The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University are proud to present an “Evening of Hope,” an inaugural fundraising event in which we honor Dr. Mary Mulvihill as the first recipient of the Spes Unica Award. Click here to register
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June 17, 2018
On Friday May 4, 2018, The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University were delighted to honor Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ as the 2018 Spes Unica award. Sister Tesa is Executive Director of Hour Children as well as a beloved friend and mentor to many of the Ladies at SJU. In her acceptance speech, she spoke of vocation, and listening to the call to action: attending meetings and well-wishing was not enough. As a life-long educator, Sr. Tesa’s work as a teacher evolved into acting as a foster parent and subsequently grew into her establishing Hour Children as a nonprofit organization to offer supportive services to other children of incarcerated mothers and the mothers themselves. She shared a short video about Hour Children and some of the women who have been touched by Hour Children’s services and love.
For more about about Hour Children, please see their website: https://hourchildren.org/
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On April 15, 2016 we held our third annual “Evening of Hope”. Sister Margaret John Kelly, D.C. was the honoree, receiving the “Spes Unica” award. Sister recently retired as the director of the Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John’s University. She was the force behind our formation into an association, and is our Spiritual Moderator Emeritus. Raffles, silent auction, horse races helped the event be a very successful fundraiser. Anna Rocchio served as the event’s chairwoman.
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On Saturday, April 5th, Pat Mulé and Anna Rocchio, Junior Ladies of Charity Moderators at St. John’s Prep, attended the Bridge to Life Gala at Leonard’s Palazzo. It was a beautiful afternoon celebrating life, hope, service, and the power of faith in action.
As moderators, Pat and Anna were overjoyed to see the girls recognized for their compassionate service and unwavering commitment to living the Gospel. The award presented to them read:
“In recognition for your unwavering commitment to the mission—serving rather than to be served. Guided by the virtues of Humility, Simplicity and Charity, you bring the Gospel to life, seeing Christ in the poor through service, education and advocacy. Your dedication to uplifting the most vulnerable is an inspiration and a testament to the power of faith in action.”
This recognition is a testament to the heart, dedication, and joyful spirit these young ladies bring to every act of service. The moderators and all Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University are beyond proud!
LCSJU extends its deepest gratitude to Bridge to Life for this honor and for all they do to support women and families.
Photo: The Junior Ladies of Charity of St. John’s receiving their award from Francesa Yellico, at the 2025 Bridge to Life Gala.
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The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University invite you to the 2026 “Evening of Hope,” at Terrace on the Park, Flushing Meadows Park, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, 5:30 pm – 9:30pm.
This year we are delighted to confer the “Spes Unica” Award on Lisa A. Gatti, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pal-O-Mine, a comprehensive therapeutic equine program using horses to facilitate growth, learning and healing for children and adults with disabilities, persons who have been abused, Veterans, and people experiencing poverty. Lisa combines her love of education and horses to bring hope to individuals, families and communities. She exemplifies St. Vincent’s expression, “Love is inventive even to infinity.”
Individual tickets at $150 include cocktail hour, dinner and premium bar. Business attire. Sponsorship information is available here.
We look forward to welcoming you to our Evening of Hope.
Registration is open, please click on the invitation to register or follow this link: Click Here
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April 3, 2018
On Friday May 4, 2018, The Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University will host its annual “An Evening of Hope” from 7:00-11:00 pm at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, Queens. Sr. Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ will receive the St. Louise de Marillac Spes Unica Award and deliver the keynote address.
“An Evening of Hope” begins at 7pm and participation will support the charitable works of the Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University. Tickets cost $90.00. The evening will include a silent auction and raffles. To be a sponsor, purchase tickets and register for the event go to: https://conta.cc/2GLCQsd
Sr. Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ, the Executive Director of Hour Children, was involved in the founding of the organization when she became a foster parent in 1989 to eight children of incarcerated mothers at the convent where she lived. In 1996, when Hour Children became a 501 (c)(3) organization, Sister Tesa extended her outreach to offer supportive services to other children of incarcerated mothers and the mothers themselves. Prior to that, she was responsible for NYS curriculum oversight for Catholic elementary schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn, and both a school Principal and teacher at various Catholic elementary schools. In addition to being an educator, she is a Certified Foster Care Trainer. Sister Tesa has been named a CNN Hero (2012), a White House Champion of Change (2013), the 2014 winner of the Opus Prize, and in 2015 was awarded the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice.The Spes Unica Award was established by the St. John’s University Ladies of Charity in 2014 to recognize a person who exemplifies the spirit of St. Louise de Marillac by radically improving the lives of others through service. St. Louise de Marillac was the spiritual moderator of St. Vincent dePaul’s lay women’s society, the Ladies of Charity. In 1633 she co-founded the religious order the Daughters of Charity with St. Vincent to address more completely the grinding poverty of 17th-century France. The newly formed Daughters of Charity set up soup kitchens, organized community hospitals, established schools and homes for orphaned children, offered job training, taught the young to read and write, and improved prison conditions.St. Louise died in 1660 and inscribed on the cross at her grave is the Latin phrase ”spes unica,” which means “one hope” or “only hope.” These words reflect St. Louise’s belief that service to humanity through systematic planning, sustainable programming and extensive collaboration is the “one hope” to effectively alleviate the burdens of people living in poverty. Four centuries later, that vision is reflected in the lives of people like Sr. Tesa and previous recipients; it is a vision celebrated by the Ladies of Charity, St. John’s University and the whole Vincentian Family.“An Evening of Hope” begins at 7pm and participation will support the charitable works of the Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University. Tickets cost $90.00. The evening will include a silent auction and raffles.
To be a sponsor, purchase tickets and register for the event go to: https://conta.cc/2GLCQsd
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