Press Release

Award for Spiritual Service Goes to Saint Mary's College Senior

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-4579

April 20, 2009 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Office for Civic and Social Engagement (OCSE) at Saint Mary's College is pleased to announce that Arlene Forney ’09 of Murrieta, CA will receive one of the College’s seven unique service and volunteer awards. The awards recognize students who give their time and talent to serve the greater South Bend, IN community.

Forney, who is majoring in psychology and biology, will receive one of five new annual awards named for Sisters of the Holy Cross. The Congregation founded the Catholic, all-women’s college in 1844. Forney will be honored with the Sister Kathleen Anne Nelligan Award for Spiritual Service. Sister Nelligan (1915-2004) led the Congregation from 1973-1979, following the turbulent years of the 1960s and during the time Vatican II was being implemented. Sister Nelligan’s deep faith, humility, prayer and reliance on the Providence of God strengthened her to be a healing leader who brought a renewed sense of unity to the Congregation.

A student who nominated Forney for the award wrote, “I admire her more than words can say for her sincere compassion for women in need. Arlene is an incredible role model, and everything a Saint Mary’s woman ought to be!” Forney’s spiritual heart is perhaps most evident in her work with the Women’s Care Center (WCC), a for-life crisis pregnancy center in the South Bend area. She has served WCC as a counselor, where she would meet with clients, listen to their concerns, talk to them about their current needs and relationships, and offer them information and/or referrals to medical care and other services.

In addition, Forney has been involved with Saint Mary’s liturgical ministries since 2005. Her leadership has been especially evident in the area of liturgical dance. She has served as a peer minister at the College and as a mentor for Spiritual Leaders, a program for high school women held at the College each summer. She’s also worked as a resident hall advisor. Her passion for the spiritual life (especially of women) is also evident in her involvement with the 2009 Edith Stein Project held in February at the University of Notre Dame. Saint Edith Stein died a martyr in the gas chambers of Auschwitz; her philosophical writings addressed the distinct role women play in society, the undeniable, nurturing female character, and the vocation to motherhood.

Forney and the other award recipients will be recognized at a dinner at the College on April 29.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. The College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2009 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.