Continuing the tradition of recognizing professional excellence, outstanding leadership, and volunteer commitment to ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ, this year’s ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ Awards Dinner will honor Deacon Patrick Toole for his exemplary support for our University and students.
ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ will honor Deacon Patrick Toole, chancellor and secretary of the Curia for the Diocese of Bridgeport, with the Honorary Alumnus Award during this year’s ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ Awards Dinner on Wednesday, April 12, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.
Deacon Toole has been instrumental in helping to guide the implementation of ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ Bellarmine — ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ’s new academic initiative offering a two-year associate’s degree, serving students from the Greater Bridgeport region. In 2014, he collaborated with Rev. James Bowler, S.J., to define and form the University's Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality; together, they formed the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality Advisory Board and Deacon Toole was appointed its chair — a position he has held since.
“Pat in every imaginable way strengthens the communion and collaboration that unite the University and the Diocese,” says Rev. Gerald Blaszczak, S.J., who has worked closely with Deacon Toole on the formation of ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ Bellarmine.
Deacon Toole has also been an active member of the School of Engineering Advisory Board since spring 2020, and his commitment has contributed to the rapid growth and success of ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. His generosity, in time and philanthropic support, has had a tremendous impact on current and future generations of ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ students.
In honor of his parents, Deacon Toole and his wife, Lyndy, recently established the Dr. Patrick and Mary Ann Toole Computer Lab at the School of Engineering, underscoring Deacon Toole’s belief in a Jesuit education that produces graduates who use their skills in service to others. Read more about Deacon Toole’s professional achievements and his commitment to ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ.
Since 1988, the annual ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ Awards Dinner has raised more than $20 million for the Alumni Multicultural Scholarship Fund and other scholarships, while celebrating the achievements and volunteer service of distinguished members of the ÍâÍøÁÔÆæ community.
For more information about Awards Dinner sponsorships, tickets, or journal ads, please contact event director Jen Kane at 203-254-4000 ext. 2464 or jkane1@fairfield.edu.
