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Arlington, Va.—Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap, archbishop of Boston, will receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for his efforts to renew and revitalize Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston. The award will be presented during the 22nd annual Seton Awards ceremony Oct. 1 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The Seton Award is NCEA’s highest honor, given in recognition of significant contributions to Catholic education. The award is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), the first native-born American saint.

Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap

Cardinal O'Malley has been archbishop of Boston since 2003 and a cardinal since 2006. He was professed into the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin in 1965, ordained a priest in 1970 and earned a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature at The Catholic University of America in 1978, where he founded the Centro Católico Hispano.

His first assignment as a bishop was in 1984 in the U.S. Virgin Islands and today he continues to work extensively with Hispanic, Portuguese and Haitian communities through programs such as the Regis College Haiti Project. Cardinal O'Malley served as bishop of Fall River, Mass., and Palm Springs, Fla., prior to Boston.

An ardent proponent of Catholic schools, the cardinal tells educators they "have the rare and precious opportunity to communicate church teaching in its entirety to the young." Foremost in Cardinal O'Malley's priorities is renewing and rebuilding a strong Catholic school network in the archdiocese. In 2005, he established the 2010 Initiative, an energetic committee of educators, clergy, civic and business leaders who developed a strategic plan based on extensive study and research. The cardinal has attracted substantial grant funding through the Campaign for Catholic Schools to realize the initiative's recommendations. The most substantial gift—believed to be the largest gift ever made from a foundation to support systematic reform for Catholic elementary education—was $15 million by the Yawkey Foundations.

This year’s other Seton Award recipients are:

• Robert A. Conway, Cincinnati, philanthropist and co-founder of The Bistro Group, for his expansive support of Catholic educational institutions in Greater Cincinnati.
• Chuck and Nancy Geschke, Los Altos, Calif., for their ongoing leadership and philanthropic contributions to post-secondary Catholic education.
• Leigh-Anne Kazma, Chicago, who has dedicated her career to the patronage of Catholic education through the generous efforts of the Kazma Family Foundation.
• Tom Moran, New York City, chairman and CEO, Mutual of America, for his benevolent corporate sponsorship within the Archdiocese of New York.
• Lorraine Ozar, associate professor of education at Loyola University Chicago, will receive the NCEA President’s Award for her vision and leadership in the development of effective Catholic school curricula and instruction.

For reservations or additional information about the Seton Awards, contact Xaverian Brother Stephen Comeau at (571) 257-2891.

NCEA, founded in 1904, is a professional membership organization that provides leadership, direction and service to fulfill the evangelizing, catechizing and teaching mission of the church. NCEA's members include elementary schools, high schools, parish religious education programs and seminaries.

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