$6 Million Gift For Joliet Catholic Academy's New Football Stadium Project: 'A Gift That Keeps Giving Back'

JOLIET, IL — Last week, the Joliet Planning Commission gave unanimous approval to Joliet Catholic Academy's $20 million three-phase construction project that will include the addition of a new 5,500 seat football stadium as part of the high school campus along Ingalls Avenue. On Tuesday, JCA announced on its Facebook page that St. Francis Academy alum Phyllis Olsta, from the Class of 1951, made an estate donation of nearly $6.1 million to the Legacy Capital Campaign.

According to Joliet Catholic, Olsta's contribution of over $6 million from her estate marks "the largest single gift ever received in the history of Joliet Catholic Academy."

Joliet Catholic Academy posted on its website that Olsta, "a devoted supporter of St. Francis Academy, Joliet Catholic Academy, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate, passed away on October 6, 2025, at the age of 92. Born July 31, 1933, in Joliet, she graduated from St. Francis Academy (now JCA) in 1951. Her professional life included serving as a cruise directress for Matson Lines’ Monterey and Mariposa South Pacific ships. She later worked for the Catholic Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, where she helped establish the Monroe Foundation to support the first Catholic schools in the state.

"Inspired by her experiences in Alaska and her deep commitment to Catholic education, Olsta established the Phyllis A. Olsta Scholarship at Joliet Catholic Academy in 2012. Her generosity has since enabled hundreds of students to benefit from a Carmelite and Franciscan education.

"During visits home, Phyllis often attended Mass at St. Paul the Apostle in Joliet and gathered with friends from her SFA days. She spoke fondly of the Franciscan sisters whose formation instilled in her the discipline and work ethic that guided her throughout life. At her 2023 induction into JCA’s Hall of Champions for Business & Industry, Olsta shared, 'My contributions to JCA are like a gift that keeps giving back. It’s a wonderful present to give to Joliet Catholic Academy, a school that has done so much for all of us.'"

After learning of Tuesday's announcement concerning the $6 million estate donation, one woman commented on the Joliet Catholic Facebook page, "Her spirit and legacy will continue to carry on in our Angels, our Hilltoppers, and throughout our community—reflecting her heartfelt mission to support the opportunity she was given, anchored in her faith and in the Joliet community. Future generations will be forever changed because of her."

In regard to the $6 million gift, Joliet Catholic Academy announced on its website that "a significant portion of this historic gift will support land acquisitions critical to JCA’s Legacy Capital Campaign, including the 38-plus acre purchase of the school’s current academic campus and the 8-plus acre acquisition of the former Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home property. Additional funds will strengthen the existing Phyllis A. Olsta Scholarship Endowment."