The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

 in recognition of outstanding service to the Roman Catholic church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 and society. The award is given to an American Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity." First awarded in 1883, it is the oldest and most prestigious award for American Catholics. The medal is an external award which can be given to a person from outside the University of Notre Dame. It is named the Laetare Medal because the recipient of the award is announced in celebration of Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday

Laetare Sunday , so called from the incipit of the Introit at Mass, "Laetare Jerusalem" , is a name often used to denote the fourth Sunday of the season of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar...

, the fourth Sunday in Lent

Lent

In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...

.

The Laetare Medal was conceived by University of Notre Dame professor James Edwards as an American version of the papal

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 award the Golden Rose

Golden Rose

The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection...

. It was approved of by the university's founder Father Edward Sorin

Edward Sorin

The Very Rev. Edward Frederick Sorin, C.S.C. , a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross was the founder of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and of St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas.-Youth:...

. The Golden Rose has existed since the 11th century, and was customarily awarded to a royal

Royal family

A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...

 person on Laetare Sunday, although this was rarely done during the 20th century. The university adapted this tradition — awarding a gold medal, instead of a rose — to a distinguished American Catholic on Laetare Sunday. The medal has the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 inscription "Magna est veritas et prevalebit," meaning "Truth is mighty, and it shall prevail."

A candidate for the award must be a practicing American Catholic who has made a distinctively Catholic contribution in their professional or intellectual life. A committee generally takes names of potential recipients from faculty

Faculty (university)

A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...

 and staff at the University of Notre Dame. They select two or three candidates from this group, which are voted on by the Officers of the University.

Recipients

John Gilmary Shea

John Gilmary Shea

John Gilmary Shea was a writer, editor, and historian of both American history in general and American Catholic history specifically. Shea was born in New York City to James Shea, an Irish immigrant and school principal, and Mary Ann Shea. He studied at St...

, a historian

Historian

A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...

 of the Catholic Church in the United States, was the first person to be awarded the Laetare Medal in 1883. The recipients of the Laetare Medal come from varied fields. Recipients include jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 musicians, Cardinals, philanthropists, ambassadors, authors, opera singers, Senators, doctors, generals, and a U.S. President.
List of Recipients

