Sister Maureen O’Brien, S.C., director of Campus Ministry at Seton Hill University, will celebrate her Golden Jubilee with the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill on December 15.

“It is with great pride that I congratulate Sister Maureen as she celebrates 50 years of faith-filled service as a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill,” said Sister Catherine Meinert, S.C., provincial superior, Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, U.S. Province. “Sister Maureen has lovingly served the people of God throughout her various ministries. She has dedicated her life to servicing others in the name of Jesus and His Church. She is a true daughter of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.”

“I truly value the gifts Sister Maureen brings to Seton Hill University as she ministers to our students, faculty and staff,” added Sister Lois Sculco, S.C., Ph.D., vice president, Mission and Student Life, Seton Hill University. “She indeed follows the inspiration of Elizabeth Ann Seton and I use these words by Mother Seton which are so appropriate to this Jubilee as they were to mine: ‘My heart melts at the thought of how dear we are to each other and the tie which binds us.’”

Nearly half of Sister Maureen’s 50 years in ministry has been spent working with students at Greensburg Central Catholic High School, where she was the director of Campus Ministry and an instructor of religious studies. Sister Maureen finds great fulfillment in her interactions with young adults.

“I’m convinced that young people have a desire to have a connection with God,” she said. “And I always believe that young people are very generous in reaching out to help others. At Seton Hill, I enjoy working with the campus ministry team and peer ministry team to develop programs that reflect the Catholic identity and the mission of the University.”

“Sister Maureen is a wonderful example of what it means to be a Sister of Charity in 2012. Her 50 years of faithfulness to her vocation is a witness to her faith that the world very much needs to see today,” said Rosemary L. Corsetti, Esq., Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney PC, and alumna, Seton Hill University. “Sister Maureen’s dedication to Seton Hill with her service in campus ministry is an important tie to the Sisters of Charity as the founders of the college over 90 years ago, and links the students to that important heritage. She is also an appropriately outspoken woman of our times on important issues related to education and justice. We all love Sister Maureen. We congratulate her on this momentous Jubilee celebration and we wish her many more years of service as a Sister of Charity ahead.”

Since her arrival at Seton Hill in 2010, Sister Maureen established a 20-member Peer Ministry Council, created new programming, such as Theology on Tap, weekly Coffee Talks and Service Saturdays, held every Saturday during Lent, and worked with peer ministers to create “A Week with Christ,” a week-long ministry event that features bible study, contemporary prayer and worship and discussion.

“Upon entering any room in which Sister Maureen is in, her positive, uplifting spirit instantly radiates and brightens everyone’s day,” said Faith Finoli, junior, Seton Hill University, and alumna, Greensburg Central Catholic High School.

In reflection on her religious life, Sister Maureen says, “It has been a blessing and challenge to have been formed as a woman religious in the Post-Vatican II Church. I began my life as a Sister of Charity on September 8, 1962; Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962. The formation handbooks of our time were the Council Documents: Lumen Gentium, Perfectae Caritatis, and Nostra Aetate. Those guiding documents moved us into a new and exciting era in the Church and in religious life. Through these times of change, the words of Elizabeth Ann Seton have been a constant reminder to me in my life and ministry: ‘Be children of the Church.’”

In 2011, Oakland Catholic High School recognized Sister Maureen’s energy and passion for ministry to young men and women throughout her religious life by naming her a Leading Lady. Sister Maureen has taught and mentored students who have joined the ranks of bishops, priests, men and women religious, professors, doctors, research scientists, theologians, lawyers, business men and women and authors.

Early in her ministry, Sister Maureen served as the director of Religious Education at Saint James Parish, Wilkinsburg, Pa.; directed the Doran Hall Retreat and Renewal Center, Greensburg; and taught music to upper elementary students at schools of the Greensburg and Pittsburgh dioceses.

Sister Maureen, who entered the Sisters of Charity from Saint Kieran Parish in Lawrenceville, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Seton Hill University. She received a Master of Arts degree in religious studies from Aquinas Institute of Religious Studies in Grand Rapids, Mich., and a certificate in spiritual theology from the Toronto School of Theology, Toronto, Ontario.