2024 Father Thomas Leyland Saint Rose Alumni Award

Saint Rose alumni, parishioners, and community members are invited to nominate school alumni for our Father Thomas Leyland Saint Rose School Alumni Award. Father Leyland was a 1952 graduate of Saint Rose School.  After attending Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary of the West, he was ordained in the Rosary Cathedral by Bishop George Rehring in 1965.  He had many assignments throughout the Diocese, including Pastor of Saint Rose Parish from 1999-2007.  Throughout his ministry, he was known for his humble dedication and faithfulness to the Church and the parishioners he loved and served.  

The purpose of this award is to recognize Saint Rose graduates who have, much like Father Leyland, demonstrated one or more of the following charisms of Saint Rose School:

Catholic Faith: The word “catholic” means “universal” or “according to the whole.” The Church is catholic because Jesus Christ, who is present in His Church, is the savior of all. As a ministry of Saint Rose Parish, Saint Rose School seeks to live, share, and celebrate the Catholic faith. As a Catholic school, Saint Rose is concerned with and seeks to nourish the whole human person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. The Catholic faith also acknowledges that each person is made in the image and likeness of God; therefore, the conscience of each person is to be respected. Students who are not Catholic are also welcome and respected at Saint Rose, as the Catholic faith demands. 

Compassionate Community: The Christian faith is not private, but communal in nature. Imitating Jesus, we seek to love God and to love our neighbor. Saint Rose School desires to provide encouragement, challenging us to become a Compassionate Community: a community in which we are able to love, support, and pray for each other. This includes helping to create a safe place of caring, sharing, support, and fellowship. This Compassionate Community is an essential building block in helping each of us to be the person God intends each to be, as we learn about life and share our faith and love with each other. 

Moral Virtue: A moral virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do good. Moral virtue is the main source of a good and happy life, whether for the community, a family, or each individual. The virtues are acquired by education, deliberate acts, perseverance, and discipline. As the source of all good, God helps us grow in virtue through the power of his Holy Spirit. At Saint Rose, we seek to promote, model, and coach this growth in virtue in imitation of Jesus Himself: helping each person to grow in character and to set out on a path to a happy life.

Academic Excellence: In all aspects of academics at Saint Rose School, we strive for excellence in an effort to enhance and enrich the lives of our children, as well as the many others who come into contact with our school. We aspire to make excellence a habit that shapes and guides all our decisions, studies, and programming. 

Servant Leadership: Jesus came to serve, not to be served. By the mastery of his cross, he shows us that it is in giving that we receive, and in dying to self that we find life. True glory, in the eyes of God, is found in making a gift of ourselves and serving others. Jesus is the true Servant Leader, and we seek to imitate him. At Saint Rose School, we seek to teach and model servant leadership: thinking of others first, listening and respecting them, overcoming our selfishness, and giving of ourselves to help others grow and live as the children of God.

Nominations must be submitted by Sunday, June 2, 2024.  The award recipient will be notified by phone and/or email and will be recognized by the school and Parish communities at an Alumni Mass and Mingle reception.

For questions, please contact Margie Sankowski, Saint Rose School Alumni Committee: sankowski@saintroseonline.org, 419-874-5631