The Dedham-based Yawkey Foundation has awarded $15 million to the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy and the teen center at St. Peter's Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the Boston Pilot reports.

According to the foundation's president, James Healey, the grant is a way to recognize that by revitalizing Catholic schools in the area, the archdiocese is investing in the future of the community. The teen center was included in the grant, which is part of the academy's capital campaign, because there is significant overlap between the academy's students and the young people active at the center.

"With this exceptional and extremely generous grant...the Yawkey Foundation is helping hundreds of families in Dorchester and Mattapan and supporting the archdiocese in our efforts to strengthen Catholic education," said Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley. "This award will enable us to establish the academy's five campuses as centers of excellence for academics and personal formation, to the benefit of the families we serve in the city of Boston and the surrounding communities."