Zagano honored with Paulist justice award

NCR columnist Phyllis Zagano will receive the 2014 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice from Boston’s Paulist Center Saturday, Jan. 25. The award will be given at the 5:00 p.m. liturgy at the Paulist Center at 5 Park Street, Boston.

Zagano is an internationally acclaimed Catholic scholar and lecturer on contemporary spirituality and women's issues in the church. Honoring her columns for NCR in 2013, the Catholic Press Association called Zagano’s writing “Thoughtful and thought provoking. Powerful voice for woman's perspective.”

A former Fulbright Fellow, her biographical listings include Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, and Who’s Who in American Education. She holds a research appointment at Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.

“Her life and her work have consistently echoed the cry of the poorest of our society for dignity and for justice both inside and outside the church. This award honors Dr. Zagano’s exceptional efforts and lifelong commitment to the goals of Isaac Hecker,” says Susan Rotkowski spokesperson for the Boston Paulist Center. 

The Paulist Center is a Catholic community that draws members from throughout metro-Boston as well as those  for whom social justice, education, and evangelization are central to their faith.

Since 1974, their annual Hecker Award for Social Justice has recognized a North American Catholic who has labored for a more just and peaceful world.  Dr. Zagano joins former recipients, including Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, and last year’s winner, LCWR’s past-president, Franciscan Sr. Florence Deacon.

Editor's Note: Congratulations, Phyllis.