HOUSTON — Catholic Extension Society honored Sister Jane Meyer, O.P., former Head of School at St. Agnes Academy, with its seventh annual Houston Spirit of Francis Award for her decades of commitment to Catholic education and promotion of social justice.
The prestigious award recognizes an individual or group who has made a significant impact on the mission of the Catholic Church in America through service or philanthropy.
Sister Meyer received the award at a benefit dinner on Feb. 15 in River Oaks, where other notables such as Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Bishop Emeritus Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D., of the Diocese of Beaumont, and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, were in attendance.
Sister Meyer’s passion and commitment to education began when she served at Monsignor Kelly High School in Beaumont as a teacher and principal from 1971 to 1981. She then transferred to Houston, where she was Head of School at St. Agnes Academy until her retirement in 2022. Under Sister Meyer’s leadership, St. Agnes’ enrollment increased by 50% to 900 students.
Outside of education, Sister Meyer’s passions extend to worldwide social justice advocacy.
Following the 2010 earthquakes that devastated Haiti, St. Agnes students challenged Sister Meyer to jump out of a plane if they raised $25,000 for disaster relief. The campaign far exceeded the original goal, raising more than $82,000. Sister Meyer kept her promise to the students and was therefore dubbed “The Flying Nun.” In 2012, she founded a Sister School Partnership with Our Lady Grace in Kisumu, Kenya — establishing annual computer, calculator and book donations for this African Catholic community.
“Thank you, Catholic Extension, for this incredible honor; I am overwhelmed with gratitude,” Sister Meyer said. “As a Dominican sister, I truly believe in the spirit of St. Francis, and I’m grateful to Catholic Extension’s mission of serving the most vulnerable populations and building up transformative, Catholic faith communities.”
Past award winners have included the late Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza and Trinidad “Trini” Mendenhall. Spirit of Francis Award recipients are laudable for their commitment “to reach out to the margins of society” in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, and the founder of Catholic Extension, Father Francis Clement Kelley.
For more than 118 years, Catholic Extension built up and strengthened vibrant Catholic faith communities in the poorest areas of the U.S.
The organization supports the construction and repair of churches, invests in the education, training and support of seminarians, priests, sisters, deacons and lay leaders and supports vital ministries in 90 mission dioceses across the U.S.