Washington, D.C. – The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University presented two awards to noted leaders of Catholc research on Wednesday, October 4, at its annual Mass, dinner and awards ceremony at Georgetown University. The two awards were presented to Rev. Virgilio P. Elizondo, S.T.D., Ph.D. and the Glenmary Research Center.
Rev. Elizondo received the Cardinal Cushing Medal for the Advancement of Church Research. The medal is named in honor of Cardinal Richard Cushing, one of the principal founders of C.A.R.A., and is awarded annually to a person or organizations that has advanced Church research through their active support of research and their understanding of its uses.
Rev. Elizondo is a distinguished theologian, particularly regarding Hispanic/Latino inculturation issues. He founded the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Theology and Kellogg Institutute Fellow at the University of Notre Dame. His scholarly interests include Mestizo Christianity, mestizaje theology, liberation theology, evangelization, faith and spirituality, culture and public ritual. Rev. Elizondo was recently named one of the top “Spiritual Innovators of the 21st Century” by Time Magazine and has been recognized by others in the religious and academic world as “the father of U.S. Latino religious thought.”
The Glenmary Research Center was awarded the Rev. Louis J. Luzbetak, S.V.D. Award for Exemplary Church Research. The Center was fouded in 1966 to support and assist Glenmary Home Missioners by providing applied research to Glenmary leadership, individual missioners, Catholic Church leaders, and the wider society. The Glenmary Home Missioners are a society of priests and brothers who, along with coworkers and the cooperating community of Glenmary Home Missions Sisters, are dedicated to serving the spiritual and material needs of people throughout Appalachia, the South and the Southwest. The Center publishes the decennial Religious Congregations and Membership, the most complete data available on U.S. religious affiliations over time, and has produced hundreds of specialized projects, workshops and publications of value to the Glenmary community, its constituents and the Catholic Church.
“We are delighted to present these awards to Rev. Elizondo and the Glenmary Research Center,” said Sr. Mary Bendyna, R.S.M., executive director and senior research associate at C.A.R.A. “We are grateful for their contributions to research in service of the Church and especially for their work in advancing its mission to the poor and marginalized in society.”
About the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate
The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate(C.A.R.A.) is a national, non-profit research cener that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church. Founded in 1964 and affiliated with Georgetown University since 1989, C.A.R.A. has three major dimensions to its mission: to increase the Church's self understanding, to serve the applied research needs of Church decision-makers and to advance scholarly research on religion, particularly Catholicism. For more information about C.A.R.A., visit http://cara.georgetown.edu.
About Georgetown University
Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses in Washington, DC. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.
