Sister Kathleen Deignan, CND, Ph.D., professor of religious studies and founder and director of Iona College's Spirituality Institute will receive the Sapientia et Doctrina Award from Fordham University at their fourth annual Sapientia et Doctrina awards celebration on Friday October 16th. "On behalf of the Iona community we are extremely proud of Dr. Deignan's recognition as the recipient of this prestigious award. Dr. Deignan exemplifies the true spirit of Iona's Mission of intellectual inquiry and the values of justice, peace and service," said Dr. Brian Nickerson, Iona's Dean of the School of Arts and Science.

Dr. Deignan earned her master's degree and doctoral degree in Christian spirituality and historical theology, respectively, at Fordham University. She is professor of religious studies at Iona College, where she founded and directs the Iona Spirituality Institute, a project for the celebration and cultivation of the spiritual life. The author of Christ Spirit: The Eschatology of the American Shakers (Rowman & Littlefield, 1992), she also edited When the Trees Say Nothing: Thomas Merton's Writings on Nature (Sorin Books, 2003), which was selected as the Book of the Month by Spiritual Books Associates and reached No. 3 on the Catholic bestseller list in summer2003. In 2007, her book, Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours (Sorin Books, 2007), was selected asthe Book of the Month by Spiritual Books Associates, and reached No. 2 on the Catholic bestsellerlist. Sister Deignan is among the first class of GreenFaith Fellows, a training program for religious environmental leaders. For more than 32 years, Sister Deignan, a sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame, has beena composer, singer and a vital part of the music ministry at the Benedictine Grange in WestRedding, Conn. A dozen recordings of her original music have been produced by ScholaMinistries, most recently an audio version of Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours.

Founded in 1940, Iona College is a four-year private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. It is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs.

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For questions or more information please contact:
Dawn Insanalli
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
Office: (914) 637-2726
Fax: (914) 637-2711
dinsanalli@iona.edu