Founders Day

Mother Xavier Award Recipient

On Wednesday, December 2, the College of Saint Elizabeth will proudly present its coveted Mother Xavier Award to Dr. Lynn-Beth Satterly, '84, a woman who chose the College to live out its mission and values, during its Founders Day Celebration and Christmas Concert held in CSE Arts and Education building Annunciation Center, on campus.

Learn more about this year's recipient.

History

Each year, the College community recalls the vision, courage, and faith of the foundress of the College of Saint Elizabeth, Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan (1825-1915), who also founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth in 1859. Founders Day is celebrated annually on or near December 3, the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, the patron saint of Mother Xavier. Saint Francis Xavier, who was among the first Jesuits, is considered one of the greatest missionaries of the Church. Mother Xavier possessed the same energy and zeal for the mission as did Saint Francis Xavier, and in her lifetime established numerous schools, hospitals, and other institutions that significantly extended the ministries of the Sisters of Charity.

At a time when a college education was an unrealistic hope for all but a few women, Mother Xavier, along with Sister Mary Pauline Kelligar, the College's first president, and other determined Sisters, bravely asserted that the day for providing higher education for all women had come. With great courage, those remarkable women pushed forward their dream in the confidence that, "with God's blessing and the support of good friends, a college for the higher education of women would become a reality." In 1899, with a student body of six, the College of Saint Elizabeth was officially approved as an institution of higher education for women.

The highlight of Founders Day is the presentation of the Mother Xavier Award, the most prestigious award given to a graduate. We also recall all those who form the cornerstone and foundation of the Sisters of Charity and the College of Saint Elizabeth.

View past Mother Xavier Awardees.