Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians in Oswego takes care of those in need
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
Throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season, many organizations provide charitable support to individuals and families in need within our communities. One such example is the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, or LAOH, a national organization of Irish American Catholic women that has existed in the United States for 130 years. With the purpose of promoting friendship, unity, and Christian charity, the LAOH engages in and facilitates several charitable activities at the national, state, and county levels.
At the local level, the LAOH division in Oswego, which currently includes 105 members, meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month. The Oswego division donates $100 each month to various local charities, in addition to providing needed items to local food pantries and pregnancy centers. In the past year, the Oswego division has donated to the United Way, Kristina House of Hope, Peaceful Remedies, Erin’s Angels, Shopping with a Hero, Mary’s Closet, and the local pregnancy resource center. Though separate from the men’s Ancient Order of Hibernians since the 1970s, the LAOH continues to work side by side with their AOH brothers.
“We are blessed to have the AOH hall available to us here in Oswego since not many divisions own their own club. This allows us to have fundraising dinners a few times a year and other activities that provide fun for the community and also the monies for our charitable work and scholarships,” explained Jeanne Smith, president of the LAOH Oswego division. “We are known for our stuffed pork chop dinners, which always sell out early. This past fall we had a very successful craft fair. At Thanksgiving and Christmas we traditionally bought foods and created large holiday dinner gift boxes, which were delivered to each elementary school in Oswego and Fulton to be given to deserving families. During the pandemic, we were asked to provide grocery cards rather than the baskets and we have continued to use this method to provide holiday dinners where needed. In the recent past we’ve provided wrapped Christmas presents, clothes, and slippers for local nursing homes to give to those who have no families.”
Smith also detailed a recent effort of the men’s AOH in Oswego that may otherwise go unnoticed. She shared how the group has recently taken over the care and repair of the diocesan-owned Old Irish Cemetery on Rathburn Road from the Fulton AOH Division who had been tending it for many years, but recently closed. The Oswego AOH provided a new sign for the cemetery this past summer to replace the old wooden one that was in dire need of repair.
Awarded for sisterly service
At both the state and local levels, the LAOH bestows awards on sisters (members) every other year, with local and state conventions happening on alternating years. Smith explained the nomination and review process for awards at both levels.
“The president of each state division has the privilege and sole responsibility of writing a letter to nominate a person for the award,” Smith said. “The nominee should exemplify the LAOH motto of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity in her day to day life, actively practice her Catholic faith, serve her Catholic church and support the poor and the sick in her community and through various charities. The letter is written blind with no name of the person or division so that the judges cannot be biased and vote simply on the worthiness of the candidate,” and then the winners of the award from each state are reviewed by the national committee with one selected as the winner of the national award.
In July 2019, Oswego LAOH sister Dolores Fitzgerald was the first of the local division to receive the New York State Mother Teresa award at the convention held in Albany. Fitzgerald was also named the recipient of the Saint Brigid of Ireland Award in 2020. The LAOH National Convention was supposed to be held in Orlando, Florida that year, but was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, the state and national presidents traveled to Oswego, presenting Fitzgerald with a specially designed Waterford crystal bowl featuring the various insignia of the Order.
This past July, another sister from the Oswego division was given the NYS Mother Teresa award — Donna Roman. She was presented with the award at the state convention in Rochester. Her letter of nomination will be sent to the national committee in anticipation of the next national convention, which will be held in Omaha, Nebraska in July of 2026. The Oswego LAOH sisters are hopeful Roman may be their next recipient of the Saint Brigid of Ireland Award.
Women who are 18 years of age or older, practicing Roman Catholics, and Irish by birth, descent, or adoption, are eligible to join the LAOH. A practicing Roman Catholic wife or mother of a member of the AOH, as well as women of a Catholic religious order, are also eligible to join. If you are interested in learning more about joining the LAOH, reach out to Jeanne Smith at [email protected].
