On Wednesday, April 13, 2011 in the Keating Hall Auditorium, Mr. Matthew McGarry, IPED Class of 2004 and the Country Representative of Catholic Relief Services in Afghanistan received the Swanstrom — Baerwald Award for Excellence in the Service of Faith through the Promotion of International Peace and Development
The Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of Fordham University, welcomed the audience to Keating Hall.
Sr. Arlene Flaherty, O.P. of Catholic Relief Services called our gathering together by giving the opening prayer …
and His Emminence Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, highlighted the importance of the collaboration that exist between Fordham University and Catholic Relief Services for the benefit of both the poor and the Church
Cardinal McCarrick also highlighted Matt McGarry’s many accomplishments with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). After graduation from Fordham, Matt, a returned Jesuit International Volunteer, served first in Zimbabwe. He then worked in Khartoum followed by Darfur in the Sudan. After Darfur he worked in Pakistan first as Head of Operations and then as Country Representative. Currently Matt has just completed his tour as CRS’ Country Representative in Afghanistan.
Left to right are: Prof. Henry Schwalbenberg, IPED Director; Cardinal McCarrick, Matthew McGarry, Sr. Arlene, and Fr. McShane.
Mr. McGarry gave the keynote address on the work of Catholic Relief Services in Afghanistan …
and the packed audience of 500 family, friends, students, faculty and colleagues responded enthusiastically.
* The Swanstrom – Baerwald Award also honors the memory of Professor Friedrich Baerwald (1900-1989) and Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom (1903-1985). Professor Baerwald was a member of the German Catholic Party and was an official in the German Labor Ministry during the end of the Weimar Republic. With the rise of National Socialism, Professor Baerwald had to flee Germany and became a professor at Fordham University. Under Professor Baerwald’s tutelage, the then Father Swanstrom earned his doctorate by writing on the problems of waterfront laborers in New York during the 1930s. In the aftermath of the destruction and carnage of World War II, Bishop Swanstrom went on to help found Catholic Relief Services which he then led as Executive Director from 1947 until 1976.