Ohio Dominican University (ODU) has announced plans for the Catholic High Schools Scholarship, a new initiative aimed at supporting students graduating from Ohio Catholic high schools.
The scholarship offers a maximum of $4,000 per semester, or $8,000 annually, for qualifying students pursuing an undergraduate degree at ODU.
As central Ohio’s only Catholic traditional liberal-arts college, ODU is dedicated to academic excellence and moral development and is committed to continuing the legacy of Catholic education by making higher education more accessible to students from Catholic high schools statewide.
The scholarship will be available exclusively, beginning with the fall 2025 semester, to incoming students who have graduated from any accredited Catholic high school in Ohio and are enrolled full time at ODU. It is renewable for as long as four years as long as students maintain good academic standing.
Awards will not exceed the total cost of tuition and student service fees when combined with other grants and scholarships. Qualified students do not need to apply separately for this scholarship. Once they are accepted to ODU, the scholarship will be automatically included in their financial aid package.
Prospective students can apply at ohiodominican.edu/CatholicSchools.
Cornerstone of Hope to host retreat
Cornerstone of Hope, a bereavement support center which has an office in Westerville, will host its seventh annual “Grieve with Hope” retreat from Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23 at its location at 5905 Brecksville Road, Independence.
The retreat provides adult grievers the opportunity to join with others who are suffering and experience hope, fellowship and spiritual direction through a variety of meaningful activities.
The retreat was born out of the desire of Cornerstone of Hope founder Christi Tripodi to join grievers together to intentionally encounter the journey of suffering through the risen Christ as they grieve with hope.
The retreat will last from 4 p.m. March 21 to noon March 23 and will include inspirational speakers, small groups, praise and worship music, spiritual direction, an opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Mass.
A $225 early bird registration discount is being offered through Friday, Feb. 21. After that date, the fee, which includes the cost of five meals, will be $250. For more information or to register, visit
https://cleveland.cornerstoneofhope.org/events/grieve-with-hope-retreat. For questions or to apply for limited financial assistance, call (216) 524-4673.
Cornerstone of Hope also has an office at 253 N. State St., Suite 200, Westerville and has served Ohio communities since 2003. It offers individuals and families a supportive environment to express their grief and emerge from its pain with a renewed sense of purpose. Therapy, counseling services, and support groups are conducted by licensed clinicians and Master’s-level interns under professional staff members experienced working with grief, trauma and other life adjustments.
Trip to see ‘Noah’ planned
Longtime Catholic tour planner Linda Woolard of Newark will lead a bus trip in September to the Pennsylvania Dutch country that will include a presentation of “Noah,” an immersive musical experience placing theatergoers inside Noah’s Ark. She also will lead a tour of the White Mountains in New Hampshire in June.
The trip to the area around Lancaster, Pennsylvania from Monday to Friday, Sept. 8 to 12 also will include tours of Lancaster and Philadelphia, an evening at the Magic and Wonder Dinner Theater and a meal at an Amish home.
The cost is $815 double occupancy for five days and four nights, with an additional $169 for single occupancy. A $75 deposit is due on signing. Final payment is due Tuesday, July 1.
The New Hampshire trip is from Monday to Saturday, June 23 to 28.
Highlights include a gondola ride to the top of Loon Mountain; admission to the Wright World War II Museum with 14,000 military artifacts; a cruise on Lake Sunapee; a train ride; a trolley tour of Wolfeboro; a show featuring trained bears; and a special dinner party with entertainment.
The cost is $975 double occupancy for six days and five nights, with an additional $370 for single occupancy. A $75 deposit is due on signing. Final payment is due Wednesday, April 16.
For more information, contact Woolard at (740) 323-3105 or lindawoolard@windstream.net.
Dominican sister makes final vows
Sister Ellen Coates, OP, made her perpetual vows to become a member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace at the sisters’ Motherhouse in Columbus. She is serving as a pastoral associate at St. Luke Church in Newington, Connecticut.
The ceremony completed a formation process that began in 2017 and continued at Dominican institutions in Columbus; St. Louis and New Haven, Connecticut.
Before joining the order, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Public Health from Boston University.
She believes her dedication to global health causes helped lead her to consecrated life. She spent more than 20 years working with international aid groups to fight polio, encourage vaccine use and improve maternal and child health. She also offered counseling to young people with COVID and others at Ohio State University as a contact tracer during the pandemic.