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| May 18, 1999 Monsignor Philip J. Murnion to Receive FADICA's 1999 Distinguished Catholic Leadership Award Washington, D.C. ----- A priest of the Archdiocese of New York and founder of the National Pastoral Life Center there, will receive the Distinguished Catholic Leadership Award, the highest distinction conferred by the Catholic philanthropic community. Msgr. Murnion will be honored at a special dinner in San Francisco June 4th hosted by the association of Catholic foundations, FADICA. The award was inaugurated by FADICA eleven years ago to enable its members to give joint recognition to the individual who has best demonstrated creativity, initiative, and leadership in contributing to the vitality and growth of Catholic life. According to FADICA's President, Francis J. Butler, "Msgr. Philip Murnion's work to renew parish life and his singular devotion to helping bishops and pastors make the pastoral transitions of the last three decades has been an extraordinary gift to the church. He deserves the applause of every Catholic." Msgr. Murnion will receive the award in the presence of over sixty foundation representations from the Catholic community gathering for the organization's Twenty Third Annual Meeting. Members of Msgr. Murnion's family will also be present. Past recipients of the DCL Award have included Walter J. Burghardt SJ, William J. Byron SJ, Sr. Katarina Schuth OSF, Sr. Joan Bland SND, among other individuals. Msgr. Murnion has been a counselor to the American hierarchy and director of the Parish Project of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. As founding director of the National Pastoral Life Center for 16 years, Msgr. Murnion has sponsored numerous conferences and training programs on parish life. He is editor in chief of the Center's award-winning quarterly for parish priests and pastoral ministers: Church Magazine. Msgr. Murnion was also the designer and original director of the Notre Dame Study on Catholic parish life. Return to List of News Releases | Back to Top |