Five high school seniors who excel academically, display a commendable work ethic, and are committed to their faith have been chosen as this year’s winners of Lila Grace Sullivan Amirault Scholarships.

“I believe it’s one of my best achievements so far in my life,” says Ron Sebastian Stewart of Norridgewock.

“This is definitely, I would say, life-changing,” says Christian Corcoran of South Portland.

The endowment for the scholarships was established by Patrick Amirault through the Catholic Foundation of Maine in 2013. Amirault, too, had a life-changing experience at a Catholic school, and he wanted to show his gratitude for it, as well as to honor the memory of his wife, Lila.

Amirault died in 2017, but the legacy he left continues to benefit Catholic high school seniors who are going on to college. This year’s winners will each receive $5,000 to be used for tuition.

“Winning it actually made me feel very good and hopeful for the future,” says Eli Mosher of Presque Isle. “Just to know that I’m being recognized for my faith and how much effort I put into that adds a layer of support and reassurance.”

“I was just really surprised and really grateful,” says Addison Chasse of Fort Kent. “My plan is to get my physical therapy degree and license. That would be a master’s degree, and so, after six years, the bills will add up.” 

“I was super grateful and really shocked,” says Mercy Buchwalder of Bristol. “Benedictine College was really my dream school, and it ended up being more expensive than we thought. There was a period when I didn’t really know if I was going to be able to go. And so, we were just praying a lot, hoping scholarships would come in, and this one, it really made an impact.” 

Mercy Buchwalder 

“Disciplined yet creative, ambitious yet grounded, gifted yet humbled” is how Kristie Houghton, a counselor at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, described Mercy in writing a recommendation for her.  

“She is a young person of character whose presence elevates every group, class, and team she joins,” Houghton wrote.   

Mercy says she believes everyone has a responsibility to get involved and help people, and that was what she did at Lincoln Academy. She was a class officer her junior and senior years, and she was a member of the editorial board for the student newspaper, the Climate Action Club, the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute, the National Honor Society (NHS), and the cross-country and indoor and outdoor track teams.   

Service projects included putting together Thanksgiving baskets for more than 400 families and participating in the Community Housing Improvement Project (CHiP) Community Care Day, making window inserts to help people winterize their homes.  

Mercy is also active at St. Patrick Church in Newcastle, where she has assisted with faith formation and been an altar server for the past decade.  

“My family always made it important to be a part of your church. You don’t just attend every Sunday. You have to actively help out,” Mercy says. “I think you have to work for your faith. It’s not something that just happens when you go to church.”  

In recommending Mercy for the scholarship, Father Phil Tracy, pastor of All Saints Parish, praised her for continuing to serve through her high school years.

“She radiates a joyful presence when on the altar. She has taken the time to train other altar servers and is always willing to step up when a scheduled server does not make the Mass,” he says. “Her presence is an inspiration to children and a sign of hope for adults.”

Mercy says her desire to help others can be traced to her Catholic upbringing.

“I developed values of compassion, patience and, most impactful to me, the pursuit of peace and care for the poor,” she says. “I was always inspired by saints like Elizabeth Ann Seton, who had an obvious determination to improve the world around them.”

Having received praise for being a good listener, Mercy says she is considering a career as a therapist. When she attends Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, she plans to double major in psychology and international studies.

Addison Chasse   

Addison Chasse, who graduated from Fort Kent Community High School, plans to study physical therapy at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.  

Like Mercy, Addison was a member of the National Honor Society, which led to an opportunity to volunteer for the Special Olympics in Presque Isle. 

“It was a heartwarming event,” she says. “It put a smile not just on the participants but on the volunteers’ faces, too.”

Through her involvement in NHS, Addison also packed Thanksgiving food boxes, and she joined her peers in visiting senior citizens living at Crosswinds, a residential care facility in Fort Kent. 

“It was touching. Some of the activities that we did were manicures. We played bingo one time. We played [a game] — it’s kind of like tennis or badminton but with a balloon,” she explains. 

Addison participated in the French exchange program, which included traveling to and hosting students from Cholet, France. She served as president of the Student Council and was a member of the Key Club and the Sources of Strength Committee, which seeks to help peers struggling with various issues.   

“She is a dedicated student who has a strong desire for making her community a better place,” wrote Catherine Sevigny, M.Ed., Addison’s guidance counselor.

“Up here, in Fort Kent, we are very volunteer driven. That is what makes our town so successful. And just to give back, honestly, to people who have invested so much in me is special,” Addison says. “Anytime you volunteer, you feel good about yourself. You feel good about the work you’ve done, that you’ve made a difference.” 

Addison also volunteers at the Fort Kent Outdoor Center, doing everything from teaching kids to cross-country ski to shoveling out bleachers, and she is active at St. John Vianney Parish. She has been an altar server for the past decade, serving at both St. Joseph Church in Wallagrass and St. Louis Church in Fort Kent, as well as at the parish’s Advent by Candlelight event. 

“Addison has been an excellent mentor for the younger servers and is always positive with her guidance,” says Msgr. Jean-Paul Labrie, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish. “Addison is a wonderful young lady with a heart of gold and a strong sense of responsibility.”

“My faith teaches me to be dependable, to keep my promises so others can rely on me, and to approach even the smallest tasks with care,” Addison says. “My biggest takeaway from my faith is to just be a good person. No matter the circumstance or the situation you find yourself in, whether it be hard or not, just stay strong and do right by yourself and by God.”

Christian Corcoran 

Like Patrick Amirault, Christian Corcoran says Catholic education has had a major influence in his life. He says his parents recognized his interest in the faith at a young age and enrolled him at Holy Cross School in South Portland and then at Cheverus High School in Portland, where he became active in campus ministry, playing the piano for school Masses.

