The James Cardinal Gibbons Medal is named in honor

James Cardinal Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

, the founder and first chancellor of

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

. It is intended to honor any person who, in the opinion of the university's Alumni Association's board of governors, has rendered distinguished and meritorious service to the Roman Catholic Church, the United States of America, or The Catholic University of America. Winners include Bishop

Fulton J. Sheen Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop of the Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria in ...

, Senator

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, Speaker

John W. McCormack John William McCormack (December 21, 1891 – November 22, 1980) was an American politician from Boston, Massachusetts. An attorney and a Democrat, McCormack served in the United States Army during World War I, and afterwards won terms in both th ...

Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. Shriver was the driving force behind the creatio ...

, Nancy Reagan, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Sister Helen Prejean, and

Ronan Tynan Ronan Tynan (born 14 May 1960) is an Irish tenor singer and former Paralympic athlete. He was a member of The Irish Tenors re-joining in 2011 while continuing to pursue his solo career since May 2004. In the United States, audiences know him ...

. The Gibbons Medal is conferred by the university president on behalf of the CUA Alumni Association during the alumni awards ceremony. John F. Kennedy was awarded the medal while still a senator, upon the nomination of Eddie Pryzbyla, a future winner himself.

Winners

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=https://engage.catholic.edu/alumni/notable-alumni-and-award-winners/james-cardinal-gibbons-medalists , title=James Cardinal Gibbons Medalists , accessdate=September 10, 2019 , publisher=

{{cite web, title = The Archivist's Nook: About That Time Eddie Pryzbyla Nominated JFK , date = November 19, 2015 , first = Maria , last = Mazzenga , url = http://www.lib.cua.edu/wordpress/newsevents/7013/ , accessdate=December 16, 2015 , publisher =

{{cite web , url = http://www.cua.edu/news/2016/gibbons-medal-sinise.html , title = Alumni Association Announces Gary Sinise as Gibbons Medalist , accessdate = September 9, 2016 , publisher = The Catholic University of America Catholic ecclesiastical decorations Catholic University of America Awards established in 1949 1949 establishments in Washington, D.C.