Pearls of Wisdom
Opening doors through
Catholic education
Through Pearls of Wisdom, the Nashville Catholic Business Women's League raises funds for the Aurelia Varallo Mariani Scholarship Fund. The scholarship provides tuition assistance to young women attending Father Ryan High School, Pope John Paul ll Preparatory School, and St. Cecilia Academy.
FEATURED 2026 FUNDRAISER
2026 ACE Dinner & Pearls of Wisdom Auction
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Wednesday, September 30, 2026
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6:00 - 0:00 p.m.
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Catholic Pastoral Center, Nashville
The Diocese of Nashville and NCBWL present the ACE Dinner, featuring NCBWL's Pearls of Wisdom Live and Silent Auction. Auction proceeds benefit the Aurelia Varallo Mariani Scholarship Fund.
FEATURED 2026 FUNDRAISER
Honoring Aurelia Varallo Mariani
Who she was
Aurelia Varallo Mariani was a 1951 graduate of St. Cecilia Academy. The League established a memorial scholarship fund in her honor to support a deserving, financially needy student at St. Cecilia throughout all four years of high school.
Why the scholarship was created
"The League has always recognized the value of a Catholic education,” former President Debbie Lassiter said. “Because of this, we really want to make that accessible to young women whose families would otherwise be unable to afford it.”
NCBWL supports three scholarship recipients each year. One young woman at each of Nashville's three Catholic high schools. Each scholarship provides four years of tuition assistance.
1
Father Ryan High School
Pope John Paul ll Preparatory School
2
St. Cecilia Academy
3
Make a donation to the
scholarship fund
Since the League’s founding, it has donated more than $492,000 toward girls’ scholarships.
Women gather in the fall for a fabulous fundraiser benefiting the Aurelia Varallo Mariani Scholarship Fund. Silent and live auctions have been a special part of our fundraising efforts. In the recent years, the fundraiser events have been in a variety of formats and themes to add more excitement, all for a very worthy cause.
THE SCHOLARSHIPS: AURELIA VARALLO MARIANI SCHOLARSHIP FUND
MEET THE SCHOLARS OF 2025
Pearls of Wisdom
2022
Amount Raised
$63,065.33
Pearls of Wisdom
2021
Amount Raised
$54,000+
