Memories of pastor’s kindness inspire alumnus to pay it forward
LINCOLN (SNR) – As he pondered and prayed on his way home from work one day this spring, Brent Cushman felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit.
“It really just came out of nowhere,” he said. “I had been thinking that day about how I had a little extra money to give away this year, and the Good Shepherd Scholarship popped in to my head. I just instantly knew that I had to give it there.”
At the time, Cushman didn’t know much about the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund, which was founded by Bishop James Conley in 2019 to provide Catholic elementary and high school tuition assistance to families in need across the Diocese of Lincoln. But he did know what an important role his own experience of attending Catholic school in Lincoln had played in his life. He also knew that his Catholic education wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of one good and holy priest.
Msgr. Paul Witt was Cushman’s principal at St. Mary Elementary in Lincoln. He served at St. Mary Parish for 20 years, from 1982 until 2002. Earlier in his priesthood, Msgr. Witt was the parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish, where he worked closely with and learned from Msgr. Ivan Vap, who was the superintendent at Pius X High School.
A natural-born teacher, Msgr. Witt spent many years in education in different capacities across the diocese. Now retired, he loves to reminisce about his time at St. Mary, Pius X High School, and teaching RCIA classes at several parishes. He loved to teach the faith to all of his students, whether elementary-aged or adults.
“At the beginning of every class [where I taught the Catholic faith], I always told my students, ‘By the time we are done, you’ll no longer tell people what you think; you’ll tell them what you know,’” said Msgr. Witt.
Cushman said he remembers fondly the time during his fifth-grade year that he called a meeting with Witt to make a case for the elimination of uniforms at the school. Msgr. Witt graciously took the meeting and patiently listened to Cushman’s arguments. Of course, Cushman’s crusade against uniforms was predictably unsuccessful, but he remembers feeling respected and cared for by his beloved principal because of the way he listened and showed a willingness to hear him out.
It wasn’t just Witt’s kindhearted demeanor that showed Cushman – and many other students – that he was looking out for them, though. Cushman’s family began to go through some difficulties after he graduated from St. Mary and started his freshman year at Pius, and it became unclear as to whether or not he would be able to continue to attend Catholic school because of the tuition cost. When Msgr. Witt caught wind of this during a conversation with Cushman’s mom, he was quick to come to the family’s aid.
“Monsignor Witt helped my family out when we were struggling and paid my tuition so I could continue to go to Pius,” Cushman shared.
It was this act of generosity that inspired Cushman to give his own gift—a donation to the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund—to help provide tuition assistance for students in need at a Diocese of Lincoln Catholic school.
“What Monsignor Witt did for my family and me was so impactful. So I wanted to pay it forward and help another family in the way he helped mine,” Cushman said.
Cushman went on to graduate from Pius X High School in 1994, and he credited his time there with planting the seeds of the Catholic faith that he practices and values to this day. He said he remembers many of the wonderful priests who inspired his faith journey, including Father Michael McCabe, who he called “the nicest tough guy you’ll ever meet.”
Cushman now has a family of his own, including a couple of students at North American Martyrs School in Lincoln, and a successful career in sales. He said he finds himself grateful to be able to help others through the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund in the way that so many people helped his family while he was growing up.
The Good Shepherd Scholarship program was created in 2019 to help maintain the longstanding commitment of the Diocese of Lincoln to affordable Catholic education for all students. The fund provides tuition assistance to families whose income level falls below 225% of the Federal Poverty Level and to families who have more than three children enrolled in diocesan Catholic schools. Scholarships cover up to 75% of the cost of tuition, and the diocese awards more than $2.5 million to families each school year.
“Not only does the scholarship fund provide financial assistance to the wonderful families that are each integral parts of our school communities, but it also helps parishes who have made Catholic education foundational to their mission” said Katie Ostgren, director of development and stewardship for the Diocese of Lincoln and the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund.
“Because of the scholarships granted each year from the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund, parishes across the diocese have been able to make room in their budgets for additional initiatives while maintaining strong financial support for their local Catholic schools. Generous partners like Brent Cushman help to ensure that our schools and parishes will be educating, evangelizing, and equipping young people for generations to come.”
For his part, Cushman said he hopes his story will inspire others to give generously to help families who want to choose Catholic education, but may not otherwise be able to afford tuition.
“I hope others who have been impacted by our Catholic schools and the priests like Msgr. Witt who have invested their lives in education for decades will consider giving to the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund as well,” he said.
For more information, or to give a gift to the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund, visit www.goodshepherdscholarship.com or call 402-904-8049.
