Catholic Life Features

St. Thomas More Guild presents scholarship winners

wnycatholic June 2, 2023

On Wednesday, May 24, the St. Thomas More Guild Inc. held its annual luncheon.

Bishop Michael W. Fisher meets with John Salerno, the seventh grade recipient of the St. Thomas More Guild Scholarship. (Photo courtesy of the St. Thomas More Guild)

For the past 17 years the Catholic lawyers organization has held an annual scholarship contest. They award $1,000 to a student in sixth or seventh grade, $1,500 to a student in eighth grade to high school junior, and $2,000 to a student in college or law school. The essay topic was to identify someone they considered to be a modern St. Thomas More by making a sacrifice to follow their faith.

This year they gave the $1,000 scholarship to John Salerno who is a seventh grade student at St. John the Baptist School in Kenmore. He wrote about St. Oscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador who was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass.

A $1,500 scholarship was awarded to Stas Ryksin who is an eighth grade student at St. Mary School in Swormville.

Stas Ryksin, eighth grade recipient of the St. Thomas More Guild Scholarship poses with Bishop Michael W. Fisher on May 24. (Photo courtesy of the St. Thomas More Guild)

He wrote about Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani Catholic politician and human rights activist who was assassinated in 2011 for his speaking out for the rights of religious minorities.

The college/law school $2,000 scholarship went to William P. Christ who attends the University at Buffalo Law School.Additional information about the St. Thomas More Guild can be found at its website.