Christian has also played the organ for St. John Paul II Parish in Scarborough and is a member of the schola at St. Joseph Oratory in Portland, which offers liturgical music, including the singing of Gregorian chant, for the Traditional Latin Mass. 

 “I’ve always had an interest in sacred music,” says Christian. “It’s different than popular music because it points our minds to God.” 

Christian says he plans to minor in music, while majoring in theology, when he attends St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. He aspires to teach theology or to become a director of religious education, stressing the importance of passing on the faith to the next generation. He says belief in Christ means living your life differently.

“When you’re a Christian, you have a different kind of joy,” he says. “You have purpose behind what you do. There is a greater reason for what you do — God.”

Christian says he believes the principles of social justice demand that our faith be put into action and says he is thankful for the service opportunities provided to him at Cheverus, which include helping fourth graders with math at Holy Cross School, serving at the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen in Portland, providing Thanksgiving baskets through his involvement in the Key Club, and going on a mission trip to Bethlehem Farm in West Virginia, where students did home repairs and built ramps for people in wheelchairs.  

 “That was a life-changing experience,” he says. “Cheverus has made me more aware. I don’t really know how to say it, but it’s taught me the importance of service.”

Christian is also committed to promoting the dignity of human life. He helped to restart a Students for Life chapter at Cheverus and won Maine Right to Life’s 2026 Statewide Oratory Contest. 

In his speech, Christian shared that when his mother was pregnant with him and two of his siblings, a doctor suggested doing prenatal testing to determine which of the babies to selectively reduce, citing the challenges of giving birth to triplets. Christian said his mother, because of her Catholic faith, replied, “We choose to keep all three.”

“We were all susceptible to abortion by today’s standards. Yet, 18 years later, we have each lived beautiful lives, all thanks to my parents’ yes,” he said in his speech. “Although my mom was worried about raising three newborn babies and a toddler all at the same time, she had the gift of faith and the love and support she needed from family and friends, which made it possible. Many women, however, do not have this. If we want to build a culture of life, we need to build a culture of love. We must make our communities, churches, workplaces, and schools places where women feel like life is a gift and not a burden.”

As the winner of the state-level competition, Christian will represent Maine at the National Right to Life Oratory Contest.
 

Eli Mosher 

Eli Mosher of Presque Isle says that his Catholic faith has been the most consistent thing in his life.

“For some, it’s just something practiced on Sundays. For me, it shapes the way I think, every decision I make, and the way I approach others,” he says. 

“No matter where I go or what I do, I know that I have God walking with me.”  

Eli says his parents wanted to ensure that he and his siblings didn’t become lukewarm Catholics, so his upbringing included regularly attending Mass, praying the Rosary at night, and participating in adoration. 

Eli says his appreciation for his faith has only grown as he has gotten older. He says while driving to school, he would pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and when faced with a challenge, he might say a flying novena. 

“Do what Jesus would do. I live by that,” he says. “If I’m in a situation where I might make an irrational decision, I take a deep breath and think about what Jesus would do.” 

Eli says he tried to share his faith with fellow students at Presque Isle High School. 

“I’m very outspoken about my faith. Whenever people have questions about the Catholic faith or God in general, they usually come to me. I’ve brought around 10 people in the past years to Mass and guided them along to becoming Catholic,” he says. “I’m trying to show them that there is something more than themselves, bring them to something that is more than themselves.”  

Eli attends Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Presque Isle, where he has been an altar server since he was eight years old and has been an active participant in youth ministry.

“The impact Eli has had on our parish is something he may not fully realize, but his presence provides a powerful example for both our youth and the parish community as a whole,” wrote Theresa Bonner, director of guidance for Maine School Administrative District #1, as well as a member of the Parish of the Precious Blood.

Eli was senior class president, vice president of the Future Business Leaders of America, a member of the National Honor Society, and a member of SkillsUSA, a club for tradespeople. He is the president of the regional Club America chapter, a volunteer basketball referee, and helps at Catholic Charities Maine’s Threads of Hope thrift store. 

“I try to give back as much as I can,” he says. “To be able to help someone and help them succeed means a lot to me.”

Eli will attend the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts, majoring in architecture.

“I actually have a strong interest in designing churches,” he says. “I think that’s one of the biggest ways I feel I can give back to my faith.”

 

Ron Sebastian Stewart 

Ron Sebastian Stewart says he believes that giving back is a way for him to show appreciation for his community and for the people who have helped him along the way.

“I believe God gives each of us unique talents, and we have the responsibility to use them for the common good,” he says.

Ron is the lead altar server at St. Sebastian Church in Madison and helps to guide the younger servers. At Madison Junior Senior High School, he was vice president of the Student Council, an NHS member, and a member of the Student Leadership Team. He was an offensive lineman on the school’s football team and coached the youth football team, teaching younger players the basics of the game. He is also an avid weightlifter and has a passion for aerial photography.

Ron was born in the Philippines and did not speak English when his family emigrated to the United States a decade ago. Despite that and having to repeat the third grade, he has excelled academically, finishing third in his class.

With a belief that God only puts things in our paths that will help us, Ron says he is not afraid to take on challenges.

“I like them because I know God is testing my abilities to think and do things because He knows I can do them,” he says.

Ron says his inspiration to work hard comes from his father, who told him that his dream was for all his children to be successful.

Ron will attend the University of Southern Maine in Gorham where he plans to major in finance. He says he found his purpose while helping a friend who was struggling with money management.

“I realized that finance is a powerful way to provide peace and stability to people,” he says.

Ron says he wants to use his skills to solve real-world problems.