Dodson Receives St. Juan Diego Leadership for the World Award

An international organization dedicated to forming lay Catholic leaders has awarded North Dakota Catholic Conference’s Executive Director, Christopher Dodson, its St. Juan Diego Leadership for the World award.

Tepeyac Leadership, Inc. (TLI) works to equip Catholic professionals to become virtuous leaders, influence the culture and serve the common good. Its main initiative is the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative, through which participants go through intensive study, reflection and dialogue meant to form their minds and equip them with knowledge on how to integrate the truths and values of their Catholic faith into every aspect of their lives.

Each year TLI presents the St. Juan Diego Leadership for the World award to a lay Catholic leader “in any field of social, professional, cultural, and political life, for acting in accordance with–and courageously promoting–the truth and the law brought by Jesus Christ to mankind.” The criteria come from the organization’s adopted prayer, which was the prayer of St. John Paul II during his visit to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City in 1979.

TLI chose Dodson for the award based on his work as a constitutional lawyer and lobbyist for the North Dakota Catholic Conference. His work on pro-life issues and handling the church’s response to the University of North Dakota’s controversial gender policy proposal were highlighted by TLI as examples of Dodson’s work as a lay Catholic professional.

Author and Bismarck news anchor Monica Hannan, who serves on TLI’s Central Regional Advisory Board, presented the award to Dodson.

To find out more about the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative, go to tliprogram.org.