President’s Recent Blog Posts

Lift Every Voice: St. Augustine Choir at the White House

Trinity’s great friends Mr. Samuel Cromwell and the St. Augustine Parish Gospel Choir sang at the White House Black History Month concert.  Let’s start the month of March with this beautiful meditation:

We are so grateful to Mr. Cromwell for sharing his talents with our Trinity Gospel Choir as well.  Thank you!

February 21 Community Survey: Planning Fall 2021

We conducted a new community survey in early February and as of this writing 259 members of the campus community have participated.  Thank you!  The chart above shows the proportion of each participating cohort.

Question 2:  How’s It Going?

The second question is one we also asked several times in the fall, just a temperature check on the community.  [See the bottom of this blog for a comparison chart showing the data from the fall on this question.]  As we saw in the fall, the faculty and staff say things are going the same as they expected, or even a bit better.  Students, however, while generally positive, have a few concerns.

Some sample student comments include:

• Since we started Fall 2020 classes online, I feel that I have gotten used to the way online schooling is. I no longer have trouble with ZOOM or other platforms to get into my classes. My professors are very comfortable using online resources as well which is great.
• I feel very zoom fatigued. I spend 80% of my day completing homework online, reading my textbooks online, attending class online, and more online. Even though I take breaks as often as I can, my vision feels exhausted. Even though I have an asynchronous class, the professor substitutes class time by giving us online work which is more time on my computer screen. I love school and I love learning but healthwise I am very zoom fatigued which has unmotivated me.
• I am overwhelmed by the amount of work given. It is stressful.
• Professors are improving on how to work out Zoom and how to orient the class around in the internet. I am still doing strong in my classes and keeping to a schedule so things are going as I expected.
• My teachers are cool and I’m learning some really interesting thing.
• Even though the spring semester is shorter, it doesn’t mean that it is easier. This is the case when we are on campus, imagine how it feels while being remote? The deadlines are still back to back and the workload hasn’t changed much in my opinion. I have been struggling personally trying to balance everything out. It definitely gets discouraging at times because you want to be the best you can be but with all that’s going that is difficult.
• Since we started Fall 2020 classes online, I feel that I have gotten used to the way online schooling is. I no longer have trouble with ZOOM or other platforms to get into my classes. My professors are very comfortable using online resources as well which is great.
• This is my first time taking classes online. I did not think I would like it, but I was wrong online classes are great. I would not have returned if I had to come on campus although I miss the campus, I would not have felt comfortable due to the pandemic.

Some sample faculty comments:

• Spring of 2020 was an emergency situation, finishing class a well as possible under the circumstances. During Summer and Fall we settled in and learning to do virtual classes well and serve our students remotely in involved a lot of work and revision. By the beginning of this semester, I think most are now familiar and comfortable with the new circumstances and how to get things done.
• To date, the semester is running smoothly. I attribute summer planning on the front end (for the continuation of remote instruction) as being critical to the success of the semester. Student feedback on the decision to remain remote has been mixed. I have some students that are doing well and thriving with remote instruction while others are frustrated and find remote instruction to be very overwhelming.
• Students are demonstrating increased ease with coming “on camera” and discussing course topics with each other. The breakout rooms allow the instructor to easily mix/match students to share ideas.
• I am brand new to Trinity and am loving teaching here!

Sample staff comments:

• I think the work at Trinity seems to be moving on without issue. I continue to be concerned about our nation, vaccine rollout, increasing virus strains, economy, etc…..seems like things will be tough for a bit longer before things start to improve. I thought we would have been further in the recovery at this point.
• With the restrictions mandated in place by the mayor. I learned that we are working according to their regulations. I am thankful that Trinity has made this process extremely flexible. Especially with dealing with all the uncertainties.
• This time last year, I was stressed about disemployment, but now I have a stable full time job. I also appreciate that the facilities are clean at all times. I also appreciate that everyone wears masks the majority of the time if not at all times. I feel that this time around, I know what to expect and what to take better care of. I am still very stressed out, but I am also hopeful that this will end soon.
• Since pivoting in March of 2020, online instruction has come a long way in a short amount of time. Everyone from faculty, staff, and students have acclimated rather well. It’s almost become business as normal. Instructors have enhanced their skills with Moodle, students have increased their skills using Zoom, and everyone sees how doing so has catapulted the university to a new level; one of the positive things we can say has come of the pandemic. The university has adjusted, grown, and leveled from the circumstance at hand. Trinity is now coasting during the Spring 2021 semester.
• I believe Trinity needs to implement more efficient rules when it comes to student’s visiting offices. Too many students have come into offices without checking with security and it is a shock to the staff. I think limiting how many students can come in only due to the rises in cases of COVID.