Year	Laetare Medalist	Position	Year	Laetare Medalist	Position
1883	John Gilmary Shea John Gilmary Shea John Gilmary Shea was a writer, editor, and historian of both American history in general and American Catholic history specifically. Shea was born in New York City to James Shea, an Irish immigrant and school principal, and Mary Ann Shea. He studied at St...	Historian	1948	Frank C. Walker Frank Comerford Walker Frank Comerford Walker was a United States political figure. He served as the United States Postmaster General between 1940 and 1945. He also served as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1943 until 1944....	Postmaster General United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...  and Civic Leader
1884	Patrick Charles Keely	Architect	1949	Irene Dunne Griffin Irene Dunne Irene Dunne was an American film actress and singer of the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s. Dunne was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performances in Cimarron , Theodora Goes Wild , The Awful Truth , Love Affair and I Remember Mama...	Actress
1885	Eliza Allen Starr Eliza Allen Starr Eliza Allen Starr was an American artist, art critic, teacher, and lecturer. She was known throughout the United States for her books about Catholic art. She lectured throughout the country. A convert form Unitarianism to Catholicism, in 1885 she became the first woman to be awarded the Laetare...	Art Critic	1950	General Joseph L. Collins	Soldier
1886	General John Newton	Engineer	1951	John Henry Phelan John Henry Phelan John Henry “Harry” Phelan , was a businessman and philanthropist. He was made a Knight of St. Gregory in January 1933 by Pope Pius XI ....	Philanthropist
1887	Edward Preuss	Publicist	1952	Thomas E. Murray	Member of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission United States Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
1888	Patrick V. Hickey	Founder and Editor of The Catholic Review The Catholic Review The Catholic Review is Maryland's largest paid weekly newspaper, distributed by mail to nearly 60,000 households. It serves as the newspaper of record for the archdiocese of Baltimore, covering most of the state. It has been printed since the 19th century....	1953	I.A. O'Shaughnessy	Philanthropist
1889	Anna Hansen Dorsey	Novelist	1954	Jefferson Caffery Jefferson Caffery Jefferson Caffery served as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador , Colombia , Cuba , Brazil , France , and Egypt .-Career:...	Diplomat
1890	William J. Onahan	Organizer of the American Catholic Congress	1955	George Meany George Meany William George Meany led labor union federations in the United States. As an officer of the American Federation of Labor, he represented the AFL on the National War Labor Board during World War II....	Labor Leader
1891	Daniel Dougherty	Orator	1956	General Alfred M. Gruenther Alfred Gruenther Alfred Maximilian Gruenther was the youngest World War II Major General and after the war, as a four-star General, served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1953 to 1956.-Biography:...	Soldier
1892	Henry F. Brownson	Philosopher and Author	1957	Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce Clare Boothe Luce was an American playwright, editor, journalist, ambassador, socialite and U.S. Congresswoman, representing the state of Connecticut.-Early life:...	Diplomat
1893	Patrick Donohue	Founder of the Boston Pilot The Pilot (newspaper) The Pilot is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston and claims the title of "America's Oldest Catholic Newspaper", having been in continuous publication since its first issue on September 5, 1829...	1958	Frank M. Folsom Frank M. Folsom Frank Marion Folsom was an electronics company executive and was a permanent representative of the Holy See....	Industrialist
1894	Augustin Daly Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly was an American theatrical manager and playwright active in both the US and UK.-Biography:Daly was born in Plymouth, North Carolina and educated at Norfolk, Va...	Theatrical Producer	1959	Robert Daniel Murphy Robert Daniel Murphy Robert Daniel Murphy was an American diplomat.Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Murphy had begun his diplomatic career in 1917 as a member of the American Legation in Bern, Switzerland. Among the several posts he held were Vice-Consul in Zurich and Munich, American Consul in Paris from 1930 to 1936,...	Diplomat
1895	Mary Anne Sadlier Mary Anne Sadlier Mary Anne Sadlier was an Irish author.Born Mary Anne Madden in Cootehill, Co. Cavan, Ireland, Sadlier published roughly sixty novels and numerous stories. She wrote for Irish immigrants in both the United States and Canada, enouraging them to attend mass and retain the Catholic faith...	Novelist	1960	George N. Shuster	Educator
1896	General William Starke Rosencrans William Rosecrans William Starke Rosecrans was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War...	Soldier	1961	John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....	President of the United States President of the United States The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
1897	Thomas Addis Emmet	Physician	1962	Francis J. Braceland	Psychiatrist
1898	Timothy Edward Howard	Jurist	1963	Admiral George Whelan Anderson, Jr.	Chief of Naval Operations
1899	Mary Gwendolin Caldwell	Philanthropist	1964	Phyllis McGinley Phyllis McGinley Phyllis McGinley was an American writer of children's books and poet about the positive aspects of suburban life.McGinley was born in Ontario, Oregon...	Poet
1900	John A. Creighton John A. Creighton Count John A. Creighton was a pioneer businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska who founded Creighton University...	Philanthropist	1965	Frederick D. Rossini Frederick Rossini Frederick Dominic Rossini was an American thermodynamicist noted for his work in chemical thermodynamics.In 1920, at the age of twenty-one, Rossini entered Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and soon was awarded a full-time teaching scholarship. He graduated with a B.S. in chemical...	Scientist
