Dr. Boyle Receives Papal Award

When the announcement was made on March 9 that Pope Leo XIV had bestowed papal honors upon Dr. John Boyle, phones in Sitzmann Hall started to ring, email inboxes were filled, and social media channels lit up. Reactions from students, colleagues and friends were overwhelmingly consistent: Boyle has made a significant impact on their lives.

The Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (“For the Church and the Pope”) was established in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII. It is awarded to Catholics who have shown long and distinguished service to the Church and to the papal office. Archbishop Bernard Hebda presented the medallion and parchment associated with these honors to Boyle on April 7 in Minneapolis at the opening Mass of the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual convention.

“The honor Pope Leo XIV has bestowed upon Dr. Boyle reflects his 35 years of academic excellence in research and teaching and his deep faithfulness to Christ and His Church,” said Dr. Michael Naughton. “Such an honor also captures his humility and generosity to lead and build Catholic Studies and strengthen the Catholic mission and culture at the University of St. Thomas.”

Boyle’s long and distinguished career at St. Thomas began in 1990 when he joined the Theology faculty. Three years later, he and an interdisciplinary group of faculty began a new experiment to renew Catholic higher education. Thus, the Catholic Studies movement was born.

In the fall of 1993, Boyle taught The Catholic Vision, the first Catholic Studies course, to a class of seven students. This foundational course has been taught every year since. Over the past 35 years, Boyle has taught more than 4,125 students (including four bishops!) and more than 25 distinct undergraduate and graduate courses at St. Thomas. He taught the first MA course in Catholic Studies in the fall of 2000 (Essentials of the Catholic Faith) and he has, to date, taught more online Catholic Studies graduate courses than any faculty.

Outside the classroom, Boyle has published four books, each on St. Thomas Aquinas, including a Latin edition of a lost work of Aquinas. He has also published more than 25 essays and has served as a keynote speaker and panelist at countless conferences, consortiums, and seminars all over the world.

To date, Boyle and his wife, Dia, have spent four semesters at the Bernardi Campus in Rome. They will be there again in 2027 with more than 30 students in the spring, as well as members of the Catholic Studies Advisory Board during an eight-day pilgrimage to the Eternal City.

I speak for all when I say we are delighted with this recognition of John’s life’s work,” Naughton said. “This award begins to recognize his extraordinary achievements in Catholic education. We are blessed by his leadership.”

UNDERGRADUATE

GRADUATE

This story is featured in the summer 2026 issue of Lumen.