Martin Sheen to Receive Honorary Degree at Raynor Library Dedication
Released: 8/19/03

Acclaimed actor will be guest speaker and receive honorary degree for his dedication to social justice

Marquette University will dedicate the new John P. Raynor, S.J., Library on Friday, Sept. 19, at 4 p.m. The $55 million library is named in honor of the Rev. John P. Raynor, S.J., who served as president of Marquette from 1965 to 1990. Martin Sheen will receive an honorary doctor of letters degree from Marquette and will speak at the dedication ceremony. Sheen is an award-winning actor, director and producer. He is currently a cast member of the Emmy Award-winning NBC television drama The West Wing , where he portrays President Josiah Bartlet.

A Catholic, Sheen works tirelessly as a humanitarian and social activist. He credits the Catholic Worker Hospitality House in New York, operated by Dorothy Day, with helping him through a period of poverty as a young person. Day and the people associated with the Catholic Worker Movement had a profound effect on him. Sheen has been a supporter of their efforts ever since.

Marquette University preserves the archives of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement, now housed in a state-of-the-art archive facility in the new Raynor Library. Marquette's Department of Special Collections and University Archives has held the Dorothy Day-Catholic Worker Collection since the 1960s as part of its mission to collect in the areas of Catholic social action.

Sheen's acting roles include portraying Peter Maurin (one of the founders of the Catholic Worker Movement) and Mitch Snyder (a Vietnam veteran who fought for America's homeless by staging hunger strikes and protesting various government agencies).

Off screen, Sheen promotes social justice as a parish volunteer in soup kitchens and youth programs, as a nonviolent demonstrator against activities such as nuclear testing and the former School of the Americas at Fort Benning, Ga., and as spokesperson for such causes as the United Farm Workers and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“For more than 40 years Mr. Sheen has been a tireless advocate of justice and peace,” said Marquette University President Robert Wild, S.J. “Through his work, he has played a significant role in American public life, particularly through his care and concern for the poor and less fortunate of our society.”

In celebration of Sheen's visit to campus and honorary degree conferral, Marquette will be hosting the Martin Sheen Film Festival at the Raynor Library on the first three Thursdays in September at 7 p.m. Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story , Cadence and Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story will be shown. These films reflect Sheen's activism and commitment to social justice. A discussion led by Marquette faculty will accompany each of the viewings, which are all free and open to the public. Details about the film festival can be found here.

For the dedication ceremony schedule and more information about the Catholic Worker Movement, the Dorothy Day Papers, and honorary degrees at Marquette, click here.

ABOUT THE RAYNOR LIBRARY
Now open, the John P. Raynor, S.J., Library merges conventional library resources with innovative technology to create a library complex that will serve Marquette's students, faculty and community far into the future. This progressive new learning center houses programs, technology and tools that will provide Marquette students practical skills they will need as they enter their professional lives. Users can access electronic work stations where they can browse the Internet or tap into a vast array of research databases. These electronic resources will provide access to over 18,000 print and online periodicals and more than 4,000 e-books, and Marquette's more than 1.6 million volumes are electronically indexed. The largest building project of the Magis Campaign, a fundraising initiative now entering its second year, the $55 million Raynor Library is the literal centerpiece of Marquette's campus.

Marquette students played a very active role in the decision-making process for the Raynor Library, including advising on the furniture selection, library hours and identifying services that students utilize the most. Starting this fall, students will have 24-hour access to electronic resources and study space in the new library. Brew @ The Bridge, a café housed within the bridge joining Raynor and Memorial Libraries, will be opening later this month, offering a variety of beverages and sandwiches.

For complete information about the new John P. Raynor, S.J., Library, click here.

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university dedicated to serving God by serving our students and contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Through our mission of Faith, Excellence, Leadership and Service, we strive to graduate students who are not only better educated, but better people. We provide them with the necessary training to actively “Be the Difference” in our world.