Now switching-up the order of reporting responses to get to the key question about Fall 2021 planning:

Question 6: Planning for Fall 2021

We invited input on planning for Fall 2021 and this will be the main topic we discuss in the Campus Conversations on Thursday at 4 pm.  Overall, as the chart above reveals, there is nearly universal agreement that masks and social distance must continue to be required.  On the other end of the spectrum, there seems to be strong concurrence about two things:  the vaccine should not be mandatory, and returning to face-to-face classes will only come when everyone really feels safe.  Faculty and staff want to continue to choose whether to be present on campus.  Students want traditions restored and athletics.  These are all important issues that have different implications that we will continue to discuss as the semester moves along.

We made a chart that looks a little dense, below, but we wanted to compare faculty and student responses on this question:

On the chart above, the columns where the base is dark purple are faculty answers, and the columns where the base is light purpose are student answers.  The columns are paired so that, moving from left to right, each set of two columns show the faculty/student replies to each item listed on the bottom (sorry for the vertical type, I could not get it to pivot correctly).

Looking at the pairs, there is remarkable agreement between faculty and students on some issues such as masks, 6 foot distance, virtual services, rotational staffing, reluctance to return to face-to-face classes.

Where you see some yellow highlights, those are issues where there is significant divergence between faculty and student answers, as follows:

• While 90% of faculty agree that faculty should choose the teaching modality, 65% of students agree, a wide enough gap to merit a closer look.
• 78% of faculty say that classrooms should be kept at 10 or fewer, 91% of students want classrooms kept at 10 or fewer.
• 55% of faculty agree with continuing mostly online classes, compared to 79% of students.
• 44% of faculty say we should try to have some of the traditions in-person while 79% of students want traditions in-person restored.
• 36% of faculty agree that the vaccine should be mandatory, compared to 22% of students.
• 34% of faculty agree that athletics should return compared to 44% of students.

Some faculty comments:

We asked you to tell us some information about yourself because this helps us with planning.  The chart above compares student and faculty responses to this question.  A few notable points:

73% of faculty say they will get the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as it is available, but only 32% of students say they will do so.

4% of faculty say they will NOT get the Covid-19 vaccine, but 19% of students say they will not get it.

Many families have experienced Covid-19 infections, more than 20% for both faculty and students, and, sadly, 20% of students and 16% of faculty know someone close to them who has died from Covid-19.

For students, money is a top concern.  We will be providing more information about emergency grants as soon as the U.S. Department of Education releases the next round of CARES funds.

Q4: Your Spring 2021 Experience So Far….

Overall, levels of satisfaction with online and hybrid classes have increased since the fall, and most online services get good marks, along with the level of communication about all the issues on campus.  While there are some variations among students, faculty and staff in the responses, they are not remarkable.

Some student comments:

• Trinity staff is PHENOMENAL during this time. My only issue is self trying to manage virtual classes and adjusting to different schedules due to having three school aged virtual learning and having my own personal issues. Other than that I have no problems! Trinity did an excellent job transitioning us to virtual learning and making us comfortable during this pandemic time!
• I wish more of the hard classes could be in person.
• I would like to know of more financial aid opportunities.
• I have made request from certain Departments that have gone unfulfilled and I had to contact weeks later to have them done.

Some faculty comments:

• Sharing written CDC guidelines being followed / not followed through and where we stand as a school community in addressing the needs. What further plans in sanitizing equipment or room after each classes,
• Campus offices are generally very responsive and pleasant.
• Very pleased with the Trinity DARE initiative–forward-looking and directly addresses our student population. Love the transparency of taking a historical look at the university’s past and not ignoring the racial issues that plagued Trinity…not that long ago.

Some staff comments:

• Communications are great! As a staff member, I appreciate the opportunity to work from home, continued pay and benefits, Trinity’s commitment to keeping everyone’s jobs and the upgrades by IT. I could use some technology tips – I’m running out of storage space on my home computer. Tips?
• I feel safe, however, it is prudent that people who are experiencing symptoms remain away from others. It is hard to enforce that and students need to be responsible for others’ safety and vulnerability. Also, it is critical that students remember to wear their masks at all times., especially in hybrid and face-to-face classes. I like that the university frequently stresses the importance of these matters to everyone.
• The Thursday Campus Conversations are so unifying, and also so informative, for our campus community.