1901	William Bourke Cockran William Bourke Cockran William Bourke Cockran , commonly known as Bourke Cockran, was a United States Representative from New York and a noted political orator.-Biography:...	Orator	1966	Patrick F. & Patricia Caron Crowley	Founders of The Christian Movement
1902	John Benjamin Murphy John Benjamin Murphy John Benjamin Murphy, born John Murphy , was an American physician and abdominal surgeon noted for advocating early surgical intervention in appendicitis appendectomy, and several eponyms: Murphy’s button, Murphy drip, Murphy’s punch, Murphy’s test, and Murphy-Lane bone skid...	Surgeon	1967	J. Peter Grace J. Peter Grace Joseph Peter Grace was a multimillionaire American industrialist and conglomerateur of Irish Catholic heritage. He was president of the diversified chemical company, ' for 48 years, making him the longest reigning CEO of a public company.Born in Manhasset, New York, he succeeded his father, Joseph...	Industrialist
1903	Charles Jerome Bonaparte	Lawyer	1968	Robert Sargent Shriver Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...	Diplomat
1904	Richard C. Kerens	Diplomat	1969	William J. Brennan Jr.	Associate Justice Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...  of the Supreme Court Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
1905	Thomas B. Fitzpatrick	Philanthropist	1970	Dr. William B. Walsh William B. Walsh William Bertalan Walsh, M.D. was the founder of Project HOPE .Walsh was born on April 26, 1920, in Brooklyn. He received a bachelor's degree from St. John's University in Queens, New York. He graduated from medical school at Georgetown University in 1943.He served as a ship's doctor aboard a...	Physician
1906	Francis J. Quinlan	Physician	1971	Walter Kerr Walter Kerr For the RN admiral see Lord Walter KerrWalter Francis Kerr was an American writer and Broadway theater critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals.-Biography:...  & Jean Kerr Jean Kerr Jean Kerr was an American author and playwright born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and best known for her humorous bestseller, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, and the plays King of Hearts and Mary, Mary...	Drama Critic and Author
1907	Katherine Eleanor Conway	Journalist and Author	1972	Dorothy Day Dorothy Day Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist and devout Catholic convert; she advocated the Catholic economic theory of Distributism. She was also considered to be an anarchist, and did not hesitate to use the term...	Founder of the Catholic Worker Movement Catholic Worker Movement The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ." One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on...
1908	James C. Monaghan	Economist	1973	Rev. John A. O'Brien	Author
1909	Frances Tieran (Christian Reid)	Novelist	1974	James A. Farley James Farley James Aloysius Farley was the first Irish Catholic politician in American history to achieve success on a national level, serving as Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General simultaneously under the first two...	Business Executive and Former Postmaster General
1910	Maurice Francis Egan	Author and Diplomat	1975	Sr. Ann Ida Gannon, BMV Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known by their initials BVM, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the United States by Mother Mary Frances Clarke. BVM Sisters work in twenty-five U.S...	President of Mundelein College Mundelein College Mundelein College was the last private, independent, Roman Catholic women's college in Illinois. Located on the edge of the Rogers Park and Edgewater neighborhoods on the far north side of Chicago, Illinois, Mundelein College was founded and administered by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed...
1911	Agnes Repplier Agnes Repplier Agnes Repplier was an American essayist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her essays are esteemed for their scholarship and wit.-Essay collections:*Books and Men *Points of View...	Author	1976	Paul Horgan Paul Horgan Paul Horgan was an American author of fiction and non-fiction, most of which was set in the Southwestern United States. He was the recipient of two Pulitzer prizes in History...	Author
1912	Thomas M. Mulry	Philanthropist	1977	Mike Mansfield Mike Mansfield Michael Joseph Mansfield was an American Democratic politician and the longest-serving Majority Leader of the United States Senate, serving from 1961 to 1977. He also served as United States Ambassador to Japan for over ten years...	Former Senate Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States Senate The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences that hold the majority and the minority respectively. These leaders serve as the chief Senate spokespeople for their parties and manage and schedule the legislative and executive...
1913	Charles B. Herberman	Editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia Catholic Encyclopedia The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...	1978	Msgr. John Tracy Ellis	Church Historian
1914	Edward Douglass White Edward Douglass White Edward Douglass White, Jr. , American politician and jurist, was a United States senator, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and the ninth Chief Justice of the United States. He was best known for formulating the Rule of Reason standard of antitrust law. He also sided with the...	Chief Justice of the United States Chief Justice of the United States The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the United States federal court system and the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Chief Justice is one of nine Supreme Court justices; the other eight are the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States...	1979	Helen Hayes Helen Hayes Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...	Actress
