About the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education

The National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education (NCCHE) makes scholarship on the Holocaust and other acts of genocide accessible to educators at every level. Seton Hill established this Center on its campus in 1987. The university initiated this national Catholic movement toward Holocaust studies in response to the urging of Pope John Paul II to recognize the significance of the SHOAH, the Holocaust, and to “promote the necessary historical and religious studies on this event which concerns the whole of humanity today” (Letter to Archbishop John L. May, 1987).

Remembering Sister Lois Sculco

Sister Lois Sculco has rightly been called “the conscience” of Seton Hill University. Her deep commitment to the institution’s mission, her care and concern for students, and her efforts to improve the lives of the underserved were all means of carrying 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 upon graduation, entered the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. 

Sister Lois earned an M.A. in English from Duquesne University, and an M.A. in human resource development from Azusa Pacific University. She received a Ph.D. in human and organization development from Fielding Graduate Institute.

In 1968, Sister Lois joined the English faculty at Seton Hill. In her classes, she taught students to empathize with the experiences of marginalized people through works of literature, assigned books by writers like Maya Angelou and Elie Wiesel.  In her role as Administrator of our Center, she helped to recruit hundreds of teachers to pursue summer study at Yad Vashem in Israel. Among her many achievements was leading a group of Seton Hill students and faculty to Poland to join more than 500 individuals worldwide on the March of Remembrance and Hope:  A Student Leadership Mission. 

Through her compelling moral vision and steadfast determination to foster justice, Sister Lois impacted the lives of a wide circle of people, both on campus and in the larger community. At her funeral, Monsignor James Gaston praised her “advocacy for the underserved, the fringe, and the poor,” and noted her unique ability to inspire others to use our talents — talents that she somehow intuited were within us —  in a way that would be of most benefit to those in need. To access Msgr. Gaston's entire homily, please click here.

Note: Donations in memory of Sister Lois may be made to the Lois Sculco Endowed Scholarship, or to the Fund that supports Project HOME scholarships.