As the school year winds down, Catholic colleges and universities have begun to announce the names of those who will receive honorary degrees at their graduation ceremonies.
Manor College, a small school with only 600 students founded in 1947 by the Sisters of St Basil the Great, an order of Ukrainian nuns, announced they would be conferring an honorary degree on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The school said it was conferring the honour because of Zelenskiy’s “heroism and ... courageous efforts to preserve Western civilisation”.
The degree will be accepted for Zelenskiy by Iryna Mazur, Ukrainian Consul in Philadelphia, where the school is located and which boasts a large Ukrainian population. Manor College, known for its programs for training veterinary technicians and dental hygiene specialists, is one of 15 schools in the US honouring Zelenskiy with an honorary degree.
The University of Notre Dame will be conferring the 2022 Laetare Medal on environmental justice activist Sharon Lavigne, founder of Rise St James.
Lavigne founded the grassroots, faith-based organisation in St James Parish, part of “Cancer Alley”, a section of Louisiana with many petrochemical plants that have polluted the air and water, causing cancer rates as high as 700 times the national average. “Through her tireless activism, Sharon Lavigne has heeded God’s call to advocate for the health of her community and the planet – and to help put an end to environmental degradation which so often disproportionately victimises communities of colour,” said Notre Dame President, Fr John Jenkins.
The Laetare Medal is the nation’s oldest and highest honor, and it is awarded annually at the school’s graduation ceremony. The name of the recipient is revealed on Laetare Sunday each year. Past recipients include Civil War Gen William Rosecrans, operatic tenor John McCormack, President John F Kennedy, Catholic Worker founder Dorothy Day, novelist Walker Percy, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, and labour activist Monsignor George G. Higgins.
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