Saint Ignatius High School is proud to announce a major philanthropic commitment from Peter Carfagna ’71 and Rita Murphy Carfagna as part of the Vision ’30 campaign. Through a transformative series of current and planned giving, the Carfagnas have pledged to endow the Magis Scholars Program in perpetuity, ensuring its lasting impact on future generations of Saint Ignatius students.
 
The Magis Scholars program, started in 2020 through annual support from the Carfagnas, is available to incoming freshmen families who have demonstrated financial need as determined through the application process and whose sons who exemplify “the Magis”, a Latin phrase standing for doing that little bit “more” for the greater glory of God – AMDG.  The program is critical in bridging the gap between the financial aid awarded by the school and what families need to fully support their son’s four-year journey at Saint Ignatius. This supplemental aid ensures that these remarkable young men, selected by a committee based on objective criteria, can experience “the Magis” – “more” – both in what they bring to the school community and in their academic, personal and spiritual growth. 
 
Next school year, there will be more than 100 Saint Ignatius students designated as Magis Scholars, the largest in the history of the program.
 
This new pledge is a continuation of the Carfagna and Murphy families’ longstanding generosity to Saint Ignatius. Over the years, Peter, Rita, and their family, along with Rita’s parents, Margaret and Murlan “Jerry” Murphy ’36, Co-Founders of the school, have made significant contributions to the school, including the permanent funding of several campus capital projects such as the Murphy Field House, St. Mary of the Assumption Chapel, the Clavius Science Center, the Carfagna Family Magis Athletic Center, and numerous endowed scholarship funds.
 
Peter Carfagna expressed, “we were inspired to initiate and now to endow the Magis Scholars Program in perpetuity because we saw that providing that “little bit more” of financial aid to deserving students allowed them to attend our school and, in doing so, to bring each scholar’s special gifts to our school. It is our hope that these students will live “the Magis” during their 4 years at Saint Ignatius and beyond.”
 
The Carfagna family's commitment to generosity, service, and community is a testament to the enduring influence of their Jesuit education and spiritual formation. Their philanthropy continues to shape the lives of current and future Ignatians, reflecting the values and ideals that have long been at the heart of Saint Ignatius High School.
 
To learn more about the Magis Scholars Program or to make a donation and help grow the number of scholars, please contact Director of Development, Dan Malone ’00 at dmalone@ignatius.edu.