St. Thecla Society
The St. Thecla Society was established in 2022 by the McGill-Toolen Foundation to recognize Catholic women of leadership in our community. The Society is named in honor of St. Thecla, a follower of St. Paul in the first century, who dedicated her life to creating a culture that empowered women and a community where women empowered each other. Her fierce determination and faithfulness to the Catholic faith were an inspiration to all who knew her. We continue to celebrate her feast Day on September 23.
At McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, the St. Thecla Society is proud to honor the women in our community who understand their responsibility for sharing this same sense of empowerment with our daughters and our granddaughters. The St. Thecla Society's founding members are those women in our Archdiocesan community, and especially our McGill-Toolen Catholic High School community, who have generously offered their time and talents as volunteers, Advisory Council and Foundation Board members, and other leadership positions in the Archdiocese. In this small way, we thank and congratulate you for your devotion to Catholic education at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School.
STEERING COMMITTEE
Lynn Clapper Marcelle Naman
Monde Donaldson Kristin Pfeffle
ANNUAL MASS AND RECEPTION
On September 21, 2025 the St. Thecla Society hosted their 4th Annual St. Thecla Society Mass and Reception in the McGill-Toolen Catholic Student Center. Our guest speaker, Lorie Colletti, was both powerful and inspiring as she shared her faith journey following her son Andre’s diagnosis. Out of her grief, she has created scholarships such as the Keep the Faith-In Memory of Andre Colletti and support for other grieving parents through St. Jude’s—she is an incredible witness of faith, resilience, and leadership.
We were also blessed with a beautiful Mass celebrated by Father Shields and uplifted by the angelic voices of our Chamber Singers. The evening was a true celebration of faith and empowerment.
Two exciting initiatives were also announced:
* All-Female STEM Panel –Monday, October 20 at 8:00am in the Toolen Auditorium.
* St. Thecla Society Leadership Scholarship – awarded in May 2026.
ST. THECLA SOCIETY SPONSORED SEMINARS
Women in STEM Panel: Inspiring Futures
Our Lady Jackets — and future ones, too — kicked off their morning on October 20, 2025 hearing from incredible women leading the way in STEM!
Hosted by the St. Thecla Society and moderated by McGill’s own Stephanie LeGrone, the panel highlighted what leadership, innovation, and inspiration look like in action.
A huge thank you to our panelists — Lindsey Weems, CPA; Curran Nicholas, Geotechnical Engineer, P.E.; Ashley Johnson, Registered Scrum Master; and Dr. Julie Grinstead — and to our wonderful audience from McT, St. Dominic, St. Mary, St. Ignatius, St. Pius, Little Flower and Corpus Christi Catholic Schools.
Women in Leadership Seminar
On March 21, 2024 we had the pleasure of hosting Adele Hapworth, CEO of The American Equity Underwriters for our Women in Leadership Seminar sponsored by the McGill-Toolen Foundation St. Thecla Society. Mrs. Hapworth shared her personal and professional story and provided tips on improving leadership skills, strategies on building confidence, finding opportunities to assume leadership roles and the importance of networking and mentors. Our junior and senior girls had great questions and were inspired by Mrs. Hapworth's advice.
Financial Literacy
The St. Thecla Society, a Catholic women's leadership organization within the McGill-Toolen Foundation, hosted a financial responsibility workshop for the senior class girls on March 29, 2022. Faith Feaga, from the Alabama Security Commission, presented the financial content on budgeting, student loans and investing. The girls were engaged and learned a lot from Ms. Feaga about personal finances. McGill-Toolen Catholic is the first private high school Ms. Feaga has presented to.
