Each year, the Catholic Common Ground Initiative honors an individual or group that has made a unique contribution to the achievement of common ground in the church. The honoree’s(s’) work has made an impact on a significant number of people and set a precedent or example of building common ground in the church. The recipient of the award also embodies the dialogical and consultative approach to leadership of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in working towards unity in the church. Past recipients of the award include the following:
2019
Award Recipient: John Carr[1], Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University
Award Recipient: C[5]arolyn Y. Woo, Ph.D.[5], President and CEO of Catholic Relief Services
2014
Award Recipient: Rev. Donald Senior, C.P., S.T.D.[6], President Emeritus and Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union
2013
Award Recipient: Zeni V. Fox, Ph.D.[7], Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University
Award Recipient: Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, Th.D.[9], Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Secretary for Health and Social Services for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Award Recipient: Eugene J. Fisher, Ph.D.[13], Associate Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)