-
.
Catholic Extension Society honored Sister Jane Meyer, former Head of School at St. Agnes Academy, with its seventh annual Houston Spirit of Francis Award for her decades of commitment to Catholic education and promotion of social justice.
The award recognizes an individual or group who has made a significant impact on the mission of the Catholic Church in America through service or philanthropy.
Meyer received the award at a benefit dinner on Feb. 15 in Houston, where other notables such as Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of GalvestonHouston, Rev. Curtis J. Guillory, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Beaumont, and Raye G. White, the 2022 Catholic Extension Society Houston Spirit of Francis Award Recipient, were in attendance.
Meyer’s passion and commitment to education began when she served at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont as a teacher and principal from 1971 to 1981. She then transferred to Houston where she was Head of School at St. Agnes Academy until her retirement in 2022.
“Sister Jane prepared young ladies to go out into the world with life-giving values and an excellent education, with a sensitivity to reaching out to those on the margin,” Bishop Guillory said. “Empathy and compassion is who she is. Those values have transformed her and therefore, transformed others. She personifies the spirit, the generosity and the ministry of St. Francis.”
Outside of education, Meyer’s passions extend to worldwide social justice advocacy. Following the 2010 earthquakes that devastated Haiti, St. Agnes students challenged her to jump out of a plane if they raised $25,000 for disaster relief.
The campaign far exceeded the original goal, raising more than $82,000. She kept her promise to the students and was therefore dubbed, “The Flying Nun.” In 2012, she founded a Sister School Partnership with Our Lady Grace in Kisumu, Kenya — establishing annual computer, calculator and book donations for its African-Catholic community.
The Spirit of Francis Award is inspired by its three namesakes: St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis and Father Francis Clement Kelley, the founder of Catholic Extension — all of whom are known for embracing and helping the poor. Proceeds from the award dinner will support the CES’s work of building and repairing churches, supporting leaders and funding critical ministries among the poor throughout the state of Texas, including the ministries of religious sisters. CES provides support to the dioceses of Amarillo, Beaumont, Brownsville, El Paso, Laredo, Lubbock, San Angelo and Tyler.