Sr. Aquinas Weber, O.P. has been named as the recipient of the 2002 Faith in Humanity Award by the Hugh Michael Beahan Foundation. Sr. Aquinas will receive her award at a ceremony on April 27 at Catholic Central High School.
The Faith in Humanity Award is given annually to someone who exemplifies the ideals of Monsignor Hugh Michael Beahan who died in 1980. Beahan was a popular Grand Rapids priest who often spoke against racism and for ecumenism.
Sr. Aquinas Weber is being honored for her efforts to keep St. Andrew's School (Grand Rapids) open at a time of declining enrollments as well as her work with the Eastown Project that was aimed at revitalizing the neighborhoods and businesses adjacent to Aquinas College.
Joe Schmieder, board member of the Hugh Michael Beahan Foundation, nominated Weber for her "thoughtful, objective approach" to running the school. "She set up a long-range plan that considered what we're trying to do for the school. And she's always been great with kids," Schmieder said. "She just has a knack of being able to balance the religious vision with the education reality."