From the moment I walked into the Hilton Anatole Hotel for the Catholic Foundation’s 34th Annual Award Dinner, I knew that it was going to be a special evening. I was a bit shocked and a little intimidated by the overall fanciness of the whole affair. However, the familiar sight of the black and white Cistercian habits soon comforted me.

I wound my way through the sea of tuxedos and ballroom dresses, shaking hands and waving to the multitude of Cistercian faculty in attendance. My classmates and I had huddled together for protection from the overwhelming newness and enormity of the event. We moved throughout the reception, greeting all of the familiar faces that we knew, until it was time for the dinner to actually start.

Everyone flooded through a pair of double doors into the large ballroom where the dinner was to be served. The Cistercian students assumed our positions at the tables furthest away from the stage and prepared ourselves for an onslaught of boring speeches; the only thing we were looking forward to was the food.

 Although the food was extraordinarily good, it was far from the highlight of the night.

The first speaker was Cistercian’s very own Patrick Andrews, ‘17, who was receiving the Catholic Foundation’s annual award for a local Catholic school student. He gave an eloquent speech in which he proclaimed that the thing for which he was most grateful was the honor of receiving an award on the same night as Fr. Abbot Dennis. “My favorite part was being able to be a part of such an incredible celebration,” Andrews related. He received multiple standing ovations from the audience.

Generally agreed upon as being the best speaker of the night, Mr. Jim Moroney , ‘74, came to the stage in order to introduce the retired abbot. Mr. Moroney, the CEO of The Dallas Morning News, both heaped praise upon Fr. Abbot Dennis and expressed his gratefulness for being able to be a part of the largest gathering of the Cistercian community off campus. Kyle Melliza, one of Andrews’ many classmates in attendance, recalls that “it felt surreal that the Cistercian community is so big and has such an influence on society.”

Following Mr. Moroney’s introduction, there was a short biography of Fr. Abbot Dennis’ life and work (see video to the right, or click here). It covered everything from his childhood and education in Hungary to his great impact on the prep school and the abbey. When he finally spoke, the retired abbot thanked everyone in attendance for giving him the gift of the Catholic Foundation Award, but that he was most grateful for his sister and nephew who had both come from Hungary to see him receive the award.

The experience of being with so many people of the Cistercian community in that setting is simply indescribable. Feeling connected to all of the members of the family connected to the Cistercian abbey and school was invaluable for realizing the great impact that Cistercian has had on the Dallas area and the world as a whole.

Like the simplicity of the black-and-white habit of the evening’s honoree, the event was perhaps best summed up by Isaac Joseph, ‘17, when he said, “I liked it… a lot.”

Congratulations to Patrick Andrews, Fr. Abbot Denis and the entire Cistercian community. And a sincere thank you to the Catholic Foundation and its supporters for this wonderful honor.