Q5: What Would You Change About Your Classes Now or In The Future?

We asked this question in our fall surveys and continue to see great divergence of opinion among faculty and student responses.  Some of the key areas of difference:

• 66% of students — the top student concern — is “more flexibility in assignments” — but this topic rates last on the faculty list, only 2% of faculty rate this as a concern
• 39% of faculty believe that students need more education in doing online learning well — but only 12% of students think so
• 64% of students want more asynchronous delivery of classes but only 27% of faculty want asynchronous
• 31% of faculty want more face-to-face classes but only 17% of students say so

Back to Question #2:  The Semester is Going… same…better…worse….

Ok, the chart below is a bit wonkish but it tells us about some interesting and important trends within our cohort groups.  At the top of this blog we presented the February 21 data for Question #2 about how the semester is going, showing that faculty and staff said “better” or “same” as expected, but some students replied “worse” than expected.  We asked the same question in three surveys in the fall, and it’s interesting to see how the cohorts answered the same question as the months went along.  On the chart below, the most recent survey (February 2021) is the left-hand column in each cluster, and then the columns march backward through the surveys taken in November 2020, October 2020 and September 2020.  Each set of four columns are the answers of a specific cohort group, see the labels on the top of the columns to see each cohort group (CAS, NHP and PGS are all students by academic unit).

A few observations about this data:

All cohorts are starting the spring semester at a higher confidence/satisfaction level than where they were in November.  The holiday break, opportunity to refresh and reflect, and lessons learned from the fall have reset expectations.

All cohorts also experienced declines in confidence/satisfaction levels in the fall as the months went along.  This is not surprising since the weariness and stresses of life in the pandemic began to take a toll in mid-October and into the winter months.

Will we see the same kind of downward trend during the spring months?  We can hope that we’ve learned enough to take steps to keep everyone’s spirits up and confidence levels strong.  Spring is coming, the vaccine gives us hope of an end to the pandemic at some point, there’s some great new fresh air in Washington and we have also proven resilient, creative and thoughtful about managing setbacks.

We’ll keep an eye on the trends…. and challenges.  And, yes, we will ask the same question several times this spring to keep an eye on the temperature level.

Thanks to all for your great participation in the survey!!  We will continue to work with faculty and students to improve the pandemic education experience.  There are no set answers, nor any easy answers.  What we do know is that everyone is striving hard, working to do the right thing, and learning a tremendous amount along the way — including all of us in administration who have never done this before, either!

Hearts as Wide as the World

One year ago, the Trinity family gathered to celebrate the life of our beloved President Emerita Sr. Margaret Claydon, SND, Class of 1945 (photo above) who died on February 1, 2020.  Little did we know, at that time, how radically our world would change just a few weeks later due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Sr. Margaret’s Mass of Resurrection was one of the last times the Trinity family — alumnae, students, faculty, friends — were able to gather.  It was a great send-off for one of the most important figures in Trinity’s history.  I am so deeply grateful to all alumnae and friends whose contributions to the Sr. Margaret Claydon Scholarship Fund are now close to $500,000.  Thank you for this great tribute to Sr. Margaret!

During the last year, the Sisters of Notre Dame have suffered other losses, some due to Covid-19 or other illnesses.  Trinity mourns these losses with the SND family, and especially those women whose devotion to Trinity and our students made our mission so vital across the decades.

In my last blog, we paid tribute to Sr. Ann Gormly, SND, Class of 1945, Professor of Spanish and Dean of Students in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  So many alumnae have written about the many ways in which Sr. Ann influenced their lives, particularly challenging them to work for social justice.

Last week we learned of the death of Sr. Anne Denise Blake, SND, Class of 1964.  Sr. Anne Denise (photo left) was a valued administrative colleague during the 1980’s and early 1990’s at Trinity, serving in numerous roles including as Secretary to the Board of Trustees.  That particular job was quite strenuous in those years as Trinity’s presidency changed hands several times and Sr. Anne Denise had to help each new president learn the ropes of governance.  When I was a new president, so long ago, I remember her patiently sitting in my office reviewing Board minutes or reminding me of essential policies and forms of communication with the Board.  Her attention to detail and her eagerness to make sure that Trinity could thrive were marvelous to experience.

