what our families are doing when they homeschool their children. They are building cathedrals in their homes, not for their glory but for God's glory, not to use their many talents to achieve a work that will garner recognition for them, but to achieve the work that He has given us all as parents. Our mission at MODG is to help our families in their mission.
Mark was proud to support this work of MODG and believed it offered great value to the larger movement of rebuilding a culture of Catholic, classical intellectual formation. In our work with MODG, we drew on Mark’s experience teaching in and establishing classical programs at other schools, and especially in founding Thomas Aquinas College. Mark was a great teacher, the best among many great teachers I had at Thomas Aquinas College. Thanks in large part to Mark, our program is ordered towards guiding our students to understand the nature of a thing and thus come to a true understanding of reality in general. By understanding, not repeating, students are able to make the material completely their own.
Two of my dear friends, Rich and Julie Thrasher, knew how pivotal Mark had been in the history of MODG, and came to me with a desire to honor his memory and aid families within our school. They suggested that we start a fund named in Mark’s honor and made a very generous initial donation to fund the Marcus Berquist Scholarship Fund, which has helped dozens of families in our school get the assistance they need to form their children in the truth.
This fund will continue to help more families receive the assistance they need to bring Catholic, classical education into their homes and the hearts of their families. We have given out considerable financial assistance for the ongoing 2025-2026 school year, and we anticipate that total scholarships will match, if not exceed, the previous year’s award sum totaling over $310K.
We want to offer you, our faithful, dedicated, wonderful community, the first opportunity to be a part of honoring my husband in this special way. If you make a contribution to the Marcus Berquist Scholarship Fund between now and November 2 - the Feast Day of All Souls and the Anniversary of Mark’s birth into eternal life - you will be commemorated as inaugural contributors to the fund on a specially commissioned plaque that will be displayed in our Ojai Headquarters. You are able to click here to make a donation. We would be so grateful for whatever you can give.
As I mentioned previously to you all, 30 years is a long time and we look forward to another 30 years. We know this is only possible with your help. You and your families truly are the hope of the future, and through your donations you provide inspiration to so many of your fellow homeschoolers. God bless you for your generosity.
Please know of our prayers for you and I ask your prayers for our entire MODG community.
Thank you for your generosity to our MODG families, and for honoring Mark by supporting a cause to which he dedicated his life’s work.
God bless you all.
Laura Berquist
Founder and CEO
