The Annual IVC Madonna Della Strada Award was celebrated on a lovely evening on the University of San Diego campus attended by MFF Directors Catherine Scanlon and her husband Mark, Marlene Miller and her husband Bruce, and Barbara Menard and her partner Jim Ogilvie. The Evening of Gratitude began with Eucharist in the Founder’s Chapel. The celebrant and homilist was Fr. Gil Gentile, SJ, one of the founders of IVC San Diego. He was joined by Rev. Chris Weekly, SJ, Rev. Neal Wilkinson, SJ, Rev. Mike Ravenkamp, SJ. The celebration continued at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. The patio area was the site for a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres and enticing silent auction baskets. The Awards were presented in the Peace and Justice Theater. Regional Director Laura Owen welcomed attendees. The Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) award was presented to Sheila O’Malley and Barbara J. Menard. The Madonna Della Strada Award was presented to Sister Ann Durst, SHCJ.
The AMDG Award honors those individuals who have responded to God’s calling, offering their hearts and hands, whenever and wherever needed, in service and leadership to IVC.
The Madonna Della Strada Award is named after Sancta Maria della Strada, the first church that St. Ignatius Loyola and the early Jesuits obtained to serve the urban poor in the center of Rome. The award honors lives that reflect the Ignatian values of direct service to the poor and of working and educating for a more just society.