Sister Frances Ryan: Honoring Her Irish-American Heritage

Founded in 1842, All Hallows College is a Catholic and Vincentian center of learning in Dublin, Ireland. According to the school’s mission statement, “All Hallows educates women and men to be effective leaders engaged in justice and service, championing social and educational participation.”

In September 2012, the college held a benefit in Chicago to launch the Irish-American Scholarship, which will target talented American and Irish students who seek careers as human service professionals and community leaders. The awards will be directed specifically to high-performing, economically challenged students with demonstrated talent for working in difficult urban environments.

Sister Frances Ryan, DC, one of LCUSA’s spiritual moderators, was honored with the establishment of the “Sister Frances Ryan Scholarship Fund” for the Irish-American Scholarship.

According to a recent issue of “Faith Afire” magazine, Sr. Fran served for 30 years at DePaul University as chair and founder of the Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, and later as Chair of the Human Services and Counseling graduate programs. Throughout her years in education, Sr. Fran inspired students to aspire to transformative leadership as agents of change in social policy and to work for the empowerment of persons living in poverty. Her life’s work embodies the goals of the new scholarship program.

This honor for Sr. Fran is another illustration of LCUSA’s place within the worldwide Vincentian Family.

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