Dedham Resident Receives Elizabeth Ann Seton Award

On Thursday evening, Apr. 11, 2013, the Sisters of Charity will celebrate their 13th annual Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards Event at Lantana in Randolph. Among those being honored is Dedham resident, Jean Brown, R.N., a Sisters of Charity Associate, Health Consultant, and Certified Spiritual Director.

The other honorees include Sister Esther Plefka, SC, Mission Integration Coordinator at Mount St. Vincent, Wellesley; Young Adult Honoree Janine DiLorenzo, Brockton’s Promise Coordinator, AmeriCorps VISTA at Stohehill College; and the Community Leadership awardee Jana Karp, Director of the Boston Youth Sanctuary. All of the honorees were selected as individuals who exemplify the spirit and values of Elizabeth Ann Seton, and who have made a significant contribution to the community.

A graduate of Catherine Laboure School of Nursing (Class of 1963), Jean Brown has been a registered nurse for fifty years and has found it to be a ministry as well as a vocation. Her work in nursing has been varied – including hospitals, home care, case management and quality assurance.

In her current role as a Health Consultant for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, and the Ursuline Sisters, Jean helps the Sisters by monitoring their medical issues, accompanying them to their appointments, and advocating for them. Jean is also a Certified Spiritual Director, enabling her to serve as Spiritual Development Coordinator at St. Susanna’s Parish, Dedham; Parish Nurse and Health Ministry Coordinator at St. John Chrysostom, West Roxbury; and Religious Education Teacher at St. Ann’s Parish, Readville.

In addition, Jean has been an Associate of the Sisters of Charity since 2008, and she is proud to follow the Congregation’s charism: “To give joyful witness to love – love of God, of one another, and to all persons.”

Says Jean, “My first introduction to St. Elizabeth Seton was from the Daughters of Charity at Catherine Laboure School of Nursing. Since working with the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, I have come to appreciate all that Elizabeth did in her life. My road map and guide in life is Micah 6:8: “To act with justice, to love tenderly, to serve one another and to walk humbly with God.” I feel that this is how Elizabeth acted, and so she is a perfect role model for me.”

Sister Esther Plefka, a member of the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, for more than forty years, was instrumental in the founding in 2004 of Elizabeth Seton Academy (ESA), a college-preparatory school for young women in Dorchester. At ESA, Sister Esther was the school’s first Advancement Director, the first Chair of the Board of Directors and President of the Corporation.

Prior to this, she was an educator at St. Francis School, Manchester, NH; and at Archbishop Williams and Monsignor Ryan Memorial High Schools, bringing art and music into the students’ educational experience. She is especially talented in liturgical music, and has been a faithful member of St. Agatha’s choir for many years. In her present ministry – Director of Spiritual Life Programs at Marillac Residence, the Congregation’s retirement center in Wellesley ‒ S. Esther organizes liturgies and feast day celebrations, as well as retreats and days of prayer. In addition, she is Director of Mission Integration, which brings employees and Sisters together around the mission of the Sisters of Charity.

Although Janine DiLorenzo graduated only recently from Stonehill in May of 2011, she has already distinguished herself with her commitment to volunteerism and helping those in need. At Stonehill, Janine was involved in many service opportunities, from tutoring children with School on Wheels in Brockton, to yearly service trips with HOPE during her spring breaks, and participating in the student Activism Club. Janine is a trained teacher and, after graduating from Stonehill, she joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, and spent a year of teaching at the Pretty Eagle Academy on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana.

Janine is currently working as the AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer through Stonehill’s Office of Community Based Learning. In this capacity, Janine directs the Brockton’s Promise initiative, which focuses on ensuring the health and safety of youths in the Brockton community. Founded in 2003, Brockton’s Promise aims to enable youths to experience the “Five Promises”: a Healthy Start, Safe Places, Caring Adults, Effective Education, and Opportunities to Make a Difference.

Jana Karp, the recipient of the Community Leadership Award, is the founder and executive director of the Boston Youth Sanctuary, Inc., a therapeutic program for youths aged six to thirteen in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, who have experienced trauma. Following her graduation from Union College in 1999, Jana taught third and fourth grades at St. Patrick’s School, Roxbury for ten years. In 2006, she received her Masters in Education from Lesley University, where she now serves on the Board of Trustees.

From 2010-11, Jana worked as an Intensive Care Coordinator at The Home for Little Wanderers in Dorchester, where she coordinated services for children with mental health issues and their families. Motivated by her work with children and families as a teacher and intensive care coordinator, in 2011 Jana founded the Boston Youth Sanctuary, Inc., ‒ a comprehensive program providing clinical support, after-school care, case management, and educational advocacy. With its trauma-specific focus, the Boston Youth Sanctuary supports children socially, educationally and emotionally, enabling them to build the life skills necessary for long-term success.

The Sisters of Charity have been a part of the Greater Boston community since 1887, when they began St. Patrick School, Roxbury; and of the Wellesley community since 1893, when they established the Academy of the Assumption, now the location of Mass Bay Community College. Since its inauguration in 2001, the Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards event has become a special tradition, honoring lay and religious through the award presentations, and serving as the Sisters’ main fundraiser in the Greater Boston area.

In addition to the award presentations, this year’s event will feature a gourmet buffet and raffle drawings. Jordan Rich, host of WBZ’s late-night talk radio show, will be Master of Ceremonies. All proceeds from this event will benefit the Congregation’s ministries, healthcare, and retirement needs. For tickets and more information, please email rprevite@schalifax.org.