Cushing Society Celebration

The Cardinal Cushing Award is presented annually to a vigorous champion of Catholic education whose personal and professional life mirrors St. Mary's mission.

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE!

St. Mary’s Cardinal Cushing Celebration
Wednesday October 4, 2023
6:30 p.m.
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem MA

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Honoring the Connell Family 

St. Mary’s is pleased to name the Connell Family as the recipient of our 2023 Cardinal Cushing Award. The award honors individuals and families who have demonstrated exceptional generosity in the promotion and support of St. Mary’s and Catholic education.

Bill Connell, class of 1955, was previously honored for his transformational philanthropy that supported the St. Mary’s community.  In the early part of this century the Connell gift of a new classroom building propelled the school forward. In the 1990s his $1 million gift kept the school going.

Since Bill’s passing we have honored his remarkable generosity through the Connell Service Award. 

What is truly remarkable, however, is that Bill’s family, primarily through the support of his wife, Margot, and their children, have remained stalwarts for St. Mary’s. The Connell Family Dining Commons, student referrals, college guidance support – all of these actions Bill's family has carried on in his memory, have clearly demonstrated that it is not necessary to be a St. Mary’s graduate to be a true Spartan.

Margot and her family continue to support St. Mary’s – and their support benefits countless students and families in our region. St. Mary's is profoundly grateful that the Connell family continues to make
St. Mary’s a better and stronger institution and we look forward to honor them this October.

Peter Lynch will receive the Connell Service Award, presented to individuals who provide consistent and exemplary service. The award is named for William F. Connell ’55, whose boundless generosity to the school included a $5 million bequest. 

Peter Lynch has been the driving force behind the Catholic Schools Foundation since its inception. For three decades, the Foundation has helped families in need across Massachusetts send their children to Catholic schools by providing scholarships. In addition to donating more than $10 million himself, Peter has helped the CSF raise more than $115 million for 90,000 students. 

The School of Education at Boston College is named for Peter and his late wife, Carolyn. The Lynches also helped fund the Urban Catholic Teachers Corps, which has trained more than 170 Catholic school teachers in the Boston area through a two-year program that includes practicum training and a graduate degree from the Lynch School of Education.

St. Mary’s is pleased to present the Connell Service Award to Peter Lynch. 

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