A Legacy of Love: Constance Lynch Feely Scholarship

A LEGACY OF LOVE: THE CONSTANCE LYNCH FEELY SCHOLARSHIP

Constance Lynch Feely passed away in August of 2020, but she made sure to leave behind a lasting legacy for future students of Ursuline Academy. Alongside her devoted husband of 61 years, Dr. R. John Feely, Constance raised a family of eight children in Dedham – four boys and four girls – all of whom grew up with their parents’ commitment to the scripture passage from Luke’s gospel made famous by President John F. Kennedy: “For of those to whom much is given, much is required.” All four of the Feely girls – Mary, Alice, Jane, and “Consie” – attended Ursuline Academy, and in January of 1974, Constance found herself on the faculty of Ursuline when she was asked by thenprincipal, Sister Dorothy Doyle, to fill in for an ailing history and sociology teacher. Constance remained a faculty member through 1987. All through those years, Constance and her husband were equally aligned in their commitment to the value of Serviam, and they raised their eight children to appreciate the power of an education that is enhanced by those values.

In the fall of 1987, Constance went on to teach in the Boston Public School system and continued with her own education by receiving her Masters in Education in 1990. While teaching in Boston, she saw young girls who she knew would be a perfect fit for Ursuline Academy – but she also knew that without the means to attend, that opportunity could not be afforded to them. Constance left teaching after ten years in Boston, but never gave up on trying to advocate for and improve the educational experience of others, and so, with her children grown, the Feely family came together to make a difference in the lives of deserving students and established the Constance Lynch Feely Award. In 2008, the Feely family approached Ursuline Academy to express their desire to establish a scholarship in the name of their mother. Their expressed wish was that a scholarship would be awarded annually to a student entering Ursuline from Boston Public Schools who possessed high academic standards and exemplified a commitment to the mission of Serviam.

Along with their brothers, the four Feely sisters have supported the scholarship with gifts on their mom’s birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas. “The mission of Serviam is very important to our family,” said Mary Moriarty ’80, the oldest Feely daughter. When Mrs. Feely passed away last summer at the age of 88, there was an outpouring of support for the scholarship in her honor by family and friends, including former Ursuline Academy faculty. The commitment to generosity is truly a legacy gift that Constance Lynch Feely gave to her family, and will be appreciated by future Ursuline students for many years to come.