By Lois Rogers |Features Editor

Congratulations have been pouring in ever since word got out that Mercy Sister Kathleen O’Halloran was being inducted into the Mount St. Mary Academy, Watchung, Hall of Honor, May 18.

The depth of the reaction from former students, friends and clients of Project Paul, the outreach center in Keansburg she has served for 24 years has caught her by surprise. “I thought it was just one small thing, but yes, the news has spread and I’ve received many congratulatory messages. It’s been one of the nicest things.”

Sister Kathleen, a member of the academy’s class of 1957, was one of three – two alumni and one staff member – receiving the honor in a ceremony on the academy campus.

The other honorees were attorney Donna M. Lombardi, Edison, a 1974 graduate who has managed litigations ranging from Hurricane Katrina property losses to disputes arising from the destruction of the World Trade Center and Denise Materia, Clark, the academy’s athletic director who has guided the program to 10 NJSIAA championships, among many others.

Sister Kathleen, director of client services for Project Paul, Keansburg, was recognized for her ongoing ministry which exemplifies the Mercy Core Values of justice, respect, compassion and integrity. She called the award “affirming and humbling,” adding that during the ceremony she took note of the plaques of “a lot of great women who went before me. There on the wall were plaques with the names of some of my teachers. It was very moving.”

In a brief telephone interview, she talked about her long connection with the academy noting that she “started as a student, then as a member of their first board of trustees. I taught French there and a little Latin, a little religion and was the year book moderator,” she fondly recalled.

Prior to arriving at Project Paul in 1989, Sister Kathleen worked at the McAuley Center, a ministry serving homeless women and children in Scranton, Pa. In 1979, she was elected to the leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey and served two terms.

Project Paul, has occupied her energies for more than two decades. Founded in 1980 as a part of the community outreach ministry of St. Ann Parish, Project Paul expanded over the years to become a lifeline for the economically depressed Bayshore region.

Today, services include a food pantry, thrift shop, furniture store, educational support, a network of social services and holiday drives.

The center was badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy and re-opened its doors to clients in mid-February after having undergone extensive reconstruction and repairs.

It took months for volunteers and donors to repair and restock the center, which serves a wide geographic area in northern Monmouth County including the communities of Keansburg, Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Fair Haven, Hazlet, Highlands, Holmdel, Keyport and Little Silver.

During the recovery process, Sister Kathleen told about working with aid applicants when they first arrived. At the time, she described the emphasis as being supportive, welcoming and focusing on “one family at a time.”