This October, the Rev. Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., University president, will receive a distinguished award from the Sisters of Mercy, Regional Community of New York. The Catherine Award, which will be presented to Father O’Hare at a ceremony on Oct. 22, is given annually to a person whose “life reflects a deep Scriptural call to make the mercy of God visible in our world,” said Sister Patricia Wolf, the group’s president.
“Father O’Hare’s thirst for justice, tempered with mercy, has been a driving force in his ministerial endeavors,” Sister Wolf said, “be that in his radio homilies on WFUV, his commitment to education, his writing, public speaking and leadership in the affairs of New York City, or his heralded dedication to the student body of Fordham University.”
Father O’Hare attended St. Margaret Mary School, a grade school in the Bronx operated by the Sisters of Mercy. The Catherine Award is named for Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, and Catherine Seton, daughter of St. Elizabeth Seton, who both “traversed diverse communities and used every means available to them to make the Mercy of God evident in their world,” Sister Wolf said.
