The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc. (LAOH)

2025 SAINT KATHARINE DREXEL AWARD
The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc. (LAOH)

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Inc. (LAOH) is an Irish American Catholic Women’s Organization established in 1894. Their purpose is to:

1. Promote friendship, unity and Christian charity;

2. Foster and sustain loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church and the United States of America among its members;

3. Aid and advance, by all legitimate means, the aspirations and endeavors of the Irish people to achieve complete and absolute independence; and

4. Foster the ideals, perpetuate the history and traditions, and promote the culture of the Irish people.

For the past 131 years, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians has been involved in all forms of Catholic social justice. While practicing friendship, unity and Christian charity, they have worked to strengthen their Roman Catholic faith, their Country, and their communities; and perpetuate the religion, history, culture and traditions of their Irish heritage.

From coast to coast, the LAOH has a sisterhood of members that gives back to their communities, sharing their time, talent and treasure to support local projects and organizations, specifically Church supported organizations and other charities which provide assistance and support directly to all in need, especially the hungry, homeless, women and children.

In 1902, the LAOH established the Lillian Fay Scholarship at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. Since 1935, thousands of dollars have been donated to help the Columban Fathers and Sisters in their ministries around the world. From 1978 to the present, the LAOH, in partnership with the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), has sponsored a Hibernian Scholarship, Lectures and Research Grants with the Cushwa Center of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. In 1996, Project St. Patrick was established as a joint project with the LAOH to provide grants to seminarians and those in religious formation. The organization supports and provides assistance to cross community groups in the North of Ireland with community projects and justice initiatives. Recently, the LAOH established a Humanitarian Fund and Brigid’s Hearth to assist those currently in ministry in the Church.

For over two decades, the LAOH has provided monetary support to Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!).