In early January, Sr. Teresa McElwee, SND, Class of 1971 (photo right) died at her community in Apopka, Florida.  While she did not work at Trinity, our students and alumnae who visited the Hope Community Center in Apopka certainly knew Sr. Teresa.  She collaborated with Sr. Ann Kendrick, SND, Class of 1966 and other SNDs in Apopka to develop the ministry to farmworker families in that region, a project that grew into the remarkable Hope Community Center.  Sr. Teresa devoted her life to working for justice and peace, and she received numerous awards and accolades including the very distinguished Papal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Award.

These women are just a few of the remarkable examples of devotion to mission and service that characterize the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  I have written and spoken often of their central role in founding and nurturing the growth of Trinity; they have done the same in a great array of ministries throughout the world.

As we remember the great sisters who have done so much for so many, let’s reflect on the mission of the SNDs and think about the ways that all of us in the Trinity community — lay persons, persons of many different faiths and backgrounds — share in the gifts that the SNDs have given to us, and because of those gifts, the responsibilities we have to continue their work in all of the places in which we serve “with hearts as wide as the world.”

Remembering Sr. Ann Gormly ’45 SNDdeN

(Sr. Ann Gormly, SND, Class of 1945, in the dedication of the Class of 1971 yearbook.
Sr. Ann was then Dean of Students as well as Chair of the Department of Spanish)

When the Greens of ’74, my class, descended on Trinity’s campus in the Fall of 1970, we were very afraid that the revolution had already passed us by, so we set about making sure that we had our fair share of questioning authority and demanding liberation.  Woodstock was already two years gone; the Vietnam war was raging, and Kent State was fresh in our minds. Demonstrations for civil rights had grown larger and more urgent after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Washington was still reeling from the riots of 1968. Trinity, itself, had seen a student strike in the spring of 1970.  Our older sisters, so worldy-wise, seemed wired into all of the best protest demonstrations and “happenings” in Washington.  But we freshwomen were constrained by curfew hours and no-visitors policies as the senior officers and Sisters on the scene in Main Hall tried to wrassle our most unruly class into something resembling a civilized group of Trinity Women.  Most of us lived on the third and fourth floors of Main Hall in those days, with the most memorable episodes of our formative first year at Trinity taking place on the upper floors, the Marble Corridor and in Social Hall.

And so the day came when we were summoned to Social Hall for an important meeting with the Dean of Students.  As we entered and took our places lounging mostly on the floor, we noticed something awry:  all of the paintings that normally hung on the walls in Social Hall were gone!  What was this?

Enter Sister Ann Gormly, SND, the Dean of Students.  She stood before us, silent, seemingly seething, leveling her fierce gaze at each of us as she looked around the room and then pointed to the empty walls.  “You will not leave this room until those responsible come forward,” she said (or words to that effect, it’s been a long time since that day…)  Murmuring ensued among the Green Class of ’74.  Who was so nefarious as to remove the paintings?  Some of us already had gained some notoriety in other escapades — shooting water pistols down the Well or stealing curtains from showers or sneaking into the convent kitchen for ice cream — rather harmless diversions from long nights under curfew.  But stealing the paintings from Social Hall?  Unthinkable!

Sr. Ann left the room abruptly, and I don’t recall how long we sat there, but eventually, obviously, someone — several some ones — came forward to confess the Grand Theft of the Paintings.  They didn’t really steal them, they just moved them to another room, hoping, perhaps, that the Class of ’74 would be invited to decorate Social Hall in our own style.  Sr. Ann Gormly (and Sr. Margaret Claydon, our president then) were not amused.  I think some of our classmates had their curfews extended for quite a long time (being “campused” was the ultimate punishment in those days!).

Looking back on what now seems to me to be a somewhat hilarious episode — and with the insight that comes from being an administrator, myself — I think that rather than glaring at us, Sr. Ann Gormly was about to burst out laughing at us, and her hasty exit from the room was to save her from doing so in front of us.  She was the Dean, after all, and had to present a stern face to a chronically disruptive group.  But as the year went along, we began to see another side of Sr. Ann, one that endeared her to generations of Trinity alumnae.

She was a teacher as well as an administrator, the chair of the Spanish Department.  She was exceptionally progressive at a time when Trinity was emerging from its long traditions of an older age into a modern world where the counterculture was defying all norms, where the Church was in upheaval after Vatican II.  She was Dean at a time at Trinity of great change, internally and externally.

She was responsible for the orientation and formation of new classes of students who were influenced by the liberalizing forces of the 1960’s, women who no longer just accepted rules as the way things were, women hell bent on making new rules.  Rumor had it that she kept cash in her desk drawer in case students who went to antiwar protests downtown needed bail money.  She was philosophically aligned with the antiwar movement, the quest for social justice, the urgent need for peace at home and abroad.

