Theta Phi Alpha was founded at the University of Michigan on August 30, 1912. Its ten founders are Amelia McSweeney, Mildred M. Connely, May C. Ryan, Selma Gilday, Camilla Ryan Sutherland, Helen Ryan Quinlan, Katrina Caughey Ward, Dorothy Caughey Phalan, Otilia Leuchtweis O’Hara, and Eva Stroh Bauer Everson. It was founded as a sorority for Catholic women in a day when their social opportunities were sometimes limited depending on the campus environment. Today, the organization is open to women of all faiths.
Theta Phi Alpha celebrates Founders’ Day on April 30, the Feast Day of Saint Catherine of Siena.* Saint Catherine is the patroness of the organization and her motto, “Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring,” is Theta Phi Alpha’s motto as well. Since 1937, Theta Phi Alpha has honored a non-member with the Siena Medal. A round gold medal with the organization’s coat of arms, it is inscribed in Greek with the motto.
The Siena Medal was established to recognize a woman of integrity and principled leadership, as well as grace and social change. In 2012, Elizabeth Smart was honored at the Centennial convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was honored for her daily efforts to prove that “that there really is life after a tragic event” and her determination live her life to the fullest after her kidnapping.
For more info on Theta Phi Alpha’s founding, visit http://wp.me/p20I1i-lS
* Saint Catherine was canonized in 1461. From 1597 until 1628, the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena was celebrated on April 29, the date she died. In 1628, due to a conflict with the feast of Saint Peter of Verona, hers was moved to April 30. In 1969, it was changed back to April 29.
(c) Fran Becque, fraternityhistory.com, 2013.
