Welcome to St. Leonard

St. Leonard Catholic Church and School is grateful to be the recipient of a filtered double water fountain with a bottle filler donated by Zurn-Elkay Water Solutions . It will be installed in the Holy Family Lobby outside of the gym. The donation is a result of a competition among Zurn-Elkay employees to win the opportunity to donate a filtered water fountain to a school or charitable organization of their choice. Nicole Welsh, Assistant Corporate Controller at Zurn-Elkay and St. Leonard School alumna, won the competition and chose St. Leonard as the recipient. “It is very rewarding and humbling to be able to give back to a school where I spent 9 years of my life,” said Welsh, a 2008 graduate. Her parents, Bob and Chris, have been St. Leonard parishioners for almost 40 years. St. Leonard staff followed up with Nicole Welsh on what her elementary school experience means to her today. Welsh shared the following reflection, “The lessons and beliefs taught by a Catholic education at St. Leonard have been invaluable. The community that a Catholic education provides still impacts my life all these years later through shared experiences and values.” She notes that her best friend from Kindergarten is still her best friend today. After graduating from St. Leonard, Welsh pursued her interest in accounting through coursework in high school and college, and eventually her career. She is able to integrate the values she learned at St. Leonard into her work. Welsh explains that her career at Zurn-Elkay offers her the opportunity to do what she is passionate about for a company with a sustainable mission and products that help people and the environment. Zurn-Elkay Water Solutions strives to provide environmentally sustainable water management solutions and advocates for increased access to clean water, with schools being one of their priorities. The company shares that water contaminants create a greater risk of growth disruptions and learning delays in children (according to a 2024 study at the Harvard University Center for Developing the Child). They also point out that there are no regulations- at the federal level and in 66% of states- mandating that water in schools be tested (according to the National Association of State Boards of Education and ABC News research ). Zurn-Elkay’s donation supports St. Leonard’s efforts to continuously enhance health and safety features on campus by adding to the number of filtered water stations accessible to students and visitors. Thank you to Nicole Welsh for choosing St. Leonard for this opportunity and for offering her reflections. Thank you to Zurn-Elkay Water Solutions for donating the filtered water cooler.

The project to refurbish the church pews will begin this Summer. It is expected to take several weeks to complete and to cost $190,000. This project was announced in 2023 and is funded as part of the Love One Another campaign . After reviewing the results of a survey given to parishioners in May of 2026 and further deliberation among parish leadership teams, alongside our pastor, we have decided that we will not add seat or back cushions to any of the pews at this time. Parish leadership vetted several contractors and hired A&A Finishes (based in Lyons, WI). This contractor came to us highly recommended by St. Mary and St. Charles parishes in Burlington. The contractor will determine the appropriate sequence in which to remove the pews, and will refurbish and reinstall one section of pews at a time. The pews will be transported to the contractor’s workshop to be cleaned, sanded and restained. Areas that are missing the laminate finish will be filled in. The pews will receive a clear coat before being returned and reinstalled. The kneelers will be stripped down and disassembled so that metal parts that are visible can be painted. New foam cushions for the kneelers will be applied and reupholstered. New tilting brackets will be installed and support brackets will be painted and repaired. While pews are out for refurbishment, additional seating will be made available in the Gathering Space. Due to safety considerations we will not be able to put chairs where the pews are normally located. We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of the members of our faith community, without whom this project would not be possible.