North Country Catholic Newspaper

Diocesan superintendent to get ‘Lighting the Fire’ honor

Oct. 12, 2022

Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, a Sister of St. Joseph and superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Ogdensburg, will join Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan and five other individuals in being “Lighting the Fire for Catholic Education” honorees at the Catholic School Administrators Association of New York State’s Gala and Annual Gathering on Nov. 13, at the Century House in Latham.

Honorees joining Sister Ellen Rose and Cardinal Dolan are Dr. Catherine Hickey, retired superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of New York; Robert Bennett, New York Board of Regents chancellor emeritus; Jim Cultrara, New York State Catholic Conference director for education and co-chair of the New York State Coalition for Independent and Religious Schools; Sister Carol Cimino, a Sister of St. Joseph and former executive director of CSAANYS; and Sister Remigia Kushner, a Sister of St. Joseph and department chairperson, graduate director and professor of education at Manhattan College.

Carol Hayes, executive director of CSAANYS, said this year’s honorees reflect the significance of the organization’s 50th anniversary.

“The award honors those that have dedicated their careers to the support of Catholic education in (New York State),” Hayes said. “Each year Catholic leaders are chosen based on recommendations from their colleagues for the award. This year the CSAANYS (executive board) made the choices in light of the 50th anniversary to honor those that have had significant and long-standing support for Catholic schools.”

The diocesan superintendent will receive her award from Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin, episcopal vicar for Education and the New Evangelization.

Serving 424 Catholic schools and some 180,000 students in the state, CSAANYS is marking its 50th anniversary in 2022. It was organized under the leadership of Brother Thomas Draney, C.F.C., and Brother Peter Pontolillo, S.M.

“It was decided that the only way to get our schools what they needed was to organize state-wide,” said Hayes.

“At the time Catholic schools had almost a half million students whose parents’ paid taxes and were denied a basic return on those taxes or things such as transportation, textbooks, and student services.”

For more information, visit csaanys.org/annual-gathering.