Sharon Daly to receive U.S. Catholic Award
Daly honored for commitment to social justice through Catholic Charities USA, USCCB
Sharon Daly, former Vice President of Social Policy for Catholic Charities USA and previous director of domestic social policy for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has been named recipient of the 2006 U.S. Catholic Award for Furthering the Cause of Women. Daly will receive the award during a public gathering at the USCCB Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. (The award presentation begins at 7 pm at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Regency Ballroom A, 400 North Jersey Avenue, NW.)
The award is being presented to Daly, one of the most visible and effective lobbyists for the Catholic Church’s social-justice agenda, in recognition of her exceptional commitment to advocating for those in need in the United States.
“We are proud to present this award to Sharon Daly,” said Claretian Father John Molyneux, publisher of U.S. Catholic magazine. “As one of the highest-ranking lay women leaders in the church, Sharon has been a trailblazer and mentor for women in church leadership. Her leadership and efforts to bring Catholic social teaching to bear on the political process in the country exemplifies the spirit of the U.S. Catholic Award.”
Daly is recognized for having brought a new level of professionalism and savvy to the church’s lobbying efforts and for her ability to build bridges across the partisan divide in Congress to promote and achieve legislation for the poor and disadvantaged. Her work has left a legacy of hope for low-income people across the country and has opened the eyes of many Catholics to the importance of working for social justice in the political arena.
Since 1978, the editors of U.S. Catholic have been recognizing important contributions of individuals working to further the cause of women with the annual U.S. Catholic Award. Daly joins a distinguished group of recipients, including last year’s recipient, Justice Anne Burke, and Sister Joyce Rupp, O.S.M., Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., Sister Dianna Ortiz, O.S.U., the Erie Benedictine Sisters, Diana Hayes, the Catholic Theological Society of America, and Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
The 2006 U.S. Catholic Award will be presented to Daly on February 13, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the USCCB Social Ministry Gathering at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. U.S. Catholic is published by Claretian Publications, 205 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
For more information contact: Michelle Warner, Communications Manager at 312.236.7782, ext. 411. For more information about U.S. Catholic or to find out how to subscribe, please visit the magazine’s website at www.uscatholic.org, or call 1-800-328-6515.