What's Happening

April 12, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – More than two years after her death in February 2020, Sister Mary Trzasko, OP, is still inspiring learners and tutors. A large tapestry depicting Sister Mary with the first two students she tutored in Beaufort, South Carolina, hangs on a wall near an entrance to Adrian Rea Literacy Center.  
 
Sister Mary responded in 1995 to a newspaper ad calling for tutors of at-risk children whose parents were mentally challenged and unable to help them in their schoolwork. She came to learn about more children who needed help in school for a variety of reasons. In 1997, she began Thumbs UP Children’s Education Center to meet those needs.
  
Now a 501(c)3 charity, Thumbs up provides year-round programs for at-risk, economically disadvantaged children ages 6 to 12 who are performing below their grade level. The program includes after-school tutoring and help with homework, an enrichment program, and a six-week summer program.
 
The tapestry was commissioned by the Board of Directors of Thumbs Up to honor Sister Mary at its 20th anniversary celebration, explained Sister Carleen Maly, OP, Director of Adrian Rea Literacy Center. The tapestry was presented to Sister Mary and, after her death, ultimately found its way to Adrian Rea. 
 
“Adrian Rea Literacy Center is proud to have this stunning tapestry hanging on the wall of our main entrance,” Sister Carleen said. She invited Sisters and Co-workers at the Adrian Dominican Motherhouse to view the tapestry during an open house on April 4. The tapestry and information about Thumbs Up and Sister Mary will remain at Adrian Rea to inspire the adult learners and the tutors.
 
Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1936, Sister Mary moved with her family to Hamtramck, Michigan, when she was 6 years old. She entered the Felician Sisters in 1953 after graduating high school and in 1973 transferred to the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
 
Sister Mary served in a variety of ministries, caring for people on the margins. In 1974, she began ministry as a community organizer with Sister Beverly Stark, OP, at a low-income area of Cincinnati, Ohio. They ministered together ever since, until Sister Mary’s retirement in 2007. 
 
“In 1985, our Prioress invited us to come to South Carolina to explore justice ministry opportunities in Beaufort,” Sister Mary said in a talk at the 20th anniversary of Thumbs Up. “I began teaching in an alternative high school at the Low Country Human Development Center.” 
 
While still teaching there, Sister Mary responded to the newspaper ad and began to realize the plight of many disadvantaged children. She started Thumbs Up to respond to their need. 
 
“The mission of Thumbs Up is to enrich the lives of children in at-risk families and enhance their potential for success by instilling values and offering comprehensive learning experiences,” Sister Mary said in her talk. “These include doing homework and … teaching responsibility, empathy, respect, care for the environment, and community service.”
 
Along with tutoring, Sister Mary developed several programs at Thumbs Up: recruiting volunteers who provide nutritious snacks for the children before tutoring sessions; acquiring a small house for the program; planning weekend field trips to hiking trails, parks, the beach, and museums; and hiring a social worker to work with the parents in areas such as cooking and parenting skills. Sister Mary even bought a 15-passenger bus and acquired a commercial driving license so she could drive the children to and from Thumbs Up.

Feature photo: Sisters Carleen Maly, OP, left, and Beverly Stark, OP, stand with the tapestry commissioned by the Board of Thumbs UP to honor Sister Mary Trzasko, OP. 

January 27, 2022, Lansing, Michigan – As Mark Murray, a 1972 graduate of Lansing Catholic High School, prepares to retire from a career that included serving as CEO of Meijer, President of Grand Valley State University, and state treasurer, he cites many influences along the way. Among them are his time in Catholic school and the late Sister Patricia Brady, OP, one of his high school teachers.

Sister Patricia Brady, OP

Sister Patricia, formerly known as Sister Francis Kevin, was influential in the lives of countless high school students. In 1999, she founded what would become the Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference, in which students and faculty members from Dominican high schools in the United States and beyond come together in the summer for a conference focused on the Dominican charism, especially the call to preach with their lives. 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.

Read the profile of Mark Murray in the Winter 2022 issue of Lansing Catholic High School’s magazine, Totus Tuus. Scroll down to page 19 to read the article, written by teacher Stephanie Van Koevering.

Feature photo: Participants in a recent Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference, founded by the late Sister Patricia Brady, OP, gather for a group photo. Adrian Dominican Sisters File Photo