CDU Supporters Celebrate 35 Years at Gala
Friends, trustees, faculty, and staff of Catholic Distance University gathered to celebrate 35 Years of serving the New Evangelization at the annual gala on Saturday, November 3rd, 2018, at the National Shrine of St. John Paul II in Washington, DC. Helen Alvaré, professor of law at George Mason University School of Law and noted Catholic advocate for women and families, served as the master of ceremonies. The event was hosted by Dr. Charles Wasaff, the first lay chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Archbishop Timothy Broglio, university chancellor and vice chairman of the Board. Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington and trustee of CDU delivered the invocation. “Here we are at the Shrine of St. John Paul II, who told us always to use every appropriate resource and tool possible to teach the truth and the joy of the Gospel,” he aptly noted. Bishop Burbidge thanked God for blessing CDU for 35 years and for the many ways the University has responded to that challenge and call. The evening began with an academic convocation Mass to honor CDU’s 2018 graduates, who hail from throughout the United States as well as Japan, Austria, Scotland, and Canada. Archbishop Timothy Broglio served as the principal celebrant, and trustee Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde of Arlington, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2003 until 2017, con-celebrated.
MA in Theology degree graduates attending Mass included students from California, Virginia, and Iowa. A student in attendance from Iowa who earned the rank of Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force is now studying at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. He began his career in aerospace engineering in the Air Force as a Combat Search and Rescue Navigator. While deployed abroad during active duty he enrolled in CDU’s MA program and discerned a vocation to the priesthood. BA in Theology degree graduates attending Mass included students from California and Florida. BA graduate Alfredo Garcia Lopez of Fresno, CA, was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States in 1987. All of the graduates actively lead or participate in ministries in their parishes and are committed to sharing the faith with others. Dr. Charles Wasaff and president Dr. Marianne Evans Mount presented the Bishop Thomas J. Welsh Parish Award to the Basilica of St. Mary of Alexandria, VA. Rector Rev. Edward C. Hathaway warmly accepted the award on behalf of St. Mary’s Parish, which was founded in 1795 as the first Catholic parish in Virginia. Pope Francis named the church a minor basilica on December 6, 2017, due to its important role in the growth of the Catholic Church in North America. Dr. Wasaff noted the Basilica’s outstanding record of service. The Basilica has 54 apostolates; 400 parishioners actively volunteering in the community; and a 700 plus-student school, making it the largest K-8 school in the Diocese of Arlington. Three of its pastors, including Father Hathaway, have generously supported CDU through the years.
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Gala Hosts
Dr. Charles R. Wasaff, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
The Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees and University Chancellor
Gala Chair
The Honorable Susan R. Malone
Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Archdiocese of Washington
Basilica of Saint Mary
The Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio
The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
The Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde
The Most Reverend Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio
Diocese of Arlington
Diocese of Brooklyn
AmFund
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Braddock
Tony Braddock
Mr. Daniel F. Curtin
EWTN Global Catholic Network, Inc.
Drs. Angelo & Eileen Giardino
Good Shepherd Catholic Church
Mrs. Geraldine Hall
Mrs. Jean Halle & Mr. Glenn Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hertz
Mr. & Mrs. Sam & Ann Hinojosa
Mrs. Claire Huang
Mr. & Mrs. Peter D. Jones
Ms. Barbara Keebler & Mr. Terrence Giroux
Korte Realty
The Hon. Susan R. Malone & Col. George Malone
Mr. & Mrs. John F. McCabe
Mrs. Sandra Andreas McMurtrie
Dr. Margaret Melady
Mrs. Blanche Moore
Dr. Marianne Evans Mount
Mrs. Barbara Murphy
Mr. & Mrs. Roger Naill
Napa Institute
Mr. & Mrs. William Page
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey P.F. Petrino
Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Pryor
Dr. & Mrs. Fritz Scheuren
Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Smith
St. Theresa Catholic Church
St. Agnes Catholic Church
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
St. Matthew Catholic Church
The Catholic University of America
Dr. and Mrs. Charles R. Wasaff
Mr. & Mrs. Harry T. Wilkins
We would be honored to have you join us at our annual Gala. Not only will you be supporting our award winner and graduates, you will also be supporting the only exclusively online Catholic university in the ACCU. As CDU’s only annual fundraiser, the Gala provides much needed revenue to fulfill our strategic mission for Catholic online education that nurtures the spiritual and intellectual life of Catholics around the globe. CDU’s sole focus is online theological and religious education.
In 1983, Bishop Thomas Welsh founded CDU to bring the truth of Christ and His Church to the world through online distance education. CDU’s web-based learning community enhances adult faith formation and enables access to accredited degree programs in theology simply with a connection to the Internet. Today, our graduates are proof that CDU’s digital learning is transformative. Nine out of ten graduates are using their knowledge in roles that serve the Church. For many students, CDU is their only option to enhance their professional work, to prepare for careers in the Church, to volunteer in parishes and dioceses, and to be parents who are both witnesses and missionary disciples, speaking with passion and knowledge about the faith. All this is accomplished at less than half the cost of attending a traditional Catholic university or college and would not be possible without the generosity of people like you.
Your generous donation to our annual event enables us to provide transformative Catholic education in fidelity to the teachings of the Church anytime, anywhere around the world, delivered 24/7 to smart phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads! You make it possible for CDU to serve the underserved and those who serve, and to achieve our great mission to “Teach all Nations” by communicating the mind and heart of the Church in a digital world. Your gift:
- Educates American service men and women deployed around the world.
- Prepares directors of religious education, teachers, and catechists to teach, promote, and defend the Catholic faith
- Brings the healing Word of God to Catholic prison inmates who take courses to deepen their faith and evangelize fellow inmates.
- Supports Mission Dioceses with scholarships for strong lay leaders.
- Holds down tuition rates. Most graduates share their knowledge and serve the Church.
- Supports isolated and marginalized Catholics around the globe with online campus resources.
Your generosity answers the need of the Church to provide transformative religious education in an online format that is essential for the New Evangelization so frequently mentioned by Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. Understanding and sharing our Faith will transform individuals, communities and cultures around the globe. Thank you for supporting CDU’s 2018 Gala. We look forward to seeing you there!
Previous Honorees:
2017 – Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, PhD
2016 – Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight of The Knights of Columbus
2016 – His Excellency Most Reverend William E. Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore and Supreme Chaplain of Knights of Columbus
2015 – Helen Alvare, JD
Professor of Law, George Mason University
2014 – His Excellency The Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio
Archbishop for the Military Services
2014 – His Excellency The Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio
Bishop of Brooklyn
2013 – Barbara & Tim Murphy
2012 – Dr. Margaret & Ambassador Thomas Melady
2011 – His Excellency, The Most Reverend Pietro Sambi
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America
2011 – Joseph and Bertha Braddock
2010 – His Excellency, The Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
2010 – EWTN
Mr. Michael Warsaw, Chairman of the Board
Previous Honorees:
2017 – St. James the Greater
Rev. John S. Ledford
2017 – St. Veronica Catholic Church
Rev. Dennis W. Kleinmann
2016 – Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
Rev. John D. Kelly
2015 – Good Shepherd Catholic Church
Rev. Thomas Ferguson
2014 – St. John the Apostle Roman Catholic Church
Rev. John P. Mosimann
2013 – St. Mary Catholic Church
Rev. Dennis W. Kleinmann
2012 – Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Rev. John M. O’Donohue
2011 – St. Raymond of Penafort Catholic Church
2010 – St. Agnes Catholic Church
Rev. Frederick H. Edlefsen
