The American Cardinals Dinner is an annual fundraiser that benefits The Catholic University of America (CUA). Each year, a different U.S. archdiocese hosts the Cardinals Dinner, a black-tie event which traditionally features all or most of the cardinals who serve as residential or emeritus archbishops of various U.S. dioceses. It is traditionally preceded by a Mass at the local cathedral.
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At the 2006 dinner, a gift of $8,000,000 from the Knights of Columbus was announced, to renovate Keane Hall and rename it McGivney Hall after Father Michael J. McGivney, who founded the Knights in 1882 in New Haven, Conn.
Most recent dinner
The 2014 dinner was held in New York City, with the Mass celebrated at St. Patrick's Cathedral with Cardinal Timothy Dolan serving as homilist. The dinner raised a record $2.1 million to support scholarships.
American Cardinals Encouragement Award
20th annual dinner
The 20th annual dinner was held in Houston, Texas, at the Hyatt Regency Houston and was co-hosted by Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., president of the University, and Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston. Over 700 guests attended the gala, at which Angela House, a transitional-housing facility for women after incarceration, received the American Cardinals Encouragement Award. Sister Maureen O'Connell, O.P., president of Angela House, accepted the award and $10,000 grant on behalf of the Houston-based organization.
The Mass preceding the dinner was held at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, with Cardinal DiNardo as the principal celebrant and Father O'Connell as the homilist. The principal concelebrants were Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago; Roger Cardinal Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles; Justin Cardinal Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia; Seán Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Boston; William Cardinal Keeler, archbishop emeritus of Baltimore; Adam Cardinal Maida, archbishop emeritus of Detroit; Edward Cardinal Egan, archbishop emeritus of New York; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States; and Father O'Connell.
Other prelates concelebrating were Archbishop Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and chancellor of CUA, along with Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Fiorenza, Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Vincent M. Rizzotto of Galveston-Houston and Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Past dinners
- December 12, 1989, in Washington, D.C.
- January 18, 1991, in New York, New York
- January 11, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois
- April 24, 1993, in Boston, Massachusetts
- April 16, 1994, in Washington, D.C.
- February 25, 1995, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- April 19, 1996, in Los Angeles, California
- June 6, 1997, in Detroit, Michigan
- May 1, 1998, in Baltimore, Maryland
- April 23, 1999, in Boston, Massachusetts
- May 5, 2000, in Chicago, Illinois
- April 27, 2001, in New York, New York
- April 26, 2002, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- May 2, 2003, in San Francisco, California
- April 23, 2004, in Saint Paul–Minneapolis, Minnesota
- January 28, 2005, in Miami, Florida
- April 28, 2006, in Washington, D.C.
- April 27, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada
- April 25, 2008, in Boston, Massachusetts
- April 24, 2009, in Houston, Texas
- April 23, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia
- May 6, 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona
- April 27, 2012, in Chicago, Illinois
- May 10, 2013, in Washington, D.C.
- May 30, 2014 in New York, New York