Scholarships

Current Scholarship Application Information
Entrance Scholarships
Alumnae Scholarships
History & Named Scholarships

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* The Deadline for the Fall Scholarships has been extended to September 27th, 2024*

Please see information below on the fall scholarships.

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Current Scholarship Application Information

While St. Vincent’s High School graduated its last class in June 2002, St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association has a Scholarship Committee whose mandate is to continue to annually award St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarships.

A special meeting was hosted by the Scholarship Committee during the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association in July 2002 to seek input from members of the Alumnae for decisions as to the awarding of our scholarships in the future.

Recommendations were given to the Scholarship Committee. The consensus being that existing and future scholarships/bursaries would be managed, administered, and awarded by the Scholarship Committee and that these awards would benefit women, particularly graduates of St. Vincent’s High School or a direct female descendant of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association.

In a subsequent meeting of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee it was decided that the Scholarship Committee would award the scholarships in two categories:

scholarships will be awarded to female students graduating from high school who are direct descendants of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae and who are enrolling in a recognized post-secondary institution on a full time basis (Entrance Scholarships).
scholarships will be awarded to graduates of St. Vincent’s High School currently enrolled in or intending to enroll in a post-secondary institution Alumnae Scholarships).

Entrance Scholarships

APPLICATION DEADLINE: MAY 15TH

This is a reminder to Alumnae who have daughters / granddaughters / great granddaughters graduating in June:

Applications for St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarships are due on May 15th. Please see below for eligibility and applications details.

St. Vincent’s Alumnae is currently offering two (2) entrance scholarships valued at $500 each to female students graduating from High School.

To be eligible a student must be:

A female student entering her first year of studies at a recognized post-secondary institution on a full time basis.
Graduating from High School in June
A direct descendant of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association
Consideration will be given to an applicant who has graduated from high school within the previous twenty-four months.

The Scholarship Committee will consider the scholastic record of the applicant, extra-curricular, community and volunteer activities, as well as financial need.

The Scholarship will be paid directly to the post-secondary institution chosen by the recipient upon proof of acceptance.

The Scholarship Committee reserves the right not to award an individual scholarship in any year should no suitable candidate apply.

Application forms are available by contacting St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association Scholarship Committee by e-mail at alumnae@stvincents.ca.

Application deadline: MAY 15th

Forward your application with required documentation to:

St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 27133
Saint John, N.B.
E2M 5S8

DOWNLOAD THE ENTRANCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarships

St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association, Saint John, N.B. offers Scholarships to female graduates of St. Vincent’s High School.

Please see current named scholarships listed below. One application covers all scholarships.

To be eligible a student must be:

- A graduate of St. Vincent’s High School
- Currently enrolled in or applying to attend a recognized post-secondary institution
- For one award, consideration will be given to a graduate of SVHS or a female direct descendant of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae who has been out of high school for a minimum of two years.

The Scholarship Committee will consider the scholastic record of the applicant, extra-curricular, community and volunteer activities, as well as financial need.

The Scholarship will be paid directly to the post-secondary institution chosen by the recipient upon proof of acceptance.

The Scholarship Committee reserves the right not to award an individual scholarship in any year should no suitable candidate apply.

Application forms are available by contacting St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association Scholarship Committee by e-mail at alumnae@stvincents.ca.

Application deadline: August 30th, 2024

Forward your application with required documentation to:

St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 27133
Saint John, N.B.
E2M 5S8

DOWNLOAD THE ALUMNAE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FORM

History and Named Scholarships

For many years St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association recognized scholarship by offering a Gold Medal and a monetary award to the leader of St. Vincent’s graduating class.

The first presentation of any award by the Alumnae was that of a Gold Medal to the leader of the 1907 class, the late Mrs. Charles McGrattan (nee Josephine Sweeney).

The St. Vincent’s Alumnae Gold Medal was awarded from 1907 until 1953 and was highly prized by the recipients and their families. An educated girl at this period of history was the exception rather than the rule.

