April 21, 2016
On April 16, 2016, in Louisville, KY, Paulist Fr. Tom Ryan received this year’s James Fitzgerald Award from the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers (CADEIO).
The award is given to individuals for their outstanding contribution to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. It is named after Msgr. James Fitzgerald, a prominent American ecumenist in the period immediately following Vatican II.
In his remarks, Fr. Tom described his earliest ecumenical encounters with Lutheran students who were living at St. Paul’s College when he was in formation, and how this interest grew and matured in subsequent assignments in Columbus, Montreal, New York and Washington. He was thankful for the many blessings he has received in this ministry.
The photo above shows Fr. Tom receiving the award from Fr. Don Rooney (left; outgoing CADEIO President) and Fr. Bob Flannery (right; chairman of the awards committee).