Catholic women fund scholarships for girls’ education

By Marlene Quaroni - Florida Catholic

Photography: Marlene Quarani | FC

MIAMI SHORES | “Catholic education chose me,” Denise Aloma, principal ofSt. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, told the Miami Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women (MACCW) at their annual scholarship fundraiser.

“Sister Mary Bernadette, my principal at the school Convent of Mercy Alpha Academy in Kingston, Jamaica, told me that Catholic education is sacred work and that I was meant to do it,” said this year's MACCW honoree for her efforts in fostering Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Miami during the luncheon at the Miami Shores Country Club Feb. 28, 2026.

The event takes place each year to help raise funds for scholarships to be given to eighth-grade girls in Catholic middle schools who face financial hardship paying tuition to attend a Catholic high school. Each recipient receives a $4,000 from the MACCW Lucy Petrillo Scholarship Award to begin Catholic high school. The Step Up for Students Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program and other scholarships help fund the rest of their tuition.

Money from the luncheon and other fundraising events will be used to fund 2026 scholarships, which will be awarded at an event May 3. Since 1997, the Lucy Petrillo Scholarship Award has given $409,000 to 92 girls, said Mary Weber, MACCW scholarship committee chair.

The MACCW Lucy Petrillo Award scholarship was renamed in 2015, after the founding member and longtime chair of the scholarship committee.

Aloma, who recently won the U.S. Department of Education’s Terrel H. Bell Award, lauded the benefits of Catholic education. “Catholic education is not about convenience, but commitment,” said Aloma. “It’s not about rewards; it’s about responsibility. We plant seeds, fertilize the soil, and accept that the blooms appear tomorrow,” she said.

Five of the seven 2025 scholarship winners attended the luncheon: Anaissa Gustinvie, a graduate of St. Rose of Lima School in Miami; Markayla Sylvain, a graduate of St. James School in Miami; Adriana Brito, a graduate ofAnnunciation School in West Park— all attending Msgr. Edward Pace High Schoolin Miami Gardens; Monica Zuniga, a graduate of Good Shepherd School in Miami; and Kormora Edgecome, a graduate of Holy Rosary/St. Richard School in Cutler Bay— both attending Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in Miami.

Claranjah Pierre, a graduate of St. Mary’s Cathedral School in Miami attending Msgr. Edward Pace High School, and Christine Jasmine, a graduate ofOur Lady Queen of Martyrs School in Fourt Lauderdale attending St. Thomas Aquinas High School, could not attend.

In 2025, 38 eighth-grade girls applied for the scholarship. School principals selected the students based on financial need, grades and church involvement. The students must submit an essay explaining why they want to continue their education at a Catholic school. The best essays received scholarships.

Scholarship recipient Anaissa was born in Haiti and attended Catholic school there until 2021. Without the scholarship, her single mother would not have been able to afford tuition for a Catholic high school.

“I’m glad to go to a Catholic high school,” said Anaissa. “I’d like to be a doctor or a nurse and do mission work in Haiti.”

Jim Rigg, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Miami; Donald Edwards, associate superintendent of schools; and Latoya White, associate superintendent of teaching and learning, attended the event.

Father Michael Greer, retired priest and MACCW spiritual director, and Father Luis Alberto Perez, parochial vicar of St. Rosa of Lima Church in Miami Shores led prayers before and after the luncheon.

Aloma praised Msgr. Vincent T. Kelly, who served as supervising principal of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and vicar for education from 1969 to 2010. He now serves as the school’s chaplain emeritus.

“Msgr. Kelly, I would be remiss if I did not take this public opportunity to acknowledge you,” Aloma said. “You are my lifelong mentor. Your quiet strength, your unwavering faith, and your lifelong service have shaped not only my ministry but also my life. Today, any honor given or success earned, I share especially with you and because of you.”

Some MACCW members attended Catholic Days at the Capitol, joining Catholics from across Florida in Tallahassee during the legislative session last February. They participated through advocacy visits, meeting with state legislators to discuss key issues and promote policies that uphold Catholic teaching. 

In addition, participants attended a Red Mass of the Holy Spirit, where Florida’s bishops pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit upon the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of Florida’s government.