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Founders' Day

Seton Hill University's Founders' Day is held annually to honor and celebrate the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, who, under the leadership of Mother Aloysia Lowe, came to Greensburg in 1882 to establish a new community, new ministries and new schools that would eventually lead to the founding of a four-year college for women in 1918. More than 100 years later, Seton Hill has grown into a co-educational university that continues to educate students in the legacy of the Sisters of Charity.

Founders' Day is held each year on March 19, the Feast Day of Saint Joseph, who is the patron Saint of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.

Founders' Day 2025

The theme of Founders' Day 2025 is "Honoring our Founders, Embracing Our Future: Responding to the Cries of the Poor."

The day's events will focus on the ways the Sisters of Charity through their various missions have assisted those from underresourced communities and how Seton Hill faculty, staff and students continue to do so today.

Join us on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 for Founders' Day. A full schedule of the day's events follows.

The Opening Prayer for Founders' Day 2025 will feature a celebration of Sister Cyril Aaron, a Sister of Charity who left her position at Seton Hill College, to advocate for the poor in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. The mission that Sister Cyril founded in the Hill District had a direct impact on the life of famed Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson.

10:00 – 10:10 a.m.

MUSICAL CELEBRATION BY THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Cecilian Hall

10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

POSTER SESSION

Cecilian Hall

Habitat for Humanity Alternative Break Trips, Diana Hoover

History of the Residence Halls, Austin Velga and Josef Schatz

Cries of the Earth, Cries of the Poor: Integral Ecology by the Sisters of Charity, Jessica Brzyski

The Sisters of Charity in the Hill District, Jamie Keys

Responding to the Cries of the Poor in Health Care: Low Income Access to Health Education, Madison McCall, Hamza Ahmad, Liam Hileman, Evelyn Moss, Ava Pittman and Amanda DeWitt

Responding to the Cries of the Poor in Mental Health Care: Affordability and Accessibility, Annabelle Taylor, Joanna Haughton, Brandon Knapp, Lucia Lorenzo Parga, Brianna Kline and Amanda DeWitt

Responding to the Cries of the Poor in Business: Fair and Just Global Business Practices, Barry Ozimek, Meaghan Mescan, Gabriel Kasardo, Louisa Lagera and Amanda DeWitt

Responding to the Cries of the Poor in Daily Lifestyle: Affordable Nutrition, Movement, and Exercise, Kendra Shoffstall, Sage Evans, Julia Dahlstrom, Holden Charboneau and Amanda DeWitt

A Celebration of the Trees at Seton Hill, Renee Rosier and Casey Bowser

Sr. Mary Eudes and Physics at Seton Hill, Abby Bogdan

Sisters of Charity Roselia Foundling Home and Maternity Hospital, Diane Kondas

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

ADMIN 206

10:15 – 10:35 a.m.: Examining the Life Stories of the Sisters of Charity, Abby Boytos, Kara Gosnell, Shakira McKinney, and Brianna Kline

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.: Mission of Nurturing the Poor: Education and Nursing & Health, Kathy Harris and students of SED 240 – Parent and Family Conferencing

10:55 – 11:15 a.m.: Mission of Nurturing the Poor: Pastoral Ministry and Faculty Exchange, Kathy Harris and students of SED 240 – Parent and Family Conferencing

ADMIN 308

10:15 – 10:35 a.m.: The Loss of Human Dignity in Conflict and War: Ukrainian Stories, Jessie Prantl and Shavonne Arthurs

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.: Another Nun for ERA: Jacinta Mann and Feminism at Seton Hill, David von Schlichten

10:55 – 11:15 a.m.: Fair Trade Coffee: Local and Global Connections, Jen Jones

ADMIN 405

10:15 – 10:35 a.m.: SHU Mission: From Curriculum to Community: Street Outreach Program Integration into DPT Program, Robin Joyce and Allison Gremba

10:35 – 10:55 a.m.: CRISPR: A Way Forward, Amalene Cooper-Morgan

10:55 – 11:15 a.m.: Radical Love and Concern for All, Keisha Jimmerson, David Droppa, and the Project H.O.M.E. cohort: Elijah Bennett, Benjamin Sanner, Gina Veltri, Jada Freeman, Quan Truong, Jake Carnahan-Curcio, and Aishwharya Meenakshisundaram

Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM, Bernardin Fellow of Church Leadership, Catholic Theological Union and past president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, will celebrate Mass on the Feast of Saint Jospeph, in Saint Joseph Chapel.
Join us for Lunch in Lowe Dining Hall. Free for faculty, staff and commuter students. Resident students will use their regular meal swipe. Show your Seton Hill pride by making SHU-themed buttons!
Msgr. Roger Statnick, University Chaplain, will lead this panel discussion in Cecilian Hall, featuring experts in immigration, medicine and education who are all serving people in poverty. Panelists include: Sr. Maria Goetschalckx, a Sister of Charity who is an immigration attorney; Dr. Jim Withers from Pittsburgh’s Operation Safety Net, a street medicine initiative; and Shannon Prentiss, Dean of Students at The Neighborhood Academy, a college preparatory school in Pittsburgh that serves students from low-income families.

Student activities for Founders' Day include:

3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Service project at Caritas Christi will include packing hygiene kits with the Sisters of Charity for men at St. Joseph House of Hospitality in Pittsburgh.

5:00 p.m.: Join your friends for a Founders’ Day Game Show in Cecilian Hall. Have fun and win prizes!

Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM, Bernardin Fellow of Church Leadership, Catholic Theological Union and past president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, will present this year's Sister Mary Schmidt Lecture as part of Founders' Day. The title of his lecture is, "Viewing Poverty through the Lens of Setonian/Vincentian Charism." The lecture will take place in Cecilian Hall.