Scholarship Fund Honors Parents, Faith, and the Benefits of a Catholic School Education

Lengel himself is proof of that caring spirit. In honor of his parents, he created the LeRoy and Eleanor Lengel Family Scholarship Endowment Fund, which provides support for students in financial need to attend Holy Guardian Angels Regional School in Reading.

“Scholarships like these make an extraordinary difference for our school families,” said Megan McGrath Bermudez, Development Director of Holy Guardian Angels Regional School. “Without this support, many of our students simply wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend our school.”

Lengel agreed.

“When I was young my parents made Catholic education a pretty high priority,” he said. “They put my brother and sister and I through eight years at Saint Joe’s school and then another four years at Reading Central Catholic.”

Lengel said making that tuition commitment wasn’t easy for his parents.

“It was tough for my parents, but they still found a way,” he said.  “They sacrificed to make sure that my brother and sister and I each got 12 years of Catholic education. I recognize their sacrifice to do that, and I want to honor that part of what they did for us by starting this scholarship fund.”

LeRoy and Eleanor Lengel have always lived the values they instilled in their children, David Lengel said. His father died peacefully last week (4/16/2026) at the age of 100. His mother is 96. They would have celebrated their 73^rd wedding anniversary on May 9.

“They believed very much in their vows,” Lengel said. “There are hard times in any relationship, and you have to have a belief in God and a belief that you will get through it.”

Lengel said his parents welcomed three kids within four years. As was typical during that era, there usually was one breadwinner in the family. His mom was a stay-at-home-mom while his Dad experienced job layoffs a few times that brought some challenges, Lengel recalled.

“It was tough for them, but they still found a way,” Lengel said. “Their Catholic faith was of very high importance to my parents, and God blessed them with a long life.”

Lengel said that in order for the scholarship fund to make the most impact, recipients must maintain good academic standing  and practice their Catholic faith through regular attendance at Mass. “You want somebody who is going to appreciate the education,” he said.

Holy Guardian Angels Regional School takes those conditions very seriously, Bermudez said. “When a scholarship specifies that the recipient should demonstrate financial need, strong academic achievement, and regular Mass attendance, we follow a careful and collaborative process to ensure those expectations are met.”

“Our families are encouraged to apply for financial aid each year, and those applications are reviewed to determine financial need for scholarship consideration,” she said.

The Head of School works closely with the Dean of Academics and school faculty to identify students who consistently demonstrate academic effort and achievement. Bermudez also mentioned that the school will work with Pastors — specifically HGA’s pastor for this fund, and with our regional pastors for other scholarships — to confirm regular Mass attendance.

The scholarship will be awarded at the start of the school year and applied directly toward a student’s tuition for that year, Bermudez said. 

“Education is a lifetime gift; it’s not something that you lose,” Lengel said. “It is something that stays with the person who receives it their whole life.”