In 1922 Sister M. Angela, Principal of St. Vincent’s High School approached the Alumnae with a request that it consider raising money annually to present a scholarship to the girl who led the graduating class. Consequently, a prize of $100 was initiated in 1923, with the late Mrs. W.B. McManus (nee Mary Crilley) as the recipient.

In 1953, the Gold Medal and $100 cash, plus two $100 prizes were awarded to graduates.
In 1954, the sum of $150 – in lieu of $100 and the Gold Medal – was awarded.
Between 1953 and 1960, two or three prizes were offered each year, in addition to the $150 annual prize established in 1954 for the leader on the Provincial Departmental Examinations.

Then, in 1950, recognizing the need for university education for women, and aware that financial assistance to this end was very little – almost non-existent – St. Vincent’s Alumnae undertook to increase its support of the school in the educational field. The summer of 1950 gave birth to the project of raising a sizeable Trust Fund, the interest from which would produce a worthwhile scholarship for university entrance.

Two committees were formed in 1950: The Sister Francesca Scholarship Committee and The Scholarship Fund Committee (to raise funds for the Sister Francesca Scholarship).

In raising the funds, no public appeal was made, no “special names” list compiled. In the original canvas, all members of the classes from 1899 to 1951 received a letter, which explained the air of the drive and solicited a contribution of $10.00 – the one and only personal solicitation for money ever made in the history of the Alumnae. Later the classes from 1952-1958 were similarly solicited. The immediate response was so heartening – from as far afield as South America – that the Trust Fund was at once established.

The year 1961 marked the inauguration of the awarding of the Sister M. Francesca Memorial Scholarship.

St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee is currently managing assets in the amount of over $190,000.00. The interest earned annually from the investment is expended in scholarships.

St. Vincent’s Alumnae is able to offer a number of scholarships (values fluctuate yearly with varying interest rates) and has over the years assisted many young women with post-secondary expenses.

The Committee continues to raise funds mainly through donations by members who use Memorial Cards, bequeaths, and donations. Unless a donor indicates a specific direction of a donation, all donations are deposited into a chequing account and then added to the investment upon maturity.

While St. Vincent’s High School ceased to exist in June 2002, St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association has a Scholarship Committee whose mandate is to continue to annually award St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarships.

In a subsequent meeting of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee it was decided that the Scholarship Committee would award the scholarships in two categories:

- - scholarships will be awarded to female students graduating from high school who are direct descendants of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae and who are enrolling in a recognized post-secondary institution on a full time basis.
  - scholarships will be awarded to graduates of St. Vincent’s High School currently enrolled in or intending to enroll in a post-secondary institution.

Current named scholarships:

The Sister M. Francesca Memorial Scholarship
A scholarship to honor the memory of Sister M. Francesca, M.A., Principal of St. Vincent’s High School from 1893-1919 and the foundress of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association in 1902.

The Sister M. Angela Memorial Scholarship
A scholarship to honor the memory of Sister M. Angela, LL.D., Principal of St. Vincent’s High School from 1919-1947.

The Sister Mona McGrath (Bernard) Memorial Scholarship
A scholarship to honor the memory of Sister Bernard who succeeded Sister Angela as Principal of St. Vincent’s High School and held the position from 1947-1960.

The Sister Jean Burns Memorial Scholarship
The Scholarship Committee is pleased to award this scholarship in honor of Sister Burns (formerly Sister Angela Marie) who served as Principal of St. Vincent’s High School from 1960 – 1979. Monies for this scholarship have been raised by St. Vincent’s Alumnae and by donations from members of Sister Burns’s family.

The Mrs. M. Muriel Corkery-Ryan Q.C. Memorial Scholarship
A scholarship to honor the memory of Mrs. Corkery-Ryan Q.C., who served as President of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association and was Chairman of the Scholarship Fund Committee set up to raise funds for The Sister Francesca Scholarship in 1950. This scholarship was established by the family of the late Mrs. Corkery-Ryan Q.C.

