DIOCESE—When Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill retired in 1994, he chose to establish the Bishop Arthur J. O’Neill Scholarship to help with tuition for “worthy Catholic school students.” Awards are provided each year to one Catholic school family in each deanery. This year’s awards were $650 each. 

 

The awards have been given out since Bishop O’Neill’s retirement. For many years Bishop O’Neill attended special ceremonies presented by the diocesan Education Office to give the scholarships to the winners. They were held in December on or near his birthday, and he attended until the year before he died in 2013.

 

This year’s awards were given to: 

 

-- Alaya Ontiveros of St. Rita of Cascia School in Aurora; 

 

-- Noah Martinez of St. Charles Borromeo School in Hampshire; 

 

-- Skylar Cattell of St. Patrick School in Elgin; 

 

-- Nya Lanway of St. John the Baptist School in Johnsburg; 

 

-- Wyland Lineman of St. Rita School in Rockford; and 

 

-- Mason Stover of St. Mary Elementary and Junior High School in Dixon.