The University of Notre Dame's聽 presented the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to Harvard Law 91视频 professor and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon at a Mass and banquet on Saturday (April 28).
The Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal, named for St. John Paul II鈥檚 1995 encyclical on life issues, is the nation鈥檚 most important lifetime achievement award for heroes of the pro-life movement, honoring individuals whose efforts have served to proclaim the Gospel of human life by steadfastly affirming and defending its sanctity from its earliest stages.
In his homily at the Evangelium Vitae Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart,聽Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades praised Glendon鈥檚聽lifetime of witness聽as a fruit of her Christian faith. 鈥淧rofessor Mary Ann Glendon鈥檚 intelligent and courageous witness to the Gospel in her profession and in her generous service of the Church is undoubtedly a fruit of her communion with Jesus,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ay the Lord bless Professor Mary Ann Glendon and all of us as we celebrate the Gospel of Life this evening.鈥�
The medal presentation聽took place at a banquet that filled the university鈥檚 South Dining Hall with more than 450 friends, family, faculty聽and students. In his remarks at the banquet, center director praised Glendon聽as a personal hero and mentor, and reflected聽that the annual聽Evangelium Vitae聽Medal celebration represents the heart聽of聽Notre Dame鈥檚 mission in and to the world. 鈥淟ook around you tonight, at this room filled with students, faculty聽and friends, gathered to celebrate life and human dignity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is Notre Dame.鈥�
In her remarks, Glendon聽reflected that the medal was a recognition of the rank-and-file women and men聽who are聽the backbone聽of the pro-life cause. 鈥淣otre Dame, by honoring me tonight, is paying tribute to the great movement to which it has been my privilege to belong. It was not without reason that my dear friend Richard John聽Neuhaus called the pro-life movement the most broad-based, the most diverse聽and the most sustained聽expression of grassroots civic participation America has ever seen.鈥�
She recalled this grassroots nature of the movement among her own circle of friends, as in 1990 they formed a Boston-area organization called 鈥淲omen Affirming Life鈥� that proudly proclaimed itself as聽鈥減ro-life, pro-woman, pro-child聽and pro-poor.鈥�
鈥淥ur membership grew and our members, according to their gifts and inclinations, threw themselves into assisting women in crisis pregnancies, organizing educational events, lobbying at the State House and providing that important kind of education that takes place in the home,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen Evangelium Vitae appeared [in 1995], we felt as though John Paul II himself had blessed every aspect of the work our members were doing.
鈥淭he prolife movement was built from the ground up by men and women from all races, nationalities, religions聽and walks of life, offering what they could with what they had,鈥� she continued. 鈥淎nd that is the secret of the progress it has made in the places where it counts most: in the hearts and minds of American men and women.鈥�
Glendon鈥檚 remarks inspired a standing ovation聽as she concluded, 鈥淭oday, Our Lady鈥檚 University has smiled on the rank and file of the great human rights cause of our time. For that I can only say: Thank you, Notre Dame.鈥�
Originally published by at on April 30.