Russell Shaw received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from The Catholic University of America in Washington at the university’s commencement May 18. 

Shaw, a columnist for the Catholic Herald, has two degrees from Georgetown University in Washington and has written more than 20 books, including American Church: The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America (Ignatius Press). 

He joined a list of previous awardees that include presidents Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson; and saints Teresa of Calcutta and Katharine Drexel.