Msgr. J. Bryan Hehir

Msgr. J. Bryan Hehir currently serves as Secretary for Health and Social Services for the Archdiocese of Boston and as the Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Throughout his accomplished career as a priest and academic, Msgr. Hehir has served on the faculty of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and on the Harvard Divinity School faculty, including three years as Chair of the Harvard Divinity School Executive Committee. At the Harvard Kennedy School, he is a Faculty Associate at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics.

His teaching, research, and writing focus on ethics and foreign policy, as well as the role of religion in world politics and American society. Msgr. Hehir served on the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he worked on foreign and domestic policy issues, including serving as staff director for the landmark 1983 pastoral letter, The Challenge of Peace. From 2002 to 2003, he served as President of Catholic Charities USA. He was also a member of the Vatican Delegation to the United Nations in 1973 and 1978.

Msgr. Hehir is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. His honors include the MacArthur Award, the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame, the Martin E. Marty Award for the Public Understanding of Religion, and the Harvard Kennedy School’s Carballo Award for Excellence in Teaching.

A graduate of St. John’s Seminary in Boston and Harvard University, Msgr. Hehir has made extraordinary contributions to the Church’s social teaching and ministries. Rostro de Cristo is honored to recognize him as a recipient of the Mustard Seed Award.

Honorees Pat McTeague and Sonya Rendón with Fr. Jim Ronan.

Pat McTeague and Sonya Rendón have been great friends to Rostro deCristo since our beginning. Drawn to work together by their shared faith and their belief that a quality education is the main pathway to overcome poverty they founded the Nuevo Mundo (New World) School andFoundation. Generations of Rostro de Cristo volunteers and retreatants have been impacted by them. In the words of Fr. Ronan, “Pat and Sonya have been a truly formative inspiration in their relationships with our volunteers due to the relationships they have had with the people they serve which is, of course, fueled by their relationship with God which has caused them to dream and envision a new world.”

Rdc Board member Barbra Rosiello with honoree, Nancy Lukitsh.

Nancy Lukitsh is a woman of deep faith and commitment to young people in their faith journeys. Nancy served on Rostro de Cristo’s Board from 2012 - 2021. Bringing her many successful years working in the financial sector her critical guidance and support ensured Rostro deCristo’s promising future. Close friend of 40 years and fellow BoardMember, Barbara Rosiello, said of Nancy, “The mustard seed imagery is truly perfect in describing how Nancy moved Rostro forward. Graciously, gracefully, and generously.”

Rostro de Cristo Board Chair Ed Hardiman with honoree Paul Saleeb, M.D.

Paul Saleeb, M.D. is a Rostro de Cristo alumnus (1999-2000) and physician in infectious disease. Since his year with Rostro Paul has volunteered in Kenya and Sudan; conducted research and offered technical support in Mali and Tanzania; and served as a resident faculty director in Botswana. In addition, he has worked at the National Institutes of Health. Currently, Paul practices medicine in Baltimore and serves on the faculty of U. of Maryland School of Medicine. Rostro de Cristo volunteer and Paul’s community-mate in Ecuador, Claire Ribando, introduced Paul at the awards sharing, “I think Paul has always had agreat faith. I have seen how he has carried it forward in his work, his research, his service, and his travels.”