The 36th Annual Inner-City Scholarship Fund Lawyers Luncheon raised nearly $600,000 for Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of New York.

Katherine Brennan, general counsel at Marsh McLennan, was presented with the prestigious Saint Thomas More Award, and Mary McCann, chief risk officer at S&P Global, received the John P. Cooney Jr. Award for mentorship and community involvement. Cardinal Timothy Dolan attended the event and offered the benediction. Monsignor Joseph P. LaMorte, vicar general of the Archdiocese of New York, led the invocation.

The Saint Thomas More Award is given to members of the legal community who embody the ideals of St. Thomas More, such as integrity, leadership, and faithfulness to gospel values.

The luncheon was held on Wednesday, October 22, at Cipriani 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan. Nearly 350 people attended.

Honorees speak on service and gratitude

“This is not about me; this is a recognition of all of you…It’s a great recognition of this incredible organization,” Brennan noted before receiving the Saint Thomas More Award, saying the award is a manifestation of the significant efforts of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund and its Lawyers Committee.

Brennan said she was thankful to people who, over the years, made a difference in her success, including her parents, “who made every aspiration seem achievable.” Citing the teachings of Saint Thomas More, she spoke of the importance of “true moral courage” and “everyday practice of simple virtues…In our polarized world, let’s remember the power of ordinary acts of kindness.” Organizers said her service work has included leadership involvement related to Red Cross efforts and programs that benefit military families.

McCann, in accepting the John P. Cooney Jr. Award, said, “I am so grateful…I want to thank my family, my friends, and my colleagues.” She went on to commend the dedicated works of the Lawyers Committee of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund for its members’ “commitment to justice and education.”

Gia Calderon, the featured student speaker, expressed her gratitude for tuition assistance through the Inner-City Scholarship Fund. The high-achieving student attends Cathedral High School, Class of 2026.

“I feel my opportunities are endless,” Calderon said, adding that her greatest goal is “to be able to create opportunities for others.” She concluded with the Cathedral School Prayer, which says, in part, “We are daughters of faith, and sisters of hope.”

Supporting Catholic education for three decades

For more than three decades, the Lawyers Committee of Inner-City Scholarship Fund has hosted the most distinguished members of New York’s legal community at the luncheon in support of Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of New York. The Lawyers Committee has long been a very active and effective ally in Inner-City’s efforts to provide tuition assistance to Catholic school students from low-income families, organizers said in a statement. The annual luncheon has become the major fundraising event on the committee’s calendar.