In the spirit of the vows of the Sisters of Mercy and in memory of Sr. Maureen Joyce, the Sr. Maureen Joyce Center has established the Sr. Maureen Joyce Tuition Assistance Grant to support the students attending Blessed Sacrament School from the West Hill and Sheridan Hollow neighborhoods.  The Trustees of the Sr. Maureen Joyce Grant are the duly appointed Pastor and Trustees of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Albany.  Trustees meet to determine grant awards by 10 August each year, and, if the needs of students joining Blessed Sacrament School mid-year warrant, by 10 January.  Application (.pdf)

Sr. Maureen was a native of Albany and Sister of Mercy for 49 Years.  She vowed not only the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but also a special vow of service to the poor, the sick, and the uneducated.  She was in service to the uneducated when she taught at Christ the King School in Guilderland.  She was in service to the poor as she founded Community Maternity Services in 1971.  And she was placed at the service of all in the Capital Region when she became the CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany for 20 years, from 1990 to her death.  For 40 years, Sr. Maureen Joyce consistently advocated for the poor in her efforts to address public policy issues, in her leadership roles with statewide councils and national committees of the New York State Catholic Conference and Catholic Charities USA, and lived a life of faithful service.