St. Jerome's University is honoured to announce this year's recipient of the Chancellor John R. and Kay Sweeney Award for Catholic Leadership is Dr. Mark McGowan, Professor of History and Celtic Studies and Principal Emeritus at St. Michael's College in the University of Toronto. A renowned historian, researcher, and university administrator, his dedication to Catholic higher education, as a teacher and a scholar, has focused on the study of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Irish Famine.
"Suffice it to say I am greatly honoured by the award, which also has an ironic twist; when I applied to universities in 1977, St. Jerome's was my first choice; so, as I retire, it is very satisfying to come to St Jerome's and, in part, fulfill an unrequited wish some fifty years ago," said Dr. McGowan.
As a prolific researcher and writer, McGowan's career as an academic has focused on Canadian, Irish, religious, education and immigration history. His fifth book, which was published in 2009, Death or Canada, was the basis for a joint award-winning Canada-Ireland docudrama on the Famine, aired in Canada, Ireland, the United States and Britain.
Dr. McGowan's books on Ireland, Canada, immigration, and religion include The Waning of the Green: Catholics, the Irish, and Identity in Toronto, 1887-1922 and Michael Power: The Struggle to Build the Church on the Canadian Frontier-- have won numerous prestigious awards. Within the Catholic educational circles, he is known for his booklet and film, The Enduring Gift: The History of Catholic Education in Ontario and his book, It's Our Turn: Carrying on the Work of the Pioneers of Catholic Education in Ontario (2019).
“Mark McGowan’s life and career have embodied the highest values and ideals of St. Jerome’s University. His leadership in Catholic education as a teacher, a scholar, an administrator, and an advocate make him a worthy recipient of the Sweeney Award,” said Peter Meehan, President and Vice-Chancellor. “Our university could not be more honoured than to bestow this award on him at our annual Feast of St. Jerome celebration this Fall.”
In 2024, Dr. McGowan was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in its Arts and Humanities Academy. He continues researching and has shifted his focus to exploring the Indigenous Peoples Gift to Irish Famine Relief in 1847 in partnership with the Historical Houses project based at the University of Birmingham (UK). This project is funded by the UK's Social Sciences and Humanities agency, which is pursuing research on Governor General Lord Dufferin and the passage of the Indian Act in 1876 in Canada.
Dr. Mark McGowan will receive this award at this year's Feast of St. Jerome's, which will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2025. He will also be the keynote speaker for this year's annual fundraiser for student scholarships. Tickets for this event can be purchased online by visiting our ticketing website.