Last week, the Catholic Theological Union Blessed Are the Peacemakers dinner gathered supporters for prayer, fellowship, and fundraising and to honor Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, with its namesake award.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Thomas Brown noted the acute need for peace today. “There is no shortage of need for peacemakers, and our cardinal has been active in responding to that call,” Thomas said. “We must redouble our efforts to be peacemakers ourselves.”
In his acceptance speech, Cardinal Cupich touched on Pope Leo’s recent reflections, the event’s namesake passage in the Gospel, and the impact and reach of CTU.
CTU President Fr. Enzo Del Brocco, CP, affirmed Cardinal Cupich’s leadership in peacemaking as he introduced the cardinal to receive his award. “Cardinal Cupich has emerged as a clear and prophetic voice for peace,” Fr. Enzo said. “Most strikingly, he has challenged the trivialization of war itself in which human suffering is treated as spectacle and war becomes entertainment.”
In his reflection, Cardinal Cupich pointed to Pope Leo XIV’s peacemaking leadership. “Leo has spoken with disarming clarity of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who rejects war and who no one can use as justification for war. The Gospel interrupts cycles of violence,” Cardinal Cupich said. “Peace demands creativity. It refuses the temptation to abandon those most at risk. It seeks solutions that preserve human dignity and open space for reconciliation.”
The Clerics of St. Viator are a member of the corporate union of religious communities that governs CTU. Fr. Mark Francis, CSV, is President Emeritus and a life trustee, and Fr. Jason Nesbit, CSV, currently serves as a trustee. They each attended with CTU students Pre-Novice Tony Davies, Associate Ann Perez, and Br. Marc Innocent Prophète, CSV; CTU alumni Bishop Chris Glancy, CSV, Fr. John Eustice, CSV, and Associate Dan Masterton; and Fr. Tom Long, CSV. Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, Pre-Novice Sal Solis, and Viatorian Young Adult Viviana Tellez are also current students at CTU.
Left to right: Ann, Fr. John, Fr. Jason, Fr. Mark, Bishop Chris, Tony, Fr. Tom, and Br. Marc, photographed by Dan.
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At this event, held at the David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago, CTU also confers the Diaknoia Award. This year, it was awarded to The Precious Blood Spirituality Institute for inspiring reconciliation, healing, and renewal in the Church and the world.
In orienting the group to the present context of CTU, Fr. Enzo noted the vast reach of its students and alumni, including, of course, Pope Leo XIV. “Our over 4500 alumni serve in over 60 counties, largely at the margins, focused on serving those most in need,” Fr. Enzo said. “We give thanks for Pope Leo XIV and his witness. His ability to move across cultures, listen, and lead reflects how we form leaders not just to understand the world, but to enter into it with wisdom and faith. Students at CTU learn to see differences not as a threat, but as a gift.”
Cardinal Cupich reflected on the impact of CTU, rooted in Christ and the Gospel. “This award associates me with CTU, where leaders witness to the demands of the Gospel in the modern world. It connects me to Cardinal Bernardin, who I knew well and continues to be a marker of pastoral leadership. It also brings me back to that moment upon the hilltop, when the word ‘peace’ was on the very lips of Jesus,” Cardinal Cupich said. “The Beatitudes are the only time when ‘peacemaker’ appears is the Gospel, and it reflects how Jesus views those who enter a conflict with the purpose of restoring ‘shalom’ – a Hebrew concept for justice and peace – as peacemakers.”