Catholic Theological Union (CTU) honored DePaul University President Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM, with its Diakonia award and peace negotiator Monica McWilliams with the Blessed are the Peacemakers award on April 26 at the Hilton Chicago. Each year, CTU presents its Diakonia service award to a distinguished Chicagoan whose service has made a positive and important contribution to the common good of Chicago and the nation.

Rev. Mark Francis, CSV, president of Catholic Theological Union, noted his respect and admiration for Fr. Holtschneider, who helped formalize an alliance between CTU and DePaul University in 2011. “I’ve always been impressed by the way Fr. Dennis carries himself as a true servant-leader,” Fr. Francis said. “In his 13 years at DePaul, he has listened to his students and to those in his community, and in the greater Chicago area. He has done outstanding work to promote an environment where dialogue and learning can thrive.”

Currently a professor in the Transitional Justice Institute at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, Monica McWilliams serves on a three-person panel established by the Northern Ireland government to make recommendations on the disbandment of paramilitary organizations. McWilliams is also the recipient of two honorary doctorates and the prestigious Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. In recent years, she has provided support and training for women negotiators in Colombia and Syria.

“We were thrilled to have Monica McWilliams come to CTU,” said Francis. “Her life and work represent the kind of service and witness to peace that we want all of our students to strive for.”

To learn more about Catholic Theological Union, as well as the Blessed are the Peacemakers event, visit ctu.edu.

For more information, http://www.ctu.edu/