The Catholic University of America remembers Cardinal William H. Keeler, the 14th archbishop of Baltimore. Cardinal Keeler died on March 23, 2017, at the age of 86. He served as a member of Catholic University’s Board of Trustees from 1989 to 2007.
Frank Persico, vice president for University relations and secretary to the Board of Trustees, remembered Keeler first and foremost as a pastor. "He was one’s idea of a caring and loving priest, a pastor who truly cared for his people,” Persico shared. “He had a warm smile and charismatic nature that endeared you to him the moment you met him. These powerful qualities helped him to foster his ministerial objectives of ecumenism and interfaith dialogue."
Cardinal Keeler’s support for Catholic University included hosting the American Cardinals Dinner in 1998, which elevated the University’s visibility in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. This event, hosted from 1989 to 2015 by American cardinals and archbishops, raised more than $30 million for student scholarships.
A statement on Cardinal Keeler from Most Rev. William E. Lori, archbishop of Baltimore, is available here.