Sister Rita Mary Harwood, SND is one of four people who were honored by the Irish American Archives Society at the Walks of Life Dinner on Feb. 22 at Windows on the River in Cleveland. The dinner honors distinguished Irish-Americans who have made a difference in their ?walk of life.? About 300 people attended the event. Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Roger Gries offered the invocation.
In addition to Sister Rita Mary, who heads the Diocese of Cleveland Secretariat for Parish Life and Development, the other honorees were William Denihan, retired CEO, Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board; Myles Gallagher, marketing entrepreneur and founding CEO of the Superlative Group; and Maureen O?Connor, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court -- the first woman to be elected to that position.
Sister Rita Mary was recognized as the first Irish-American woman to head the diocesan Parish Life Office. One of four children, she grew up in St. Colman Parish on Cleveland?s West Side. After entering the congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1959, she worked as a teacher and principal, and then was supervisor for the elementary schools staffed by her congregation. She also served as provincial superior for the Sisters of Notre Dame.
In 1994, she was asked to serve on a diocesan task force to plan implementation of Bishop Anthony Pilla?s Church in the City initiative. The following year, Bishop Pilla asked her to take on her current position.
Sister Margaret Gorman, SND, who introduced Sister Rita Mary, praised her ?inclusive, collaborative style of leadership? and noted her gift of storytelling.
In her acceptance remarks, Sister Rita Mary reminded the audience ?It is good to remember who we are and whose we are.? She said she remembers those who went before her and filled her with wonderful stories and deep faith. She shared a few family stories with the crowd, explaining her English surname and her Irish roots.
Sister Rita Mary?s diocesan responsibilities include overseeing the spiritual welfare of immigrants, migrants and refugees. She noted that one of her grandmothers immigrated to the United States from Ireland at age 15, using someone else?s papers. ?I guess she would be called illegal today,? Sister quipped.
She recalled her first trip to Ireland and what she learned about her heritage, including the great courage, strength, poverty, hard work and deep faith that impacted many of her family members. ?What a gift their presence has made,? she added.
?Life is like a journey. We travel together and come from the hand of God. You continue your journey until one day, God calls you home to his loving embrace. We work together and are loved by the same God,? she said.
Sister reminded the audience that we are all here because someone made a decision to come here. Referring to people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status -- also known as DACA or Dreamers -- who were brought here by their parents as children, she noted that on March 5, ?2 million of these young people will lose their status and could be deported to countries they don?t know. This is my commercial,? she said, asking for support for the Dreamers.
Each honoree also received proclamations from U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-14; Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley; and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish.
