April 23, 2010
Cardinals Celebrate Mass at Cathedral of Christ the King
WASHINGTON, D.C. - America's Catholic cardinals raised about $1 million for The Catholic University of America in Atlanta Friday, April 23, at the 21st American Cardinals Dinner, held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop of Atlanta, and Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., president of The Catholic University of America, served as co-hosts for the dinner, attended by approximately 400 guests. Proceeds of the dinner benefit CUA scholarship funds. Prior to the dinner, Archbishop Gregory was the principal celebrant at a 4 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the King located at 2699 Peachtree Road, NE. Visiting cardinals, bishops and clergy concelebrated the Mass, which was open to the public. Father O'Connell served as the homilist. To view photos and biographies of the cardinals and archbishops who attended the dinner along with Father O'Connell, click here . "Every year, I am so grateful to all who join us at the American Cardinals Dinner to show their support for The Catholic University of America," said Father O'Connell. "Our devotion to the mission of Catholic education has never been stronger at the university. Those who attend the dinner play a vital role in advancing that mission by supporting our deserving students who wish to receive an education at one of America's premier Catholic universities." The dinner featured three cardinals who currently serve as U.S. archbishops. They are: Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago; Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Boston; and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston. They also are members of CUA's Board of Trustees. Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop emeritus of New York; and Cardinal Adam J. Maida, archbishop emeritus of Detroit, were also present as special guests.
Also in attendance at the dinner were Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, CUA chancellor and a university alumnus; and Most Rev. Allen H. Vigneron, archbishop of Detroit and chairman of the CUA Board of Trustees. Each year a different diocese or archdiocese hosts the black-tie event; this is the first time the dinner was held in Atlanta. In recent years the dinner has been held in such cities as Houston, Boston, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul and San Francisco. Since its inauguration, the annual event has raised more than $25 million to support scholarships for Catholic University students. MEDIA: Members of the media may obtain more information about the dinner and Mass by calling Katie Lee at 202-386-0681 (mobile) or Victor Nakas at 202-236-4086 (mobile) or e-mail: nakas@cua.edu.
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The Catholic University of America, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., is unique as the national university of the Catholic Church in America. Founded in 1887 and chartered by Congress, the university opened as a graduate research institution. Undergraduate programs were introduced in 1904. Today the private and coeducational campus has approximately 6,700 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 12 schools of architecture and planning, arts and sciences, canon law, engineering, law, library and information science, music, nursing, philosophy, professional studies, social service and theology and religious studies.