Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at Carroll College
On Monday September 14, His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C., received an honorary degree from Carroll and gave the inaugural Carroll Centennial Catholic Lecture, "Charity in Truth: Pope Benedict's New Teachings on Catholic Social Justice and the World Economy.
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Cardinal McCarrick was selected to receive a centennial-year honorary degree from the college because of his lifetime commitment to social justice and care of the human family through his outreach work, financial support and prayer worldwide. A widely recognized and award-winning humanitarian, he has focused his ministry on the care of migrants and on the work of missions across the globe, with a special emphasis on Latin America. The public may be familiar with the cardinal, as he delivered remarks at the recent internationally televised burial service for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick was born in New York City in 1930 and attended Catholic schools throughout his life. He entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1954 and a master's in history in 1958. Francis Cardinal Spellman ordained him to the priesthood on May 31, 1958 in New York City. He went on to earn a second master's degree in social sciences and a Ph.D. in sociology from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.
Father McCarrick's first assignment was as assistant chaplain of Catholic University where he went on to serve as dean of students and as director of development. He was named president of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce in 1965, where he was responsible for the intense development of the school as a major institution. That same year he received the title of monsignor from Pope Paul VI.
In 1977, Pope Paul VI named Msgr. McCarrick Auxiliary Bishop of New York. In 1981, Pope John Paul II appointed him to be the first Bishop of Metuchen, a newly-established diocese in New Jersey. From 1986 until his appointment to the Archdiocese of Washington, he served as the fourth Archbishop of Newark.
In January 2001, he was installed as Archbishop of Washington, a position he held until May 2006. Just seven weeks after his installation, in February 2001, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II. Among many notable events, Cardinal McCarrick was one of 115 Cardinals in the world who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI as the successor to Pope John Paul II in April 2005.
In 1986 and again in 1992, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) elected His Eminence to head its Committee on Migration. Over the years he has headed and served on a variety of the conference's committees dealing with global issues, including missions and Latin America. He was elected one of 15 U.S. bishops to serve as a member of the Synod for America held in 1997 and later as a member of the Post Synodal Council.
A founding member of the Papal Foundation, he also served as its president for a number of years. Cardinal McCarrick is a member of the Board of Catholic Relief Services, for whom he travels regularly. For the Vatican, he serves on a number of Pontifical Councils addressing Christian unity; justice and peace; Latin America; and care for migrant people.
Throughout his career, His Eminence has visited many nations in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Eastern Europe and Central America as a human rights advocate and to survey humanitarian needs. He was called to areas immediately after natural disasters in Central America, Sri Lanka and Louisiana and Mississippi post-Hurricane Katrina, to bring prayer, financial support and other assistance to those in need.
Among his many honors, in January 2000, the President of Lebanon named him an Officer of the Order of the Cedars of Lebanon and in December 2000, the president of the United States presented him with the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights.
Since retiring as archbishop, Cardinal McCarrick has continued to travel on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, to fulfill various responsibilities for the Vatican and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and to seek peace in the Middle East through his involvement with the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative and the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land.