1915	Mary V. Merrick	Philanthropist	1980	Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill Jr. Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill, Jr. was an American politician. O'Neill was an outspoken liberal Democrat and influential member of the U.S. Congress, serving in the House of Representatives for 34 years and representing two congressional districts in Massachusetts...	Speaker of the House Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
1916	James Joseph Walsh James Joseph Walsh James Joseph Walsh, M.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Sc.D. was an American physician and author, born in New York City. He graduated from Fordham College in 1884 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1895...	Physician and Author	1981	Edmund Sixtus Muskie Edmund Muskie Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie was an American politician from Rumford, Maine. He served as Governor of Maine from 1955 to 1959, as a member of the United States Senate from 1959 to 1980, and as Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981...	Secretary of State United States Secretary of State The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
1917	Admiral William Shepherd Benson William S. Benson William Shepherd Benson was an Admiral in the United States Navy and the first Chief of Naval Operations , holding the post throughout World War I.-Biography:...	Chief of Naval Operations Chief of Naval Operations The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...	1982	John Francis Cardinal Dearden	Archbishop Archbishop An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...  Emeritus of Detroit Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne...
1918	Joseph Scott Joseph Scott (attorney) Joseph Scott was a prominent British-born attorney and community leader in Los Angeles, California. His service to the community was so varied and important that he earned the nickname "Mr. Los Angeles."-Early life:...	Lawyer	1983	Edmund & Evelyn Stephan	Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees and his wife
1919	George L. Duval	Philanthropist	1984	John T. Noonan, Jr. John T. Noonan, Jr. John Thomas Noonan, Jr. is a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in San Francisco, California. He was appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan.-Education and practice:...	Lawyer
1920	Lawrence Francis Flick	Physician	1985	Guido Calabresi	Dean of the Yale Law School Yale Law School Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
1921	Elizabeth Nourse Elizabeth Nourse Elizabeth Nourse was a portrait and landscape painter born in Cincinnati, Ohio in the Mt. Healthy area...	Artist	1986	Thomas & Mary Elizabeth Carney	Chairman of the Board of Trustees and his wife
1922	Charles Patrick Neill Charles P. Neill Charles Patrick Neill was an American civil servant who raised in Austin, Texas after his family emigrated from Ireland in 1850. Neill graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1897 with a doctorate in economics and politics. He was appointed the United States Commissioner of Labor in 1906 by...	Economist	1987	Rev. Theodore Hesburgh Theodore Hesburgh The Rev. Theodore Martin Hesburgh, CSC, STD , a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. He is the namesake for TIAA-CREF's Hesburgh Award.... , CSC Congregation of Holy Cross The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....	President of the University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
1923	Walter George Smith	Lawyer	1988	Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver Eunice Kennedy Shriver, DSG a member of the Kennedy family, sister to President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy, was the founder in 1962 of Camp Shriver, and in 1968, the Special Olympics...	Founder & Chairwoman of the Special Olympics Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....
1924	Charles Donagh Maginnis Charles Donagh Maginnis Considered the father of American Gothic architecture, Charles Donagh Maginnis was born in County Londonderry, Ireland on January 7, 1867. He was educated in Dublin, emigrated to Boston at age 18 and got his first job apprenticing for architect Edmund M. Wheelwright as a draftsman. In 1900 he...	Architect	1989	Walker Percy Walker Percy Walker Percy was an American Southern author whose interests included philosophy and semiotics. Percy is best known for his philosophical novels set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, the first of which, The Moviegoer, won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1962...	Novelist
1925	Albert Francis Zahm Albert Francis Zahm Albert Francis Zahm was an early aeronautical experimenter, a professor of physics, and a chief of the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Library of Congress....	Scientist	1990	Sister Thea Bowman Thea Bowman Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister, teacher, and scholar.-Life:Born as Bertha Bowman in Yazoo City, Mississippi, she converted to the Roman Catholic Church, during her childhood, and joined the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at La Crosse, Wisconsin,...  (posthumously)	Educator
1926	Edward Nash Hurley	Businessman	1991	Corrine Lindy Boggs Lindy Boggs Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs, usually known as Lindy Boggs , is a United States political figure who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as ambassador to the Vatican. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Louisiana...	Former Louisiana Congresswoman
1927	Margaret Anglin Margaret Anglin Mary Margaret Anglin was a Canadian-born Broadway actress, director and producer whom Encyclopædia Britannica calls "one of the most brilliant actresses of her day."...	Actress	1992	Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick "Pat" Moynihan was an American politician and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the United States Senate for New York in 1976, and was re-elected three times . He declined to run for re-election in 2000...	U.S. Senator from New York
