Young Alumni Leadership in Ministry Award recipient Anna Robertson with Clough School of Theology and Ministry Dean Michael C. McCarthy, S.J. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)

Clough School of Theology and Ministry Presents Young Alumni Leadership in Ministry Award

Inaugural recipient is 2016 graduate Anna Robertson

The Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry presented its inaugural Young Alumni Leadership in Ministry Award to 2016 graduate Anna Robertson, director of distributed organizing for Discerning Deacons, a project whose mission is to engage Catholics in the active discernment of the Church about women and the diaconate.

The newly established award honors a young graduate of CSTM who is demonstrating outstanding leadership in their field, and celebrates the ways they live out the school's Jesuit mission to be persons for and with others. Those selected exemplify what CSTM stands for: creativity, commitment, pastoral outreach, and theological acumen. A model for their peers and current students, the honoree shows a commitment to the field of ministry and an ability to meet the changing needs of their community.

March 23, 2024 -- Boston College's 22nd annual Underhill Lecture in Christian Spirituality with Brian Robinette, Associate Professor of Theology, and the inaugural presentation of the Young Alumni Leadership in Ministry Award to Anna Robertson, M.T.S. '16, Director of Distributed Organizing for Discerning Deacons.

Brian Robinette of the Boston College Theology Department delivered the Evelyn Underhill Lecture. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)

Robertson was honored on March 23 at CSTM’s 22nd annual Evelyn Underhill Lecture in Christian Spirituality. Prior to the award presentation, Brian Robinette, an associate professor in the BC Theology Department, offered the Underhill lecture on "Beyond the Reactive Mind: Christian Contemplative Practice in Polarized Times."

Robertson holds a master’s degree in theological studies from CSTM. According to the award selection committee, she has “embodied the mission of CSTM in her work and ministry with Discerning Deacons and in her previous work as director of youth and young adult mobilization at Catholic Climate Covenant and as a campus minister for retreats at Seattle University. She has been involved in various ministerial experiences in the fields of prison ministry, hospital chaplaincy, and international immersions. 

“Robertson is committed to accompanying others on their journey and honoring their stories as they work together for justice," according to the committee. "The good work that she is doing in her many ministries will have last positive effects in the Church and the world.”