Carolyn Woo, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, shared her musings on love on Sept. 26
Dr. Carolyn Woo (The Beacon)
By Philip Ellefson, Staff Writer ellefson15@up.edu
UP was wooed last Wednesday at the annual Zahm lecture in Buckley Center Auditorium. Carolyn Woo, UP regent and president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), gave her lecture, "Let Love Lead," at the university's annual keynote address.
The Zahm lecture is an annual event put on by the Garaventa Center for Catholic Intellectual Life and American Culture. It was started in 1999 as an endowed gift to the University, and it serves as the keynote address for each year.
Woo is both the first woman and the first minority to deliver the lecture. She was born in Hong Kong and lived there until she immigrated to the U.S. to go to Purdue University. Before working with CRS, she was the dean of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.
After sharing some mildly embarrassing photos of President Fr. Bill Beauchamp and Executive Vice President Fr. Mark Poorman (imagine Beauchamp in plaid pants and Poorman at prom), Woo spoke about the importance of letting love into one's life.
"We will always be seeking love," Woo said. "We will always be seeking to give love and to receive love."
Woo's lecture focused on the work CRS is involved with throughout the world. She shared examples from CRS's work with refugee camps in Kenya, famine relief in Somalia and the Sahel and displaced people in Syria.
The University frequently donates money to CRS in support of the work they do. Woo believes that helping people around the world is an obligation for all Catholics.
"We serve on the basis of need and not creed," Woo said. "We serve because we are Catholic, not because they are Catholic."
Junior Andrea Merrill, who was an East Africa intern with the Moreau Center last year, was impressed by CRS's commitment to their work.
"I actually thought it was really cool when she said that 94 percent of their money is spent on the ground," Merrill said. "That's really impressive. I have never come across an organization that spends that much money on the ground."
Sophomore Lauren Bene agreed that the extent of CRS's service was inspiring.
"They work in over 100 countries. They're right there, they're the first on deck with crises," Bene said.
Bene found Woo's personal story and personality inspiring.
"She realizes everything will be okay, as long as you just love people," Bene said.
Woo's lecture concluded with a statement about the struggle of faith and love.
"It's not hard to believe in God, but it's hard to believe in the boundless love of God," Woo said. "And I think if we can believe in the love of God, we can believe in ourselves."
