September 21, 2011
His Excellency Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti to be Presented with Honorary Degree at Vincentian
Convocation
St.
John’s University will hold its Founder’s Week celebration
September 24-30, 2011. The 18th annual celebration is being held in
September for the first time in honor of the Feast of St. Vincent
de Paul.
Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D., Bishop of
Trenton, NJ, and a member of the St. John’s University Board of
Trustees, will deliver the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice
Lecture titled “Charity as the Heart of Catholic Social Teaching”
in St. Thomas More Church on the Queens campus on Monday September
26 at 4pm. Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s
University, will present Bishop O’Connell with the Gold Medal, the
highest honor that the University may bestow on a non-alumnus, at
the Vincentian Convocation, scheduled for 8 p.m. the same
evening.
In 1990 Bishop O’Connell joined St. John’s University where he
served for eight years, rising to the position of Dean of the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Bishop O’Connell went on to
become the 14th President of The Catholic University of America in
August 1998. On June 4, 2010, he was appointed Bishop of the
Diocese of Trenton by Pope Benedict XVI.
The Vincentian Convocation will also honor His Excellency
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti with an honorary Doctor of Laws
degree. Archbishop Mamberti was appointed Secretary for the Holy
See’s Relations with States by Pope Benedict XVI on September 15,
2006. He has held posts in Algeria, Chile, the United Nations in
New York and Lebanon, and has worked in the Secretariat of State’s
section for foreign affairs.
The following will be honored with prestigious awards at the
Vincentian Convocation for their service and devotion to the
University’s Mission as exemplified by the works of St. Vincent de
Paul.
- Vincentian Mission Award: Rino Grzinic ‘77SVC,
Associate Director of Development, St. John’s
- Caritas Medal: Gary S. Carter, LCSW, Executive
Director, Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service,
Inc.
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Medal: Gladys E. Garcia
‘96CBA, Church and Parish Ministry, Diocese of
Brooklyn
- St. Vincent de Paul Medal: Josiah K. Mooney ‘02C,
‘03G, Catholic Missionary
- President’s Medal: Sister Patricia Ann O’Brien,
D.C., Campus Minister, St. John’s University
- Degree of Doctor of Divinity: Reverend Gerard H.
Luttenberger, C.M., S.T.D., Director of Formation and
Vocations, Eastern Province, Congregation of the Mission and Member
of the Board of Trustees, St. John’s
- Gold Medal: Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M.,
J.C.D. ‘05HON, Bishop, Diocese of Trenton and Member of
the Board of Trustees, St. John’s
- Degree of Doctor of Laws: His Excellency Archbishop
Dominique Mamberti, Secretary, Holy See’s Relations with
States
St. Vincent de Paul founded the Vincentian order which seeks to
empower others to change the world through the practices of charity
and social justice. As a Vincentian university, St. John’s is
committed to following St. Vincent’s teachings, which emphasize
respect for the individual, service to the needy, human solidarity
and adherence to the belief that giving of one’s self helps make
the world a better place.
Founder’s Week will begin on September 24 with the 10th Annual
University Service Day and celebrate the Feast Day with a special
University Mass. For more information on Founder’s week
activities please visit http://www.stjohns.edu /foundersweek.
For more information, please contact Elizabeth Reilly, Associate
Director of Media Relations at St. John’s, at reillye@stjohns.edu,
or by calling (718) 990-5789.