Friday, January 15, 2010

ST. LAWRENCE DEANERY — The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati have awarded their congregation’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award to Robert A. and Ruth J. Conway, Richard and Tina Meder and to St. Brigid School in Xenia. The awards were bestowed on Jan. 3 in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse.

At the Sister of Charity Seton Award presentation: Back row from left to right, ­Sister Barbara Hagedorn, president of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Robert A. ­Conway, Patricia Harner, Wyncee Fleisher, Richard Meder; front row, left to right, Ruth J. Conway, Carol Cassidy. (Courtesy photo)

Robert A. and Ruth J. Conway were recognized as longtime supporters of the mission of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Their foundation has provided a scholarship fund at the College of Mount St. Joseph, as well as tuition needs for Seton High School students. Robert Conway serves on the board of Bayley Place, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity. He also served as a member of the advisory committee of the newly forming DePaul Cristo Rey High School, another sponsored ministry of the Sisters. The Conways assist Santa Maria Community Services and have awarded a three-year matching grant to Mission Partners Guatemala, where Sister of Charity Sarah Mulligan serves in healthcare and education.

Richard and Tina Meder were recognized for their many years of service at Seton Family Center as benefactors and as consumers of the center’s services. Richard Meder chairs the board of trustees and marketing/development committee. Tina Meder’s work as a very active and creative chair of the fundraisers and pre-fundraiser parties greatly benefits the work of the center.

St. Brigid School in Xenia was recognized for the school’s determination to keep the spirit of charity alive with the Mother Seton Project. A life-size statue of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton with children, which stands in the school’s lobby, celebrates the continuation of the mission. A plaque in the school’s lobby honors each Sister of Charity who served the school since 1879. Each classroom is assigned a Sister to pray for daily and to remember on special days with handmade cards and greetings. Every year “Sister of Charity Day at St. Brigid School” is celebrated with Mass, lunch and student entertainment. Students in the fifth grade tour the Mount St. Joseph motherhouse each year. Principal Patricia Harner and teachers Wyncee Fleisher and Carol Cassidy accepted the award on behalf of the school.