Jerome and Charlene Kolenovsky are 2024 Mother Seton Award Recipients

On Thursday, April 25, the Diocese of Victoria Office of Catholic Schools in partnership with local Home and School Associations hosted the Saint Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards at the Shiner Knights of Columbus Hall.

St. Rose of Lima Catholic School is proud to honor Jerome and Charlene Kolenovsky as their 2024 Mother Seton Award recipients. They both attended Catholic school in their early years, Jerome at St. John in Fayetteville and Charlene at St. Mary in High Hill, then one year at St. Rose. This couple has been supporting Catholic Education for more than 50 years. While their four children, Donna (a teacher at SRS), Carol, Stephanie and Gregory attended St. Rose they both jumped right in and served multiple officer positions of St. Rose PTC including president and the parish pastoral council. Currently, Jerome still serves as President of the council. They became fundraising experts at hamburger stands, bake sales, concession stands, dinners, raffles, Christmas Around the World auctions and more.

Charlene’s cakes and cookies are still hot items today. They did it all! And they continue today making the scrapbook each school year for the library of all newspaper clippings and publications with St. Rose students. Jerome and Charlene never asked why but rather ‘when and where.’ When Bishop Forest High School closed in 1989, Mr. and Mrs. Kolenovsky were instrumental with the inception of the Friends for Catholic Education organization to assist students to attend Sacred Heart High School. They have been faithful bingo workers for decades helping support families at both St. Rose and Sacred Heart.

Charlene and Jerome live and model their faith for all. They have been Eucharistic ministers at St. Rose parish and currently are monthly rosary leaders before mass. They are firm believers and supporters of Catholic Education, pillars of the church and true examples of selfless generosity and service.