Sister Roberta Fulton receives award from Knights of Peter Claver

Sister Roberta Fulton, SSMN, director of Cultural Diversity and Social Justice for the Diocese of Buffalo, received the Grand Lady Award during the national Knights of Peter Claver convention in July. The award recognizes her outreach ministry and help in establishing courts of Peter Claver in Buffalo and Rochester, as well as her work on the national level’s Social Justice Committee.

Sister Roberta sat surprised at the Bethesda North Marriott in Rockville, Maryland, as she began to recognize herself as the list of accomplishments of the recipient was read. 

“They said, ‘She’s been so involved in outreach across the knights and ladies, not just in her court, but she has been working with the knights and ladies establishing courts, but she has also worked at the national level of the Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver.’”

“I was humbled because there are so many ladies that do good work around the country. As I was coming up, everyone said, ‘You are so deserving.’ People notice things you don’t notice,” Sister Roberta explained. “I do things, but I don’t do them for getting an award. I do them because I like to serve and help people.”

Although Sister Roberta has been in Buffalo for five years, she remains the grand lady of Court 380 in Colombia, South Carolina. A grand lady organizes the meetings and service projects for the ladies auxiliary in her court.  

“I didn’t officially want to transfer (to Buffalo),” Sister Roberta said. “Part of the reason was I didn’t want them to depend on me to do everything. I wanted them to be able to own it, rather than me coming and establishing it and helping with that, but they then had to elect a grand lady.” Lynette Jennings is the grand lady for Court 94 in the Diocese of Buffalo, while Sister Roberta acts as mentor.

Sister Roberta also has received the Gulf Coast Grand Lady of the Year Award and the Gold Award during her 35 years with the organization.

The largest predominantly black Catholic organization in the world, the Knights and Ladies Auxiliary of Peter Claver, founded in 1909, focuses their ministry on five social justice pillars – human trafficking, racism, dignity of life, prison and domestic violence. Junior Knights and Junior Ladies also do outreach into the community.

In Buffalo, the knights and ladies sponsor the annual Martin Luther King Mass, the annual Revival Mass, and days of outreach and social justice interactions where guest speakers address those pillars.