Wednesday, January 21, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. EST
Location: Healy Hall Gaston Hall and Livestreamed
John Carr, the founder of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, is retiring at the end of 2025. This special Public Dialogue and gratitude reception will remember and honor John’s founding of the Initiative in 2013, his more than 25 years of service at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as director of the Department of Justice and Peace, and his leadership at the Archdiocese of Washington and other vital Catholic and interfaith efforts. The dialogue will also be a time to explore how the lessons from John’s leadership can help us advance the principles of Catholic social teaching, lift up “the least of these,” and advance the common good in these challenging times. We hope you will join us in thanking John for founding the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and for more than half a century of service at the intersection of faith and justice.
The evening will include:
- A welcome by Joseph Ferrara, senior vice president and chief of staff at Georgetown University, and an opening prayer by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States;
- A conversation between John and Kim Daniels, John’s successor as director of the Initiative;
- A dialogue on the lessons from John’s leadership and the challenges we face now with:
- David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times, a contributor to the Atlantic, and a commentator on the PBS NewsHour. He is the author of The Road to Character (2015), How to Know a Person (2023), and several other books.
- E.J. Dionne is a professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, a columnist at the Washington Post, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Why Americans Hate Politics (2004) and Our Divided Political Heart (2012), among other titles.
- Kerry Robinson (C’88) is the president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, a network of Catholic Charities agencies that provide help to and create hope for more than 15 million people a year, and former executive partner of Leadership Roundtable.
- Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR, is the archbishop of Newark and former archbishop of Indianapolis. He is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, has served as a participant in several global Synods, and served as superior general of the Redemptorists; and
- A reception honoring John with his family, friends, allies, co-workers, and those who attend the dialogue.
Recording
The dialogue starting at 6:00 p.m. EDT will be recorded and posted online for later viewing.
Photo credit: Vatican Media
Participants
David Brooks
David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times, a contributor to the Atlantic, and a commentator on the PBS NewsHour. He is the author of The Road to Character (2015), How to Know a Person (2023), and several other books.
E.J. Dionne
E.J. Dionne is a professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, a columnist at the Washington Post, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Why Americans Hate Politics (2004) and Our Divided Political Heart (2012), among other titles.
Kerry Robinson (C’88)
Kerry Robinson (C’88) is the president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, a network of Catholic Charities agencies that provide help to and create hope for more than 15 million people a year, and former executive partner of Leadership Roundtable.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR, is the archbishop of Newark and former archbishop of Indianapolis. He is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops, has served as a participant in several global Synods, and served as superior general of the Redemptorists; and
Accessibility
All accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by January 16. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.