Living the Charism of
Elizabeth Ann Seton By S. Mary Ann Flannery
A
s soon as her feet hit the floor every morning, Susan (Susie) Gibbons, superintendent of Cincinnati Catholic Schools, says a prayer to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: “Please don’t give me anything I can’t handle!” Across town, Kathy Ciarla, president of Seton High School, follows her morning prayer with St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s invocation: “Today, help me to meet your grace.” Ciarla will say that prayer repeatedly in the high school chapel throughout her day.
That’s the same mindset of Kathy Ciarla. She graduated from both Seton High School and Mount Saint Joseph University (MSJU), Sisters of Charity sponsored institutions. Gibbons also graduated from MSJU. Ciarla credits Seton principal Karen Klug White, also an alum, and the staff at Seton and its Board for their incredible cooperation and leadership especially during the two most recent challenges: assistance in relocation and acceptance of students from Mercy Both women share a lifetime of High School which had closed, and the commitment to Catholic education with Susie Gibbons, superintendent reorganization of fundraising because of the charism of their model, St. Elizabeth Ann of schools for the Archdiocese of the pandemic. “We now have a monthly Seton. Gibbons runs the fifth largest Catholic Cincinnati, worked at Seton High School raffle. This year’s results are trending up for 30 years, the last 13 as principal. school district in the nation with 40,000 and we are part of Girls Schools Unite with students throughout 19 counties and Ciarla the other five Catholic girls high schools who compete for navigates the challenges of keeping her school financially the highest number of alum to contribute. We achieved the healthy and academically thriving for more than 500 young highest this month bringing in more than $100,000.” women. Gibbons readily admits she learned the most about education while working at Seton High School for 30 years, the last 13 as principal. She has been superintendent for the last 10 years and was thrilled to see when she arrived that the archdiocesan conference room in the chancery is named for Elizabeth Ann Seton. “Her influence in Cincinnati was profound, from the start of the archdiocese, and certainly the beginnings of the Sisters of Charity, now in Delhi.” She added, “Elizabeth Seton was far ahead of her time and that is something that attracts me very much.” The pandemic gave Gibbons an opportunity to live Elizabeth’s foresight. “Since March 12 of last year, our district planned for every eventuality,” she said. “My goal was to make sure every child was accounted for and had an adult with them when learning from home.” When schools moved to the hybrid system in the fall, Gibbons encouraged principals to make their own decisions as to closings and tracing if they thought these decisions were needed. “We have found that technology is unequal and social interaction is very important. I am very concerned about children in poverty.” Now the Catholic schools in Cincinnati are open with 4,000 teachers doing their best to equalize the outcome of the virus and “move forward to secure funding toward better learning for our children.” 8
Ciarla has no doubt that Elizabeth Ann Seton has put a hand on her shoulder all her life. “I was raised by the Sisters of Charity!” she says laughingly. “I attended a Charity grade school, high school, college. My confirmation saint and name is Elizabeth Seton! I have taught all of my children about her.” Ciarla is Seton through and through! Sister of Charity Kathryn Ann Connelly was constantly on the move during her long career in education. The
Seton High School President Kathy Ciarla (third from left) said former Seton principal, Sister of Charity Kathryn Ann Connelly (third from right), encouraged her to ‘meet her grace’ in every circumstance. I n terc o m
