The Rotary Club of Dubois County presented Sr. Rose Mary Rexing’s display in the ATHENA exhibit at the Dubois County Museum on January 31, 2024. Sr. Rose Mary was named the 2023 recipient of the ATHENA Leadership Award on September 13, 2023, at the Club’s 11th Annual ATHENA Leadership Awards Banquet, which celebrates female leaders of Dubois County.
Her display joins those of all previous recipients in the ATHENA exhibit. Previous recipients include Jane Chappell (2012), Brenda Stallings (2013), Kathy Tretter (2014), Nancy Eckerle (2015), Connie Nass (2016), Tonya Heim (2017), Kim Messmer (2018), Dr. Tracy Lorey (2019), Kelly Clauss (2021), and Rossini Sandoval Monsivais (2022).
Another new addition to the display this year is a full listing of all previous ATHENA Leadership Award finalists.
“We are always excited to unveil the latest ATHENA display at the Dubois County Museum. It’s a great way for us to put an exclamation point at the end of an incredible event that pays homage to the women of our county and this year, especially honor Sr. Rose Mary Rexing,” said Manda Combs, Rotary Club of Dubois County ATHENA Event Chair. “I’m also very proud that all ATHENA finalists will now be recognized in the exhibit as well. All museum visitors will know the strength in female leadership we have in Dubois County.”
Sr. Rose Mary served as a math and chemistry teacher and head of an all-male science department at Forest Park High School.
She continued her ministry to youth and “being present to each person in the moment” as a Pastoral Associate at St. Ferdinand Parish. Her next position as Vocations Director involved helping numerous young adult women to discern how God was calling them. This led her to involve her entire community in sharing their vocational endeavors with other religious communities from all over the world.
This program caught the eye of both the Wall Street Journal and ABC Nightline. She was awarded the University of Notre Dame Exemplar Award and recognized for her outstanding contribution to vocation ministry by the National Religious Vocations Conference.
In her next role as Director of Mission Advancement, she led the fundraising efforts to renovate the monastery Church, establishing a special relationship with Florence Henderson. She also helped start a women’s philanthropy group, Women of the Rule, which funds community projects.
As Executive Director of Mission Integration at Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, she started the Prayer and Presence Program, training volunteers to sit with the sick and dying, and also provided spiritual formation programs for the staff.
She currently serves as Director of Hospitality and Spirituality at the Monastery and is excited about new opportunities for those seeking a quiet, reflective prayer space and developing a variety of programs for growth and enrichment.
“Sr. Rose Mary Rexing embodies all that we envision an ATHENA Award recipient should be,” said Dan Collignon, Rotary Club of Dubois County President. “We are lucky that she calls Dubois County home and that she continues to empower and inspire those around her every day.”
The Rotary Club of Dubois County is currently accepting nominations for the 2024 ATHENA Leadership Award. For more information or a nomination form please visit the www.duboiscountyrotary.com website. The nomination deadline is June 10, 2024, with the finalists being honored at the annual ATHENA Awards banquet in September.