She initiated service trips to impoverished people in Honduras in central America. She was a Sister of Notre Dame who stayed true to her vocation even as many others questioned religious life and chose other paths.  She found new pathways for her own vocation, leaving Trinity after 1971 to pursue work in SND administration, and then with the U.S. Catholic Mission Association, and later with Healthcare for the Homeless.  She continued teaching in her later years, always focused on teaching in ways that would bring help and hope to those in need.

Sr. Ann Gormly died on January 8, 2021 at Mount Notre Dame in Cincinnati.  Because of the pandemic conditions, we could not have a celebration of her life at Trinity.  But we plan to do so as soon as we are able to convene again, probably in the fall or next spring.  Meanwhile, many alumnae are sharing fond memories of Sr. Ann — below are alumnae memories, and I welcome more (send them to president@trinitydc.edu or enter yours in the comment box).

Alumnae Memories of Sr. Ann Gormly ’45 SND

Narcissa (Ching) Escaler ’66:  I am deeply saddened with the passing away of one of the dearest friends of my life, Sister Ann Gormly. She was my Spanish teacher at Trinity College when I was a freshman in 1962 and we enjoyed a close and warm friendship throughout these  past 59 years together with Sister Seton in spite of my two short years at Trinity.

Despite the distance between the US and the Philippines and the work we did over the years which took us all over the world, we remained in close contact. Sister Ann even came to visit me in the Philippines and met my late husband, children and my whole family. She followed closely the unfolding events in my country when,  as a young widow, I  joined the fight against  the dictatorship  and helped install President Corazon Aquino as President. She was thrilled when I joined the office of President Aquino and later served as her Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva and New York in 1989. She and Sister Seton came to visit and stayed with me and my children in Geneva in 1990 which was truly a memorable reunion.

I visited Sister Ann and Sister Seton very often all these past years, and even spent many evenings in their home on Quincy St. in DC whenever I would come to the US – the last one being a wonderful take out lunch at their new apartment in DC at the end of March 2019.

After they moved first to Villa Julie and then to Cincinnati in mid 2019 I completely lost touch with both Sister Ann and Sister Seton in spite of my repeated attempts to reach them. It was only recently when a former TC classmate of mine relayed the very sad news of Sister Ann’s passing. It was one of the saddest days of my life.

I loved Sister Ann deeply and will miss her terribly. She was a wonderful teacher, a role model and a true and dearest friend. But I know she is now at peace and in the arms of Our Lord and His Blessed Mother.

I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to Jean, Charlie and Paula Gormly and to Sister Seton, for their great loss and assure them of my continued prayers.

Susan Widmayer ’68: I was blessed to know Sister Ann for almost 60 years from my first days at Trinity in 1961.   In addition to being my Spanish Professor, she sat in the office adjacent to the side door in the Main Building through which students entered when they came in after 8 PM .  I worked in the Library and Sister Ann greeted me when I returned just about every night.

I had decided to take Spanish because, even after nine years of instruction, my French was still terrible and I had hoped that I might do better in another language.  Every day for many months, I went to the Language Lab and practiced that day’s lesson.  Sr. Ann would see me there and occasionally ask how I was doing.  Eventually she stopped asking as she knew how hopeless my efforts were.

At the end of May of my freshman year, Sr. Ann asked if I would stay after Spanish class.  I stayed, but with much trepidation as I knew I was doing so poorly and Trinity required facility in a Modern Language for graduation.  The last thing I wanted to do was try to take Spanish or any language for another year and I knew I was failing .

Sr. Ann’s solution was that I take Spanish at American University, near my home, during the summer.  The A.U. program emphasized facility in reading and translating with no conversational requirement. That summer I “Aced” the required text on the life of St. Rose of Lima which Sr. Ann ultimately made acceptable for my Trinity requirement.

I had not thought of the kindness that Sr. Ann had shown me for several years until earlier this month, on January 8th, when neighbors and I were sitting on the driveway, as we “shelter in place,” and someone mentioned facility with languages.  Surprisingly to me,  I told everyone what my wonderful Spanish Professor had done for me.

I learned later that Sr. Ann had died that day.  Maybe her new “presence” in my life somehow reminded me how wonderful she and Trinity were to me so many years ago.

Maggie Raffa ’60:  Sister Ann Gormly was a wonderful Spanish teacher for me.  May she rest in the comfort of Jesus’ sacred hands.

