Distinguished Professor of Church History, Weston Jesuit School of Theology
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
1995
Citation:
Through your commitment to God as an ordained priest of the Society of Jesus, you have distinguished yourself as a scholar and teacher of Church history. As an historian, you have illuminated the past to provide a foundation of knowledge for today's Church. Widely recognized by colleagues for your scholarly publications, you have received awards form the American Philosophical Society and the American Historical Association. Your definitive book on the history of the Jesuits, The First Jesuits, has earned you international acclaim. Your academic research was acknowledged with fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities, as well as a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow. Additionally, you were selected as a prestigious Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for the many distinguished contributions to your field. Through lectureships and professorships, you have shared your wealth of knowledge at leading academic institutions, such as Harvard University, the University of Michigan and Oxford University. Your contributions as a faculty member in the University's History and Religious Studies departments from 1965-79 also enriched our students. We are proud to call you one of our own and we welcome you back among us today. In recognition of your scholarly work, the University of Detroit Mercy is pleased to award you an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree. Commencement, University of Detroit Mercy, May 13, 1995.