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October 4, 2022, Washington, D.C. – Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), was among the Nonprofit Times’ (NPT) 2022 Power and Influence Top 50 during a gala held in September at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This is the seventh year in a row that Sister Donna has received this honor.
“The honorees have distinguished themselves as initiators, innovators, and leaders who can redirect and sometimes restrict vital nonprofits and their operations,” wrote Paul Clolery in the announcement of the top 50 honorees. He noted that the honorees distinguished themselves in their day-in, day-out work during a challenging year, still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, food shortages, and inflation.
Sister Donna was recognized for going beyond talk in the social sector and taking action, such as visiting the border to see firsthand the situation for immigrants. Responding to the challenges faced by 58,000 Catholic Charities workers, Sister Donna is focusing on housing and healthcare, “particularly seeing housing as a moral imperative and partnering with anyone willing to pitch in,” the 2022 Top 50 influencers program states.
Catholic Charities USA is the national office for diocesan agencies throughout the United States. Its mission is “to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same.”
Catholic Charities agencies serve all people in need in such areas as food and nutrition, affordable housing, social enterprise initiatives, advocacy and social policy initiatives, immigration and refugee services, disaster relief, and leadership development and Catholic identity. Sister Donna is the first female President and CEO in CCUSA’s more than 110 years of history.
Featured photo: Leaders attending the Nonprofit Times 2022 Power and Influence Top 50 Gala are, from left, Jonathan Reckford, President of Habitat for Humanity; Nancy Brown, President of the American Heart Association; Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA; and Gail McGovern, President of the American Red Cross.
March 22, 2022, Chicago – Sister Mary Soher, OP, received the Sister Pat Brady Award March 11 for her long-time work with Dominican youth, particularly her years of organizing the annual Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference. The conference, held at the end of June, draws about four students and their adult chaperones from each participating Dominican-sponsored high school in the United States and beyond, for a week of activities to form the young adults into preaching through their lives.
Sister Mary received the award during the Inaugural Gala of the Dominican Youth Movement USA (DYMUSA), a newly formed unity of various programs designed to pass on the Dominican Charism to Dominican high school and college students and Dominican young adults.
The award is named for Adrian Dominican Sister Patricia Brady, OP, who in 1999 founded what would become the Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference. She chaired the first board of directors of Dominican Volunteers USA and helped to found what later became known as the Dominican Association of Secondary Schools. She was director in 2008. Sister Patricia died in 2019.
The Gala included an introduction to DYMUSA and to its Board of Directors; talks from several young Dominicans involved in DYMUSA; and tributes to Sister Mary from Adrian Dominican Sisters, other Dominicans who worked with her, and Dominican youth who participated in the preaching conference. Amityville Dominican Sister Gina Fleming, OP, Executive Director of DYMUSA, served as emcee.
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news,” Sister Mary said in response. “How beautiful are the feet of those who have walked this journey with me. I am incredibly thankful to my Dominican family,” including the Sisters, the Friars, the Associates, the laity, the nuns and all the young people.
Read the article about the Inaugural Gala on the DYMUSA website, and watch the video below.
Feature photo (top): Sister Mary Soher, OP, right, interacts with students participating in the 2019 Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference, which she directed for more than 10 years.