April 27, 2016

Catholic Theological Union celebrates 25 years of honoring global and local peacemakers

Catholic Theological Union celebrates 25 years of honoring global and local peacemakers

CHICAGO – On April 27, 2016, Catholic Theological Union (CTU) will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Blessed are the Peacemakers Trustee Dinner at the Hilton Chicago. The dinner was established in 1991 and honored prominent Catholic theologians, advocates, and philanthropists. In 1999, with the honoring of Mrs. Lea Rabin, CTU began to celebrate peacemakers from other faith traditions who provided leadership in the international arena as well as locally and nationally.

Archbishop Blase J. Cupich will be the featured speaker at the 2016 anniversary dinner. His remarks will highlight the call for peacemaking in our city, nation and world.

The recipient of the 2016 Diakonia award, an award for service bestowed upon a distinguished Chicagoan, will be given to Carole Segal. Segal is a longstanding supporter of CTU’s Catholic-Jewish Studies Program and a charter member of the Bernardin Center Advisory Board. The Bernardin Center was established at CTU in 1997 with the blessing of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to foster understanding in areas such as reconciliation, peacemaking and interreligious dialogue, in addition to other initiatives rooted in bridge building. At the annual dinner, Segal will be honored for her commitment to the importance of interreligious dialogue, particularly among the Abrahamic faiths, and her support of other worthy efforts in the areas of education and immigration.

CTU will resume its tradition of bestowing the Blessed are the Peacemakers award in addition to the Diakonia award in 2017. Past honorees of the Peacemakers award have included Dr. Paul Farmer, former president of Ireland Mary McAleese, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Steven Spielberg, and the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh.

To learn more about CTU’s educational programming in Catholic-Jewish studies, Catholic-Muslim studies, and intercultural ministry, as well as the Bernardin Center and the Blessed are the Peacemakers event, visit: https://ctu.edu.