Kentucky student wins social justice award

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reports that David Golemboski, 22, a student leader in the social justice community of Louisville, Kentucky, is the 2007 recipient of the annual Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award. The award honors Catholics ages 18-30, who demonstrate leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the United States through community-based solutions. It was established in 1998 by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), a national program of the USCCB.

CCHD Interim Executive Director John Carr praised the choice.

“David has used his considerable gifts to bring diverse communities together in Louisville. His ability to express his Catholic faith through leadership and action inspires us at CCHD and I congratulate David and his supportive family as he receives the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award,” Carr said.

Golemboski is in his first year at Harvard Divinity School, pursuing a master’s degree in religion, ethics and politics and is a Thomas Merton scholar. In his last two years as an undergraduate at the University of Louisville, he was the associate director of CrossRoads Ministry, a group he had earlier served as a volunteer. CrossRoads is an inner-city retreat center that engages high school and college-aged youths in peacemaking through urban experiences.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is one of the nation’s largest supporters of self-help, community-based programs initiated and led by the poor. Funded by an annual collection in Catholic parishes across the country, CCHD has distributed more than $300 million to more than 7,800 self-help projects over its 37 years. This year, CCHD announced more than $9.5 million in grants to support 314 local projects, selected without regard to religious affiliation, in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. More information about CCHD is here.

To learn more about the social justice award, go here.