Sister Lois Sculco, S.C., Ph.D. died April 5.

She was once called “the conscience” of Seton Hill University. Her deep commitment to the institution’s mission, her care and concern for students, and her work to improve the lives of the underserved truly carried forth the legacy of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.

A native of New Kensington, Pa., Sister Lois graduated from Seton Hill with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English in 1960 and then entered the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. She celebrated her 60-year Jubilee in 2020.

In her early years with the Sisters, she taught English and Religion at Holy Innocents High School in the Sheraden neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1968, Sister Lois joined the English faculty at Seton Hill. In her classes, she taught students about experiences of minoritized people through literature. Sister Lois served in a variety of roles during her tenure at the University, including Assistant Dean of Women, Dean of Students, Mission Officer, Vice President for Mission Identity and Student Life, Administrator of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, and most recently as Executive Director to the President for Alumni Engagement and Mission, the role from which she retired in 2019.

Her work in Student Life at Seton Hill served as a national model of appreciation and respect for students. She was one of 17 professionals selected to serve on the Wye River Writers' Group to develop the Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities. The group's two-year process resulted in a document that provides a framework for reflection and conversation, planning, staff development, and assessment for student affairs professionals at Catholic colleges and universities. For her work on behalf of all students, Sr. Lois received a national award from the University of South Carolina.

A central part of her life’s work was teaching about the Holocaust from a Catholic perspective and creating opportunities for faculty at other Catholic colleges and universities to do the same. Sister Lois was an integral force – with Sister Gemma Del Duca and the late Sister Mary Noel Kernan – in building and sustaining The National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill. She helped to recruit hundreds of faculty from Catholic universities and seminaries to study at the Center’s summer program at Yad Vashem. Sister Lois contributed to the building of the program for The Ethel LeFrak Holocaust Education Conference, a triennial Conference that enhances Catholic-Jewish understanding by “educating the educators.” In May 2001, she led a group of Seton Hill students and traveled to Poland to join more than 500 individuals from around the world on the “March of Remembrance and Hope:  A Student Leadership Mission.”

Her commitment to the underserved led Sister Lois to service on a number of community boards, including the Westmoreland County Community College, The Blackburn Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Unity Coalition of Westmoreland County, the Greensburg Jeannette NAACP Executive Board, and the YWCA Task Force on Racial Justice.

In recognition of her humanitarianism, Sister Lois received the John E. McGrady Award; the YWCA Westmoreland County Racial Justice Award; and the Greensburg-Jeannette NAACP’s Community Service Award. A Distinguished Alumna of Seton Hill, Sister Lois earned a Ph.D. in human and organization development from Fielding Graduate Institute, an M.A. in human resource development from Azuza Pacific University, and an M.A. in English from Duquesne University.

On the occasion of her Golden Jubilee as a Sister of Charity of Seton Hill, Sister Lois said, “Life as a Sister of Charity has given me a great opportunity to serve the Church and the people of God in so many ways, particularly to spend so many years in the ministry to students at Seton Hill.” 

Visitation will take place at Caritas Christi Tuesday, April 11 from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.; a Vigil will be held at 7:00 p.m. Sister Lois’ funeral Mass will be celebrated Wednesday, April 12 at 10:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Assumption at Caritas Christi. Additionally, a live stream of the funeral liturgy can be watched here on Wednesday, April 12.