The Dolan-McGuiggan Memorial Scholarship
The Scholarship Committee is most grateful to the donor of this award in memory of Miss Marie Dolan and Miss Annie McGuiggan, both graduates and former teachers of St. Vincent’s High School.

The Katherine Louise Roderick Scholarship
This scholarship was created by the late Mrs. Grace Roderick through monies bequeathed to the Alumnae for a scholarship in memory of her daughter, a member of the Class of 1966.

The Mary M. Chaisson Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded to a graduate who has been active in both church and community activities. Mary M. Chaisson, a 1916 graduate of St. Vincent’s, was the leading N.B. scholar of that year. She was one of the early Presidents of St. Vincent’s Alumnae and did much to further its development. In 1958 she was awarded the Papal Medal “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” by Pope Pius XII in recognition of her outstanding service to church and community. This scholarship was created by the late Mrs. Eleanor (Chaisson) Heffernan in memory of her sister.

The Edward L. & M. Clare Broderick Morris Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is awarded in memory of Mrs. Morris who was a devoted and active member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association and served as Governor for New Brunswick of the Canadian Catholic Federation of Alumni. This scholarship was instituted by a bequest from the estate of Mrs. Morris.

The Helen G. Hurley Family Scholarship
Miss Hurley, a retired Saint John business woman and supporter of St. Vincent’s High School bequeathed monies for this scholarship to the Alumnae. St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee is proud to award this scholarship in memory of Helen G. Hurley.

The M. Loretta MacKinnon Memorial Award
Awarded to a graduate(s) enrolled in a post-secondary institution on a full-time or part-time basis. Loretta MacKinnon joined the staff of St. Vincent’s High School in 1960 and was instrumental in establishing the Business Education Department. She served as Principal of St. Vincent’s High School from 1979-1992.

The Marta J. McGillivray Memorial Bursary
The Scholarship Committee is grateful to family and friends of the late Marta J. McGillivray for establishing this memorial bursary. It is awarded to a female graduating from high school who is a direct descendant of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae Association and planning to pursue musical theatre or studies in French. Marta was a 1974 graduate of St. Vincent’s and was actively involved in extra-curricular activities during her high school years, particularly musicals, drama productions and Student Council. Her death occurred by accident in Yellowknife, NWT in November 1993 where she was then teaching. She had taught French Immersion in Saint John and in the Hartland-Woodstock area of N.B. before moving to Yellowknife.

The Deborah Montague Bursary
This bursary is awarded to a graduate enrolling in a post-secondary institution. St. Vincent’s Alumnae Scholarship Committee is grateful to the donor and parties involved in establishing this memorial bursary. Deborah was a member of the Class of 1978.

The M. Geraldine Carleton & Class of 1908 Bursary
This bursary has been made available through a sum of money bequeathed to the Alumnae by Miss Carleton. Miss Carleton, who practiced nursing for many years, was an active and dedicated member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae.

The Carey A. Ryan Award
This scholarship will be awarded to a graduate of St. Vincent’s High School or a female direct descendant of a member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae who has been accepted into a recognized post-secondary institution and who has been out of high school for a minimum of two years. Ms. Ryan has been a devoted member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae, serving as President and Executive Director of the Association as well as being a champion of the Association’s activities. She was proud to join the staff of St. Vincent’s High School in 1972 and over the years held the positions of Teacher, Guidance Counsellor, Vice-Principal, and Principal from 1992-2002. Ms. Ryan was the sixth and last Principal of St. Vincent’s High School.

The Anna Marie O’Pray Memorial Bursary
The Scholarship Committee is pleased to award The Anna Marie O’Pray Memorial Bursary. Miss O’Pray was a proud and loyal member of St. Vincent’s Alumnae, faithfully attending the Association’s activities. She retired after serving 35 years as a federal public servant and was active in her Parish and other community organizations. This award was created by a bequest left to the Scholarship Committee by Miss O’Pray. We are grateful to Anna Marie for remembering St. Vincent’s Alumnae in such a special way.