President of Catholic Charities of America recognized
During this year’s May 18 commencement ceremony, Notre Dame will award Kerry Alys Robinson its prestigious Laetare Medal. Robinson, chief executive officer and president of Catholic Charities of America (CCUSA), will be recognized for her servant leadership and ministry in the Catholic Church in the U.S.
Each year, the Laetare Medal is announced on Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. The gold medal bears the inscription, “Magna est veritas et praevalebit”: “Truth is mighty, and it shall prevail.” The award was established as the American counterpart to the Golden Rose—a papal award blessed on Laetare Sunday, dating before the eleventh century—in 1883 by university president Father Edward Sorin C.S.C. Since then, it has been awarded annually to an American Catholic “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”
Last year, the nominating window for the award opened August 30 and closed September 10. A committee reviews the nominations, and the recipient is then chosen by the president of the university.
Notable past recipients include President John F. Kennedy (1961) and President Joe Biden (2016), as well as various others: Justice William J. Brennan Jr. (1969), former university president Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C. (1987), and Sister Helen Prejean (1996). The list of recipients includes authors, politicians, cardinals, attorneys, and more.
Since the award’s inception, there has only been one person to reject the award. In 2009, Mary Ann Glendon—former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican and Harvard law professor—was initially thrilled to receive the award, but later changed her mind in protest of President Obama’s presence at the ceremony as the commencement speaker. She explained her decision in a published letter to then-president, Father John Jenkins, C.S.C.
Glendon wrote, “First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions ‘should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles’ and that such persons ‘should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.’ That request … seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.”
She explained further that she did not wish to cause an “unfortunate ripple effect” of Catholic institutions disregarding the bishop’s guidelines. No one was awarded the medal in her stead.
However, in 2018, Glendon received the Evangelium Vitae Medal—the nation’s most prestigious award for advocates of the pro-life movement—from the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture. She is the only person to have been selected for both awards.
Other pro-life recipients of the Laetare Medal include John T. Noonan Jr., a Reagan-appointed judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and author of A Private Choice: Abortion in America in the Seventies, a moral, philosophical, and legal critique of Roe v. Wade. Noonan was awarded the Laetare Medal in 1984 and gave a 2009 commencement speech “in the spirit of the award” in lieu of Glendon.
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (1995) was awarded the medal for being a “prominent expositor of the Catholic Church’s ‘seamless garment’ teaching on life, linking issues such as abortion, embryo experimentation, euthanasia, capital punishment, and warfare.” The next year, Sister Helen Prejean (1996) was awarded the medal for her work opposing the death penalty in America. Additionally, award-winning actor Martin Sheen received the medal in 2008. Sheen used his celebrity status to draw attention to abortion and other human-rights issues.
Though there are instances of pro-life recipients, few have been awarded the Laetare Medal explicitly for their work as pro-life advocates.
This year’s recipient, Robinson, became president and CEO of CCUSA in August of 2023, succeeding Sister Donna Markham, O.P. and becoming the second layperson and the second woman in the position. Prior to that, Robinson served as the founding executive director and later as executive partner of Leadership Roundtable, a group of clergy, religious, and laity working together to promote best practices in the Catholic Church in the U.S. She remains the executive director of the Opus Prize Foundation, which annually awards one million dollars recognizing “individuals for faith-filled change.” She is also the author of the 2014 book Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy, and a Spiritual Call to Service.
Notre Dame president Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C. said in a university press release, “Kerry Alys Robinson has dedicated her career to serving the Church, standing in solidarity with those on the margins so that they may experience the abundant love of God.” Fr. Dowd continued, “In awarding her the Laetare Medal, the university celebrates her boundless compassion, visionary leadership and inspiring example of faith-filled service. By her example, Kerry inspires us all to dedicate our lives more fully to answering the Gospel call.”
In addition to the bestowal of the Laetare Medal, there will be seven honorary degrees awarded at this year’s commencement: two doctors of science, one doctor of letters, and three doctors of law. The seventh honorary degree will be awarded to Admiral Christopher Grady, who will deliver the commencement address this spring.
Jack Krieger is a freshman residing in Morrissey Manor. He hopes to receive an un-honorary degree in three years. He can be reached at jkrieger@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: ndworks.nd.edu
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