An Ethic of Service
By Suzanne Arney

Students come to Saint Mary's College to study chemistry, foreign language, math, and literature, among many disciplines. They also mentor local high school students, lead clothing drives, and build Habitat for Humanity houses in a kind of education of the soul.

In her inaugural address in January 2005, President Carol Ann Mooney '72 said, "The very first Saint Mary's women recognized the needs of those around them and responded to those needs. They stretched themselves and found the personal and communal resources to assume and fulfill ever-increasing responsibilities. Saint Mary's women are prepared to do not only what is required of them, but to move beyond and do that which will enrich their communities."...read more

Time Out Gives Special Families a Break
By Suzanne Arney with Jayne Kendle

Jill Dazel '06 spent her summer differently than most of her nursing major peers. Instead of working in the traditional hospital setting, she spent her summer working for the Time Out Pediatric Respite Program.

"Time Out" is designed to give families with children with special needs a break from the demands of constant caregiving. This break allows family members to do simple things that most families take for granted. "Shopping, lunch with a friend, attending another child's ball game–all these seem impossibly complicated when you have a child with special-needs," said Professor Jayne Kendle, who created and administers the program...read more.

Joan M. Driscoll-Kelly - a life dedicated to social responsibility
By Suzanne Arney

Joan "Joanie" Driscoll-Kelly took to heart the mission of Saint Mary's College – a personal sense of social responsibility – and determined to embodyits core values of learning, community, faith, and justice throughout her life. But ethics and empathy had guided her since childhood. Her sister, Katherine Driscoll Jacullo '80, recalls Joanie befriending a motherless classmate in first grade. "She was kind and compassionate," Jacullo says, "the type of person who was sensitive to others." The sisters were among 10 siblings who, like their father, graduated from either Saint Mary's or Notre Dame. "My parents were extremely good Catholics," says Jacullo, "who lived their faith and did the right thing at all times. They allowed my sister to be the person she wanted to be." Driscoll-Kelly wanted to make a difference. And in the 21 years of her life following graduation, she did...read more

For the people

By Kathi Vieser Bianco

Elected to serve her hometown, Julie Raque Adams '91 brings heart, faith, and commitment to a challenging profession.

Anyone who has ever seen an episode of The West Wing, a Congressional debate on C-SPAN, or a Sunday morning news program, has seen politics at work. Whether real or fictionalized, the task of governing can be exhilarating or frustrating, rewarding or mind-numbing. People who choose careers in politics must have patience, thick skin, and a strong belief in the work they are doing.

Julie Raque Adams '91 has had many roles in her political career – legislative aide, lobbyist, media specialist, campaign manager, and elected official. Throughout, she has held firm to the conviction that one person with dedication and faith can make a true, positive difference in the lives of many...read more

Viewpoint

Moments in Service
By Molly Kahn '01

After walking across the lawn of Le Mans, diploma in hand, I headed across the street and entered the Alliance for Catholic Education Program at the University of Notre Dame. A humanistic studies and religious studies double major exposed me to exceptional teachers who consistently encouraged me to critically examine my views of the world. Armed with the examples of great teachers and an admittedly cliche' desire to change the world one child at a time, I found myself voluntarily displaced in Memphis where I soon learned more than I would ever teach...read more