Honorees for 2011 Award Dinners

2011 Elizabeth Ann Seton Award Honorees

At the annual benefit dinners in New York and Washington, DC, SOAR! honors an individual who exemplifies Catholic values, shows leadership in the Church and community, expresses care and concern for consecrated religious men and women and lends support to SOAR! and Catholic organizations.

New York

His Excellency, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

Timothy Michael Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009. He was installed as Archbishop of New York on April 15, 2009. Archbishop Dolan served as chairman of Catholic Relief Services from January 2009 – November 2010. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America. He is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization. On June 29, 2009, Archbishop Dolan received the pallium, a symbol of his office as an archbishop, from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, at St. Peter’s Basilica. On November 16, 2010, Archbishop Dolan was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Washington, D.C.

Mrs. Mary Jane Cullen

Mary Jane Dempsey Cullen, daughter of Thomas A. and Jane Dempsey, was born and raised in Scranton, Pa. She and her three brothers spent their summers at nearby Lake Ariel, Pa., where Thomas Cullen’s family also had a summer home.

Mary Jane attended Central High School in Scranton and went onto Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. She married her high school sweetheart, the late Thomas Cullen, and they moved to Washington, D.C., to raise their family of 11 children – nine boys and two girls. The family enterprise they built has grown to include 37 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of whom are in the greater Washington area and most of whom were the beneficiaries of the Washington parochial school system.

While a proud graduate of public school, Mary Jane was is a career-long supporter of Catholic schools and the combination of values and intellectual discipline that they offer.  All 11 of her own children attended and graduated from Blessed Sacrament School in Washington, D.C., and the Cullen tradition there continues. There has been at least one Cullen continuously in attendance at Blessed Sacrament for over 50 years. During one academic year recently, there were 10 of her grandchildren attending Blessed Sacrament.

In addition to the ongoing work of raising three generations in the Church, Mary Jane Cullen is a generous supporter of local charities, a volunteer English tutor for recent immigrants, and tireless life coach for a global circle of family and friends. Blessed Sacrament still is the “family” school and church, and she and her family still return every year to Pennsylvania summer houses where she and Mr. Cullen met.

2011 Father Victor Yanitelli, SJ Award Honoree

Each year, SOAR! bestows the Father Victor Yanitelli, SJ Award upon an individual at the benefit dinner in New York. The Yanitelli Award is given to a senior man or woman religious who embodies the spirit of Father Victor Yanitelli. It has been said of Father Vic, that “he would never let us forget that our salvation is linked with our meeting the needs of others. He made God’s presence and love for each of us very real and believable. He brought out the best in us. At the center of his warmth and generous heart was his manifest care and concern for each individual person.”

New York

Sr. Rose Bernadette Gallagher, MM

Sr. Rose Bernadette Gallagher, MM has served abroad in China, Hong Kong,Thailand and most recently in Sudan. While abrod, she directed activities related to women’s empowerment, leadership training, youth formation, and safe shelter for troubled girls. She joined the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns’ staff in October 2006, with a focus on women and children’s issues. She is one of several Maryknoll representatives at the United Nations, and serves on committees with UNICEF, UNIFEM, and networks with many other groups promoting peace, justice, and equal opportunities for all.