STEUBENVILLE, OH — Father Terence Henry, TOR, chancellor of Franciscan University of Steubenville, received the Pro Deo et Patria Medal at Christendom College’s commencement exercises held May 17.

The award acknowledges key individuals who have given outstanding service to God, the Church, and the country, and who have lived their faith concretely in the public square.

Christendom President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell noted Father Henry’s commitment to life issues, saying he observed Father Henry each year with Franciscan University students at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. He also praised Father Henry for opposing the Health and Human Services mandate and for establishing the Franciscan University Institute of Bioethics during his presidency in response to attacks on the dignity of human life.

Reflecting on the award afterward, Father Henry said, “We can’t abandon the principle that our founders recognized: Our inalienable rights come from God, and it is important that everyone defends those rights. They’re not from the state. They’re God-given.”

Father Henry also celebrated Christendom’s Baccalaureate Mass on the previous day. In his homily, he focused on the joy of being a disciple of Christ and the duty of a Christian to promote love and life.

“Sacrificial love is the greatest witness that Jesus Christ is alive and at work, that his body is at work in the world today in 2014,” he said.

Father Terence Henry, TOR, served as the fifth president of Franciscan University of Steubenville from August 2000 through May 2013. In June 2013, he was appointed chancellor of the University. He also serves as local minister of Holy Spirit Friary, located at Franciscan University, where he serves his brother friars.

In 2007, President Emeritus Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, also received the Pro Deo et Patria Medal from Christendom.