On November 29, Catholic Extension Society honored Loretta Brennan Glucksman at the eighth annual New York Spirit of Francis Award Dinner. Proceeds from the evening benefit the ministries of religious sisters in Extension Dioceses.
Loretta Brennan Glucksman has been involved in philanthropic endeavors for more than three decades, focusing on education, the arts, health care and peace initiatives in both the United States and Ireland, a passion she shared with her late husband Lew Glucksman.
Loretta is the Chairman Emeritus of The Ireland Funds America, where she served as its Chairman for over 20 years before stepping down in December 2013. During that time, The Ireland Funds exceeded its goal of raising $100 million under the Promising Ireland Campaign and reset the target to $200 million.
Loretta is Co-Chair of Glucksman Ireland House founded in 1993, the center for Irish Studies at New York University, and she serves on the Board of Arts and Sciences at NYU. She also serves on the Board of the University of Limerick Foundation. Loretta is a long-time staunch supporter of FACES (Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures), which is affiliated with the NYU Langone Medical Center.
Lew and Loretta established the Glucksman Chair of English and American Letters at NYU, and the Glucksman Chair of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. In 2002, University College Cork officially opened the Lewis Glucksman Gallery; in 2001, Lew and Loretta established the Map Conservation Library at Trinity College, Dublin; and in 1998 they helped build the Glucksman Library at University Limerick.
In Ireland, Loretta served on numerous boards including IDA Ireland (national private-sector economic development), The National Gallery of Ireland, The National Library, The National Concert Hall, The Abbey Theatre, Trinity College, University College Cork, The Royal College of Surgeons, Smurfit School of Business at the University of Dublin, and Cork Airport Authority.
In 2002, Loretta was conferred an Honorary Commander of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the highest honor for a non-British citizen, for her work toward peace in Northern Ireland. She also received honorary degrees from the Universities of Scranton, Fairfield, Trinity, Cork and Queens College in Belfast and she is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy, The Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
Loretta was a teacher of third and fifth grade and a lecturer in English Literature at several universities. She was a television producer and on-air host for news and public affairs with PBS.
Loretta is grateful to her three children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
The Spirit of Francis Award
The Catholic Extension Society Spirit of Francis Award recognizes an individual or group who has made a significant impact on the mission of the Catholic Church in America through service or philanthropy. Spirit of Francis Award recipients are laudable for their commitment “to reach out to the margins of society” in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis, and the founder of Catholic Extension Society, Father Francis Clement Kelley.
Eighth Annual New York Spirit of Francis Award Dinner
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
6:30 PM | Welcome Reception
7:30 PM | Dinner & Award Presentation
Venue:
Metropolitan Club
One East Sixtieth Street
New York, NY 10022