WILMINGTON, Del., May 21, 2026 — Most Reverend William E. Koenig, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington has issued a pastoral letter calling on families, parishes, and all people of good will in Maryland and Delaware to urge their governors to opt in to the federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) — a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress and signed into law in July 2025. Neither Governor Moore of Maryland nor Governor Meyer of Delaware has yet decided whether their state will participate — and the deadline for both is December 31, 2026.
In the pastoral letter Bishop Koenig references Pope Leo XIV’s 2025 Apostolic Letter “Drawing New Maps of Hope” in which Pope Leo writes of the intentionality and co-responsibility required in the educational alliance between students, families, school administrators, teachers, and community members. Bishop Koenig states:
“May we together work to support both public and non-public school families and students. May we come together and work to ensure that every child in Maryland and Delaware has access to the educational resources their flourishing requires. And may we take a step towards this by opting in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program.”
Joining Bishop Koenig in the call for action, Dr. Louis P. De Angelo, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Wilmington, said:
“It is my sincere hope that families and community members across the Diocese of Wilmington will join us in the effort to urge the governors of Maryland and Delaware to take this significant step toward improving education access in our states. As a lifelong educator I see each day the gaps left by budget shortfalls or financial needs of students, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program can go a long way toward filling those gaps.”
The federal Scholarship Tax Credit, established as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, creates a scholarship fund for families through a system of tax credits for businesses and individuals who donate to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). Those organizations award scholarships to eligible families for a wide range of educational expenses. Federal guidelines note that students are eligible for the program if their household income is within approximately 300% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The program allows state residents to receive a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations made to approved Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), which then fund educational assistance for K–12 students in both public and private schools
The complete pastoral letter and additional resources for families and community members to learn about the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit can be found at cdow.org/fstc.
The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington was established in 1868 and comprises 57 parishes, 18 missions and 32 schools serving the State of Delaware and the nine counties of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Information about the diocese is available at www.cdow.org.
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Media Contact:
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