Sister Patricia McNicholas

Thank you very much.  The decision to choose me for the ATHENA Award is truly unexpected.

I would like to thank the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber for this very significant recognition.  I would also like to express my appreciation to Patty Brozik, from the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley who nominated me, to the board of directors of Beatitude House who purchased a table for our staff to attend, and to my sister Polly Dix, who traveled from Columbus to be here with me tonight.

I believe that each time an Ursuline Sister is recognized, the whole community is recognized.  I clearly stand on the shoulders of those who came before me.  A woman, Angela Merici, founded the Ursuline Community in Italy in 1535.  She wanted to make a difference in her world and in the church during the time of the reformation by opening new opportunities for women.  The community moved to Paris and from France to Cleveland and then to Youngstown in 1874.

In a very real way I am honored by the opportunity to work with such women.  Beatitude House is committed to these women and provides services in an atmosphere of care and compassion.  It is the whole board and the staff who provide for the success of our families that thus join me in this recognition.

In closing, I would like to thank those women who serve on the selection committee.  I believe, in making the choice to recognize a woman who works with the poor, you have brought attention to the growing problem, of poverty, domestic violence and homelessness among women and children in our community and in our country.  Thank you for having the courage to draw attention to an unpopular topic.

God bless you.