1928	John Johnson Spaulding	Lawyer	1993	Donald R. Keough Donald Keough Donald R. Keough is Chairman of the Board of Allen & Company Incorporated, a New York investment-banking firm. He was elected to that position in April 1993....	Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees
1929	Alfred Emmanuel Smith Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...	Statesman	1994	Sidney Callahan	Educator and Journalist
1930	Frederick Philip Kenkel	Publicist	1995	Joseph Cardinal Bernardin	Archbishop of Chicago Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
1931	James J. Phelan	Businessman	1996	Sister Helen Prejean Helen Prejean Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., is a Roman Catholic religious sister, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, who has become a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.-Death row ministry:...	Death Penalty Abolitionist
1932	Stephen J. Maher	Physician	1997	Rev. Virgilio Elizondo Virgilio Elizondo Virgilio Elizondo is a Mexican American, Roman Catholic priest who divides his time between his parish in San Antonio, Texas, and teaching at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He is a major theologian in liberation theology and Hispanic theology. He has been named by Time...	Theologian and Activist
1933	John McCormack	Artist	1998	Dr. Edmund D. Pellegrino Edmund D. Pellegrino Edmund Daniel Pellegrino was the 11th president of The Catholic University of America and the second layman to hold the position....	Medical Ethicist Ethicist An ethicist is one whose judgment on ethics and ethical codes has come to be trusted by a specific community, and is expressed in some way that makes it possible for others to mimic or approximate that judgement...  and Educator
1934	Genevieve Garvan Brady	Philanthropist	1999	Philip Gleason	Professor Emeritus of History, Notre Dame
1935	Francis Hamilton Spearman	Novelist	2000	Andrew McKenna	Chairman of the Board of Trustees
1936	Richard Reid	Journalist and Lawyer	2001	Msgr. George G. Higgins George G. Higgins Msgr. George Gilmary Higgins was a renowned labor activist. He is known as the "labor priest," and has been a moving force in the Roman Catholic church's support for the late Cesar Chavez and his union movement....	Priest and Labor Activist
1937	Jeremiah D. M. Ford Jeremiah D. M. Ford Jeremiah Denis Mathias Ford, Ph.D was a college professor of French and Spanish at Harvard.He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attended Harvard . From 1910 to 1911, he was vice president of the Modern Language Association...	Scholar	2002	Father John Smyth	Executive Director of Maryville Academy Maryville Academy The Maryville Academy is a Roman Catholic institution for the treatment of physically, sexually, and emotional abused children, located in Des Plaines, Illinois. Founded in 1883, it operated under the leadership of Father John P...
1938	Irvin William Abell	Surgeon	2003	Peter and Margaret O'Brien Steinfels Peter Steinfels Peter F. Steinfels is an American journalist and educator best known for his writings on religious topics.A native of Chicago, Illinois, and a lifelong Roman Catholic, Steinfels earned his Ph.D from Columbia University and joined the staff of the journal Commonweal in 1964...	Editors of Commonweal Commonweal Commonweal is a American journal of opinion edited and managed by lay Catholics. It is headquartered in The Interchurch Center in New York City.-History:...
1939	Josephine Van Dyke Brownson	Catechist	2004	Father J. Bryan Hehir	President of Catholic Charities Catholic Charities Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States... , Archdiocese of Boston Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
1940	General Hugh Aloysius Drum	Soldier	2005	Dr. Joseph E. Murray Joseph Murray Joseph Edward Murray is a retired American plastic surgeon. He performed the first successful human kidney transplant on identical twins on December 23, 1954....	Surgeon & Nobel Prize Winner Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
1941	William Thomas Walsh William Thomas Walsh William Thomas Walsh , born in Waterbury, Connecticut, was a prominent historian, educator and author; he was also an accomplished violinist. His educational background included a B.A. from Yale University and an honorary Litt.D. from Fordham University...	Journalist and Author	2006	Dave Brubeck Dave Brubeck David Warren "Dave" Brubeck is an American jazz pianist. He has written a number of jazz standards, including "In Your Own Sweet Way" and "The Duke". Brubeck's style ranges from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills...	Jazz Pianist
1942	Helen Constance White	Author and Teacher	2007	Patrick McCartan	Chairman of the Board of Trustees
1943	Thomas Francis Woodlock	Editor	2008	Martin Sheen Martin Sheen Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...	Actor
1944	Anne O'Hare McCormick Anne O'Hare McCormick Anne O'Hare McCormick was a foreign news correspondent for the New York Times, in an era where the field was almost exclusively "a man's world". In 1937, she won the Pulitzer Prize for correspondence, becoming the first woman to receive a major category Pulitzer award...	Journalist	2009	NOT AWARDED (SEE BELOW)
1945	Gardiner Howland Shaw	Diplomat	2010	Dana Gioia Dana Gioia -Poetry:It was as a poet that Gioia first began to attract widespread attention in the early 1980s, with frequent appearances in The Hudson Review, Poetry, and The New Yorker. In the same period, he published a number of essays and book reviews...	Former Chairman of National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
1946	Carlton J. H. Hayes	Historian and Diplomat	2011	Sister Mary Scullion Mary Scullion Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M. is a Philadelphia-based American Roman Catholic Religious Sister and activist, ranked in 2009 as one of the "World's Most Influential People" by Time.... , R.S.M. Sisters of Mercy The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations.... , & Joan McConnon	Social Advocates
1947	William G. Bruce	Publisher and Civic Leader	2012

