Catholic Charities CEO to receive Laetare Medal
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The University of Notre Dame will award the 2025 Laetare Medal to Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, during its spring commencement ceremony in May, the university announced Monday.
The Laetare Medal is the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics, according to Notre Dame.
University President Rev. Robert Dowd said in a news release that Robinson has dedicated her career to serving the Catholic Church.
“In awarding her the Laetare Medal, the university celebrates her boundless compassion, visionary leadership and inspiring example of faith-filled service,” Dowd said. “By her example, Kerry inspires us all to dedicate our lives more fully to answering the Gospel call.”
Catholic Charities USA is a national membership organization supporting nearly 170 Catholic Charities organizations across the country.
Robinson joined the organization in 2023 after serving as the founding executive director at Leadership Roundtable, a nonprofit that “brings laity, religious and clergy together to help the Church heal and move forward in the wake of the abuse crisis,” the university said.
Notre Dame added that Robinson has been an advocate for women to take on greater leadership roles in the church and was invited by the Vatican in 2012 to advise on how to empower and engage women leaders.
“I have worked to strengthen the Church and its myriad apostolates and ministries all of my adult life, from the age of 14,” Robinson said in the release. “Promoting the role of women in positions of meaningful leadership in the Church and at the tables of decision-making, as well as being an advocate for young adults, has been a consistent commitment of mine. We are all myopic in our own narrowly defined groups. We need a diversity of perspectives and experiences to be healthy, whole and better informed.”
The Laetare Medal was established at Notre Dame in 1883 and is awarded to Catholics “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”
Robinson will receive the medal during the commencement ceremony on May 18.
Previous recipients include President John F. Kennedy, Civil War Gen. William Rosecrans, and actor Martin Sheen.