Sister Lenore Schwartz, long-time principal at St. Boniface School, has been awarded the 2024 Lifetime Commitment to Catholic Education Award by the National Catholic Education Association.
Sr. Lenore Schwartz entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 1966. As part of her calling to the consecrated life, Sr. Lenore became a teacher and first served in 1968 in Hammond, IN. She has been assigned to schools in five dioceses in Indiana, Illinois and Louisiana over the years, as a teacher and then principal. In her last assignment, Sr. Lenore was the principal of St. Boniface School in Lafayette from 2000 until her retirement in 2021.
Despite her retirement, Sr. Lenore continues to work for the Lafayette Catholic Schools by providing faith formation opportunities for the faculty and staff, including sessions about Rembrandt’s painting of the “Prodigal Son” and icons. She has also spearheaded an initiative focusing on living the Corporal Works of Mercy, encouraging students, families, and the greater school community to focus on one Corporal Work of Mercy each month throughout the school year. She also creates weekly lessons on the Eucharist for our Catholic school families.
Additionally, Sister Lenore has become the resident expert on Catholic history in the Greater Lafayette area, and her personal behind-the-scenes tours, quizzes and dinners have become a hit at the Blue Knight Auction. Her humor and outgoing personality have been a mainstay in our community for years. Not to mention all the teasing she’s put up with from Father Tim Alkire over the years!
Because the essence of Catholic education is not just “bricks and mortar,” Sister felt it vital to meet the needs of her students at St. Boniface. She started a first-ever art-enrichment program and developed school music and band programs.
We are proud of Sister Lenore for this incredible honor, and we will bring you all the highlights from her trip April 1st to Pittsburgh to receive her award.