'A great woman of faith': Catholic Extension honors Catholic Charities USA head

NEW YORK (OSV News) -- In presenting Catholic Extension Society's 2024 Spirit of Francis Award to Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Father Jack Wall, Catholic Extension's president, called Robinson "a great mentor of faith, hope, love and leadership."

"You are one of the most articulate and inspirational voices in the church today, and you are giving continual witness to the transformative power of the risen Christ at work right here, right now," Father Wall said. "You are a great woman of faith."

The priest and Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity, presented this year's award to Robinson in New York Dec. 3 at Catholic Extension's 10th annual Spirit of Francis Award dinner. Sister Keehan, who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States for 13 years until her retirement in 2019, received the award in 2022.

The award recognizes an individual or group who has made a significant impact on the mission of the Catholic Church in America through service or philanthropy.

A news release from Catholic Extension said proceeds from the dinner will benefit "a cause that is close to Robinson's heart, and one that she has been supporting throughout her career": women's leadership and ministry in the church.

The funds raised will support ministries led by Catholic women, lay and religious, in regions served by Catholic Extension and will also support the formation of new parish and diocesan women leaders in the church.

In his remarks, Father Wall described Catholic Extension's and Catholic Charities' missions as "linked together," saying, "Catholic Charities dedicates itself so beautifully and impactfully with the Gospel call to eradicate material poverty. At Catholic Extension, we are about the corporal works of mercy. Catholic Extension Society is dedicated to the eradication of spiritual poverty."

The Spirit of Francis Award is inspired by its three namesakes: St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis and Father Francis Clement Kelley, who founded Catholic Extension in 1905 -- all of whom are known for embracing and helping the poor.

In accepting the honor, Robinson thanked Catholic Extension "and all who work to advance" its life-giving mission. She said one of the best ways to strengthen the church today is to give more women opportunities to grow as leaders.

"My work on behalf of the church, for which I am profoundly grateful, has always included work to promote the role of women in meaningful positions of leadership in the church and at the tables of decision-making," Robinson said. "It has always been a matter of managerial and moral urgency, not for women's sake, for the church's sake. For without the leadership, expertise, judgment, participation, generosity and talents of women, along with men, the whole church is impoverished."

"As Father Jack mentioned, Catholic Charities has a special affinity and affection for Catholic Extension Society," she continued. "You are truly our partner in serving the poor in Mission Dioceses, and I want to acknowledge and thank the extraordinary women who are with us tonight from across the country who work tirelessly to serve the poor."

A Chicago-based nonprofit, Catholic Extension Society has supported Catholic communities in the nation's poorest regions since its founding. Through various partnerships, Catholic Extension also funds ministries, education and formation of women in the church through university scholarships to young adult women; ministerial development programs for women in marginalized communities; degree programs for religious sisters from the Global South who come to the U.S. as missionaries; and support for women-led parish ministries and pastoral outreach.

Catholic Charities USA, which has its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, represents the wide-ranging interests of its 168 member organizations across the country who collectively serve more than 16 million vulnerable people annually.

In 2023, Robinson became president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. She is the second woman and second layperson to lead the organization.

She is a lifelong member of the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities, which is her family's foundation supporting the Catholic Church's good works since 1945. She is also the executive director of the Opus Prize Foundation, which awards grants to ministries that alleviate human suffering.

She also served as the director of development for St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University and led a successful $75 million fundraising drive to expand and endow the chapel's ministry and to construct a Catholic student center on Yale's campus.

Robinson served as the founding executive director of Leadership Roundtable, an organization of laity, religious and clergy working together to promote best professional practices of the Catholic Church in the United States.