Brother James Gaffney, FSC, Invited to Attend Pope Francis Congressional Address

Brother James Gaffney, FSC, President of Lewis University, received an extraordinary invitation from Congressman Bill Foster. The U.S. Representative of the 11th District invited Brother James to be one of only 535 Americans to attend the historic address by Pope Francis to the United States Congress on September 24 in the House of Representatives.

“I look forward to representing Lewis University on this occasion. Our University community already has been greatly impacted by Pope Francis, and I anticipate his historic address to Congress will both inspire and challenge us in providing a quality Catholic higher education,” commented Brother James.

The invitation was extended in celebration of Brother James’ 28 years as President of Lewis University and in appreciation for the emergence of Lewis University as a leading higher education institution in the southwest region of Chicagoland and beyond.

In April 2008, Brother James was among the presidents from the approximately 230 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States who spent an hour with Pope Benedict XVI on the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington. They were joined by the superintendents of education from most of the Catholic dioceses throughout America. “I believe it is accurate to say that our encounter with the Pope and his address to us far exceeded our already high expectations. The Pope’s message was hopeful, affirming, encouraging and profound,” added Brother James at that time.

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 7,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.