Mother Mary Anne Burke possessed skills in education and financial management which served her well. Her contributions to the Diocese of Buffalo include half a century of service as principal of St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. She also led the Sisters of St. Joseph in the acquisition of land where several key institutions would be built.

They are a sisters act, in more ways than one. Sisters Joanne and Mary Francis Gangloff are siblings and both Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Both Sisters have dedicated their long lives in service to Jesus Christ in diverse ways, with their words, and by their deeds.

Before coming to Buffalo from Romania, Sister Mary Judith Fenyvesi experienced the Holocaust and communist oppression firsthand. She turned those experiences into ministry recognizing and acting against social injustice, while urging her students to do the same.

Sister Ellen McCarthy was educated at St. John the Baptist School in Alden, and would later go on to be its principal, overseeing several capital projects, introducing Pre-K and Spanish language programs, and has also served as a pastoral associate and council member for the parish.

Born in Elmira, New York in 1873, Mother M. Helena McLaughlin would come to Buffalo and become a major builder in the Diocese of Buffalo, leading projects such as a new motherhouse for the Sisters of Mercy, what would become Mercy Hospital, and St. Jerome Hospital in Batavia.

As the number of priests has decreased, their roles have become even more important in many parishes’ day-to-day operations. Sister Lori High is one such woman serving in a parish leadership role, and has held many roles in her more than 40 years of ministry and service to Christ, in Western New York and elsewhere.

While growing up in South Carolina, Sister Roberta Fulton witnessed the love of the Sisters of St. Mary and their active involvement in social justice, including the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Inspired by this, she decided to pursue a life following Christ, doing so as a social justice advocate.

For many Western New York Catholics, entering the Catholic faith begins with a knock on the door. And it might just be Sister Louise Alff who was doing the knocking.

To hear the Word of God with our ears is a gift that most of us may take for granted. Sister Conchetta LoPresti, meanwhile, uses her hands to help spread the Good News to those who are physically unable to hear it.

Approximately 75 people were honored March 9, 2024 at a special Mass in downtown Buffalo for their service to parishes and the Diocese of Buffalo. They are this year's recipients of the diocese's Lay Award of St. Joseph.