Martha Knight ’67:  Being in Sister Francis'(Ann’s) course, we got to talking about travel to Honduras, my mothers country that I had visited the summer before coming to Trinity (my high school graduation present).  Sister Ann became more and more interested in the possibility.  After my mother contacted her friends there who were happy to host the students, it was a go.  The group of students from various classes went the first time in 1965 and had memorable experiences, staying with families, working in projects helping banana workers and workers in the city (San Pedro Sula) and the public hospital, Leonardo Martinez.  We observed the conditions of poverty as well as the warmth of the people and our host families and in visits to the capital and the Bay Islands where we got to know the British descendants there… Sister Ann went on to a significant career with international involvement.  Sister Ann was a warm easy personality and enjoyed all of us. The trips to Honduras had pivotal influence in some of the students, who went on to become missionaries, teachers and journalists to name a few of the professions.

Maria Alvarez ’67: I entered Trinity in the fall of 1963 as an international student from the Dominican Republic. We international students were immediately drawn to Sister Francis. She organized field trips to help us become acquainted not only with the area but with American History.  Thus, we visited Gettysburg, Williamsburg, Arlington, and many other important landmarks in the DC area; in the process we became acquainted with one another, as there were students from many different countries and native languages studying at Trinity. For Spanish-speaking internationals, Sister Francis made it possible for us to attend lectures and activities at Trinity and DC area featuring important writers and poets from Spain and Latin America. Her reaching out was very important to us and expanded our scope. I shall always be grateful.

Katherine (Karen) Lordi ’71:  She was a very dedicated Dean of Students and she made her appreciation of us well known.  She was always ready to guide and advise us and – in true Trinity style – always ready to party with us too!

Chris Casey Rath ’68:  I traveled to Honduras and to Spain with Sister Ann (then Sister Francis) as well as labored many hours in that language lab!  So many happy memories as she introduced us to the culture, heritage, language and to the concept and experience of service to others.  (I won’t tell about the time we all got locked out on the balcony of a hotel and one of us had to climb along the ledge to get in a neighboring room.) She was a friend and mentor…

Eileen Grieve Stokes ’73:  The loss of Sr. Margaret Claydon and Sr. Ann really signals the end of an age at Trinity.  While I never had Sr. Ann as a teacher, she and Sr. Margaret were the two anchors of Trinity in the 1960s and 70s.  My most meaningful memory of Sr. Ann is of my weekend visit to Trinity as a high school senior.  I was visiting for a long weekend.  I attended a class (I don’t remember whose), I had an appointment at the Development Office (I don’t remember much), and I had an interview with Sr. Ann in her office off the Marble Corridor.  That I do remember.  And I returned home sure that Trinity had moved up to #1 on my college choice list.  Another memory during my years at Trinity is of Sr. Ann’s smile.  She did seem especially to enjoy the Trinity  traditions — the class days and well sings in particular.

Kater Nicholson Pendergast ’67:    What an amazing life for Sr. Ann Gormly!  I knew her well– from Spanish class and as Dean of Students but especially from her leadership of the 1966 Honduras Summer group that gave all of us who participated a striking understanding of a world so different from our own.  At Trinity and afterwards, she brought her drive to action to all she did and enjoyed new people and cultures and relished travel.  I was fortunate to visit with her most recently in the fall of 2019 for a delightful lunch at the residence in Maryland with her dear friend Sr. Seton Cuneen “65.   May she rest in peace.

Some Twitter memories of Sr. Ann:

Ann was a great promoter of missionaries through her leadership of USCMA. https://t.co/4vQ25AVMsy

— Friends in Solidarity (@FIS_SSudan) January 24, 2021

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Sister Ann Gormly ('45), @SNDdeN. She passed on January 8, 2021, at the @SNDdeNOhio in Cincinnati. @TrinityPrez invites alumnae to send memories for a blog post to president@trinitydc.edu https://t.co/kikTnkUyD7 pic.twitter.com/NTMNZv8aCf

— Trinity Washington U (@TrinityDC) January 22, 2021

(Sisters of Notre Dame in 2017, above, at the dedication of the portrait of Trinity Founder Sr. Julia McGroarty on the Marble Corridor.
Sr. Ann Gormly is seated in the center.)

“The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman

Listen to and read the text of this amazing Inauguration poem by Amanda Gorman:

President's Blog: Lift Every Voice: St. Augustine Choir at the White House

Beautiful rendition of "Lift Every Voice" by the St. Augustine Gospel Choir at the White House.

Read more