Father Jonathan DeFelice, O.S.B., president of Saint Anselm College, announced that Dr. Lawrence S. Cunningham, author, essayist and award winning professor of theology at the University of 
Notre Dame, will deliver the address at the College’s 116th commencement exercises. The College will confer degrees upon 400 graduates in ceremonies that will be held Saturday, May 16, on the lawn in front of Alumni Hall starting at 2 p.m.
“As an internationally recognized theologian and a devotee of Saint Anselm, Dr. Cunningham is a most appropriate choice for this year when we are celebrating the 900th anniversary of the death of our patron saint,” Father Jonathan said.
Furthermore, as a Catholic college that prizes excellence in teaching, we are honored to host a professor whose dedication to his students at Notre Dame is both exemplary and widely recognized,” Father Jonathan said.
Dr. Cunningham is the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame, where he has taught since 1988. The author or editor of 25 books, he specializes in the history of Christian Spirituality and systematic theology. He has written the popular “Religion Book Notes” for Commonweal magazine for nearly 25 years and has written hundreds of essays, book chapters, articles and reviews. His most recent book is Introduction to Roman Catholicism (Cambridge University Press 2009)
He earned his Ph.D. in Humanities at The Florida State University, where he also completed a Master’s in Literature. He earned an STL in Theology at Gregorian University in Rome and his Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy at St. Bernard’s College Seminary. A former chair of the Department of Theology at Notre Dame, he received in 2001 the University’s presidential award for service to the academy and the church. The most recent of his several teaching awards is the 2008 Edmund P. Joyce, CSC, Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Saint Anselm will confer an honorary degree on Dr. Cunningham, as well as:
Donna Lynn Orsuto, Professor at the Institute of Spirituality, Gregorian University, and founder and director of The Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas, in Rome, Italy;
Donna Sytek, former Speaker of the N.H. House of Representatives and Chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party;
Ronald J. Rioux, former President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary’s Bank, in Manchester, which is the nation’s first credit union and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.