2009 Laetare Medal

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

 professor and former United States Ambassador to the Holy See

United States Ambassador to the Holy See

A U.S. Ambassador serves as that country's official representative to the Holy See since formal diplomatic relations began in 1984. Before the establishment of official relations, Myron Taylor served during World War II as an emissary for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1951, President Harry S....

, Mary Ann Glendon

Mary Ann Glendon

Mary Ann Glendon J.D., LL.M., was the United States Ambassador to the Holy See and is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She teaches and writes on bioethics, comparative constitutional law, property, and human rights in international law...

, was chosen as the 2009 recipient but declined the award when the University, as part of its justification of its controversial decision to name Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 as its commencement speaker and grant him an honorary degree, issued "talking points" stating that "President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal. ... We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about." In light of Obama's strong pro-choice

Pro-choice

Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....

 policies, Glendon considered Notre Dame's decision to be in violation of a 2004 pronouncement from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...

 instructing Catholic institutions not to provide "honors, awards, or platforms" to "those who act in defiance of [Catholic] fundamental moral principles." She also believed that the University's statements had placed her in an untenable position; as she wrote in her letter declining the medal, "A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice." Notre Dame ultimately selected 1984 Laetare recipient Judge John T. Noonan, Jr.

John T. Noonan, Jr.

John Thomas Noonan, Jr. is a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in San Francisco, California. He was appointed in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan.-Education and practice:...

to speak in the spirit of the Laetare award, choosing not to award the 2009 medal.