Sister Rosalie O'Hara: A Pioneer of TV, Radio, & Education

Born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania on May 25th, 1908, Sister Rosalie O'Hara was the daughter of Charles W. O'Hara and Sara P. Shultz, and the niece of Reverend Walter A. O'Hara. Sister Rosalie O'Hara entered the Sisters of Charity of Seton on September 8th, 1925, and dedicated the rest of her life to God. Like many sisters, she was an educator at several Catholic schools and universities, such as St. John Catholic School in Pittsburgh and at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. Sister Rosalie left a remarkable impact on the students she taught and the people who had the pleasure of knowing her. 

An innovator at heart, Sister Rosalie even traveled to Hollywood, California, to study film and television. She founded her own TV and Radio Workshop Schools in Pennyslvania that served as the first of their kind in the nation. These Workshop Schools reflected her faith in the next generation and her belief that the point of educating youth should be to help them help themselves.

Not only did she travel nationwide to learn how to better educate her students and give them unique opportunities, but Sister Rosalie also gave several dozen speeches advocating for the importance of teaching with modern tools and technologies in a new age of education. The audiences she spoke to ranged from national Catholic educational assemblies to the United States Senate.

Due to all of her achievements and her wonderful philosophy of education, Sister Rosalie O'Hara stands as a shining beacon of what the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill has to offer. If there is anyone that could be called a modern Renaissance Woman, Sister Rosalie most certainly deserves that title.

Sr. Rosalie passed away on March 24, 1986. While she may no longer be with us in this mortal world, she will always be in the hearts and minds of those who had the privilege of learning under her and enjoying her personality.