Queen of Martyrs is excited to announce the establishment of the Tom and Kay Hanrahan Memorial Scholarship for 2024-2025. For the 2024-2025 school year, four scholarships of $2,500 per family will be offered: Two for families with children who are currently enrolled and two for new families who will be enrolling their children at Queen of Martyrs. Applications will be accepted beginning on Friday, March 1, 2024.
"Father Benedykt and I are extremely grateful for the tremendous generosity of the Hanrahan Family and this amazing tribute to Tom and Kay by their children and grandchildren, " said Principal Davidson.
Tom and Kay Hanrahan were active members of Queen of Martyrs Parish for over 50 years. Tom, a member of the Holy Name Society, was an usher at 4 PM Mass and volunteered at Bingo for decades. Kay, a member of the Altar & Rosary Society, was the parish secretary for many years, first for Monsignor Vitha and then for Fr. Bill Murphy. Many remember Kay from her acclaimed performances at the successful Q of M fundraiser, Café Royale, in the 1970s!
Tom emigrated from Ireland as a young man with the equivalent of an 8th grade education. He went on to become a proud union worker. Kay, the daughter of Irish immigrants, married young with a high school education. They both worked very hard for decades to provide a Catholic education for their large family. All eight of their children graduated from Queen of Martyrs (Peg ’68, Eileen ’69, Michael ’70, Maureen ’72, Patrick ’75, Tom ’76, Theresa (Terri) ’77, and Jack ’78) before going on to Catholic high schools and then earning degrees from Catholic universities. Tom worked two full-time jobs for 16 straight years and Kay, after raising eight children, went on to graduate nursing school and worked as an RN until age 86 in Catholic healthcare. Their commitment to Catholic education came at great personal sacrifice, a sacrifice that those paying for a Catholic education for their own children know all too well.
In honor of Tom and Kay, their children and grandchildren have established a scholarship to help families afford the quality education and faith foundation that Catholic schools provide. This scholarship is geared toward families with multiple children, children of hard-working parents who may struggle to afford tuition, and/or new families who are wondering how they will be able to afford Catholic grammar school education for their child/children.