The Saint Mary’s Center for Faith, Action and Ministry (CFAM) held their CSC Mission Awards and Senior Recognition ceremony April 30 from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Stapleton Lounge. The ceremony has been held annually since 2018 in honor of Sister Rose Anne Schultz. A total of 17 seniors were recognized by CFAM, with 10 of these seniors receiving additional awards for their work in mission and service.
Daniel Horan, director of the Center for the Study of Spirituality, led the introduction of the ceremony with the history of Schultz and her contribution to Saint Mary’s. Following this, Nicole Labadie, director of CFAM, offered an opening prayer.
The 17 seniors acknowledged in the ceremony included Mary Bakke, Lucy Brown, Sincere Cannon, Katie Clem, Caroline Dutton, Kitty Enright, Maggie France, Olivia Gleason, Tess Hayes, Elle Houin, Brigid Hull, Sarah Jannings, Abbie Kawalec, Ellen Kevin, Ruby Meza, Jean Ochoa and Piper Ogden. The physical awards students received were made in the SPARK Lab, a makerspace on campus.
Brown also received the Sister Kathleen Anne Nelligan, CSC Award for Ministry for her work as an ecumenical outreach intern. France was given the Sister Olivia Marie Hutcheson, CSC Award for Service in the Health Field.
The Sister Maria Concepta McDermott, CSC Award for Service in Education was provided to sophomore Cadence Hoekman. Kevin earned the Sister Christine Healy, CSC Award for her service with women as a Beyond the Belle site leader at St. Margaret’s House.
The Sister Olivette Whalen, CSC Award for General Service was presented to sophomore Gabby Juhasz for her work with CFAM, including as a sustainability intern. Gleason received the Patricia Arch Green Award for her work with Center for the Homeless in South Bend.
The Jane O’Rourke Bender Award ’67 was also given to recognize senior students who submitted artistic pieces that reflected on their spirituality and consideration of the gospel with themes on forgiveness, service, compassion and social justice. Enright won first place and Clem earned second place. Cannon and Ochoa tied for third place.
Meza was named Mission Student Worker of the Year from her work as the operations coordinator for CFAM. Hull was given the Mission Impact Award for her service as the liturgy and music intern in CFAM.
Following the distribution of awards, Saint Mary's President Katie Conboy provided closing remarks. She thanked staff and students for their work throughout the year.
“To all our awardees, your work, your dedication to helping others is simply inspiring … You’ve made an impact on others, you’ve changed lives, you’ve provided hope in our very complex world and a world that sometimes feels a little bit hopeless. My own hope is that you will continue to answer that call to serve others, whether you’re going home for the summer or you’re graduating from Saint Mary’s and beginning a new path in life,” Conboy said.
Sustainable Farm manager Matthew Insley concluded the event with a closing prayer and blessing. A cookout dinner was provided to all attendees at the ceremony following its conclusion.
