At a gala in New York City last night to celebrate its 25th Anniversary, the National Pastoral Life Center honored Catholic Charities USA's Rev. Clarence Williams, CPPS, Ph.D., with its Monsignor Philip J. Murnion Faith in Culture Award for his outstanding contribution to the Catholic Church.

"I am delighted that Father Clarence Williams is receiving the Msgr. Philip Murnion Faith in Culture Award," said Rev. John E. Hurley, CSP, executive director of National Pastoral Life Center. "When one thinks of celebrating the richness of ethnic diversity, Father Clarence comes to my mind immediately. He enables those willing to open their eyes to see the diverse blessings that come from one other. He reminds us that no culture is better than another and each has its history, its anguish, shortcomings, and blessings. His voice is a blessing in our church and society."

At Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), Father Williams develops and conducts comprehensive diversity and racial equality training for local agencies, recommends CCUSA positions on diversity that best serve CCUSA and its member agencies, and shares his Racial Sobriety approach for race relations within the Catholic Charities network. Most recently, Father Williams was instrumental in helping CCUSA develop its paper, Poverty and Racism: Overlapping Threats to the Common Good and launch a new Web page, E Pluribus Unum--Latin for "out of many, one." This page promotes and facilitates conversation on poverty and racism.

"Msgr. Philip Murnion's passion for the inclusion of those on the margins of parish communities was a light to - and a fire for - my pastoral ministry over a 20-year period," Father Williams said. "I find myself overwhelmed with the idea of receiving an award in his honor. Receiving the award is a challenge to hold up the torch of his vision which invites all people to take their place at the table of the Lord."

Father Williams joins four other Catholic professionals who were honored for their outstanding contributions to the fields of media, culture, and parish life, including Washington Post syndicated columnist, E.J. Dionne, Jr.; actress, Agnes Nixon; executive director of the Hispanic Catholic Center, Rudy Vargas, IV; and writer and advocate, Monsignor Harry J. Byrne.

The National Pastoral Life Center serves the leadership of the church's pastoral ministry, particularly in parishes and diocesan offices. Founded in 1983 by Msgr. Philip J. Murnion with the encouragement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Center assembles the best of thinking and practice--through its studies, publications, consulting, and conferences--contributing to reflective and effective pastoral ministry. The work is carried out through a variety of programs, projects, and associations.

Father Williams, who is a member of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, was the first black priest ordained in his hometown Diocese of Cleveland. He has served for more than 30 years in the Archdiocese of Detroit with assignments that included pastoral ministry, television production, and directing the Black Catholic Ministries office.

Father Williams has a doctorate in Global Education and Cultural Communication from the Union Institute & University in Cincinnati.

He established the Institute for Recovery from Racisms, which is dedicated to training facilitators and designing programs to promote racial sobriety. Father Williams was the co-convener of Building Bridges in Black and Brown, a national dialogue between the African American and Hispanic American communities. He is also a collaborator with Rudy Vargas IV. They worked on the Black and Brown dialogue and the U.S. Bishops' Planning Committee for the Church's millennial celebration 2000. They designed the dialogue encounters for racial, ethnic and cultural groups.

Fr. Williams is also the author of Recovery from Everyday Racisms; Racial Sobriety: Becoming the change you want to see; and numerous writings in journals and magazines.

About Catholic Charities USA

Catholic Charities USA's members--nearly 1,700 local agencies and institutions nationwide--provide help and create hope for nearly 8 million people of all faiths and social and economic backgrounds. For almost 300 years, local Catholic Charities agencies have been providing a myriad of vital services in their communities, ranging from day care and counseling to food and housing.