Daughters honored in San Francisco

The Daughters of Charity, Province of the West, were among the recipients of the 2013 Loaves & Fishes Award for Faith in Action sponsored by Catholic Charities CYO. The 16^th Annual Dinner and Gala was held at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, and recognized 650 Women Religious from 48 congregations working in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The Daughters of Charity, who first arrived in San Francisco in 1852, were honored for their vital role in building hospitals, schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly, and other charity institutions. Sr. William Eileen Dunn, DC, accepted the award on behalf of her Community. The popular event welcomed a record-breaking crowd of 500 guests and raised $500,000 in donations, the largest amount in its history. The evening included a video tribute to the Women Religious of the archdiocese and a keynote address by Mercy Sister Lillian Murphy, CEO of Mercy Housing, Inc. Catholic Charities CYO was founded in 1907 to care for the orphans of the 1906 earthquake. The annual Loaves & Fishes Award for Faith in Action was initiated in 1998 to honor service organizations and corporations for exemplary charitable social works. Today, the organization operates more than 30 programs throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. With emphasis on transforming the lives of youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds, their programs also minister to families in crisis, single parents, the elderly and disabled, those living with HIV/AIDS, and refugees and immigrants.

Photo caption (l to r):

Sr. Maureen McInerney, OP

Sr. Margaret Lennon, lsp

Sr. William Eileen, DC

Sr. Clare Pratt, RSCJ

Sr. Deborah Walker, FMA