Paying It Forward

Scholarship Fund Improves Access to Catholic Education

Our Sisters settled in the United States in 1913 to educate the children of Eastern European immigrants. For more than a century, we have carried on our ministry of education — first by establishing and staffing parish grade schools, and then by opening Mount Assisi Academy in Pittsburgh and St. Francis Academies in both Bethlehem, Pa., and San Antonio, Texas. Today, a handful of our Sisters are still in the classroom, where the value of education remains evident every day.

To carry forward our century of work in education and to empower the next generation of young women, we have established the Antonia Lampel Scholarship Fund.

In the spirit of our visionary foundress, Mother Frances Antonia Lampel, scholarships will be awarded each year to students who are or who will be attending a Catholic school or college. With support for Catholic education in grades K-12 and beyond, the scholarship is open to all students, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity. The number and amount of awards available will depend on the value of the fund each year.

As an educator in the 19th Century, Antonia Lampel knew that, in large part, the condition of future families and society was dependent upon the proper education and training of youth. Today, as a community devoted to the education of the whole person, we continue to respond. In accordance with Pope Francis’ encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, we are reaching out to families in need of tuition assistance.

Supporting the Scholarship Fund

With your help, we can make the gift of Catholic education available to more students. Click here to donate online now (select Antonia Lampel Scholarship Fund when asked to choose a fund for your donation). Or mail your donation to: School Sisters of St. Francis, Attn: Scholarship Fund, 4900 Perry Highway, Suite 201, Pittsburgh PA 15229

Applying for the Scholarship Fund: Questions about the scholarship fund and the application process can be directed to Sister Patricia Ann Mahoney at 412-761-2855 or administrationusa@schoolsistersosf.org.

First Lampel Scholarships Awarded in spring 2024

To carry forward our century of work in education and to empower the next generation of young women, the U.S. Province established the Antonia Lampel Scholarship Fund in 2023. The first scholarships were awarded in Spring 2024 to students from cities in which we serve. A collective total of $22,000 in educational assistance was distributed to 24 students to attend Catholic grade schools and high schools in in the Pennsylvania towns of Bethlehem, Allentown, Pittsburgh and Reading, as well as in Somerset, N.J., and San Antonio, Texas. The fund was started with a handful of generous seed donations, and it is our hope that it will be perpetually enriched by alumnae and friends who wish to pay forward their gift of Catholic education.