Alumni Living Out Core Values

The Our Lady of the Sacred Heart community maintains a commitment to living by the core values set forth by the Felician Sisters. The five Felician Core Values that we honor are Respect for Human Dignity, Compassion, Transformation, Solidarity with the Poor, and Justice & Peace. Students spend time each year in their classes and at school events putting these values into practice so that they may go on to lead by example after graduating from OLSH. Alumni live out the core values in a myriad of ways each and every day.

Here, we take the opportunity to shine a light on the important work that several OLSH alumni are doing to live out the Felician Core Values. At Gannon University, Sara Oros ‘16, Maria Lohmann ‘17, Rachel Kuchnicki ’17, and Kathryn Dickey ’18 make up part of the Catholic Relief Services University Ambassador program. This program allows students who are passionate about social justice issues and their advocacy to be socially responsible global citizens by organizing events and initiatives to promote the idea that everyone is connected. They follow the campaign, “I am the cause, and I am the solution,” with a focus on “I am human trafficking,” “I am climate change,” “I am global hunger,” and “I am migration.”

Sara Oros, a political science major in her junior year at Gannon, serves as the President of the school’s CRS University Ambassadors. When she heard about the opportunity to explore social justice issues in relation to her faith, she couldn’t pass it up. “I wanted to gain a better understanding of poverty issues in regards to the Catholic Social Teaching and how all of the issues are interconnected with each other. CRS is one of the most efficient and effective organizations in the world, and being able to represent them and share their mission has been a blessing.”

While the group certainly does touch upon each of the five Felician Core Values, their work mostly coincides with Justice & Peace and Solidarity with the Poor. “Since CRS Ambassadors is mostly centered around education and advocacy, we pride ourselves in seeking justice for people whose voices have been silenced through systems,” remarks Oros. The Ambassadors take part in numerous initiatives throughout the year to live out their mission. They hosted a Fair Trade Coffeehouse, where they served fair trade coffee alongside an acoustic performance on campus, while providing information to students on how and where to obtain ethically traded products in the area.

Erie, Pennsylvania is a sanctuary city where families come for refuge. Most families arrive unprepared, not knowing what lies ahead in an Erie winter. Through the Basket of Blessing program, University Ambassadors are able to host one of these refugee families, buying them winter gear and school supplies to make their transition to living in the United States a smooth one.

During the season of Lent, they take part in the Lenten Rice Bowl/Break Fast campaign to collect donations for people in underdeveloped countries. At the end of the season, the students donate their meal swipes for a day to participate in a fast in solidarity with the poor, and host a speaker on campus to discuss global hunger and poverty issues.

In addition to these programs, the CRS University Ambassadors take part in the S.O.A.P project to fight human trafficking, they meet with district and state representatives, and they maintain a presence on social media to promote awareness of their “I am” statements.

So, how can others get involved? Oros has a few ideas. Consider attending the programs that they put on, become an ambassador on your own campus, or simply follow CRS on social media. You may even consider attending a weekly Mass at Gannon, where 1/3 of the offerings during the collection goes to Catholic Relief Services. And remember to always keep in mind: “I am the cause, and I am the solution.” •