Villanova University to Present Civitas Dei Medal to Michele Dillon, PhD, Renowned Sociologist and Scholar of Catholicism
VILLANOVA, Pa. (January 7, 2025) — Villanova University will award the 2025 Civitas Dei Medal to Michele Dillon, PhD, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of Sociology at the University of New Hampshire. A leading voice in the sociology of religion and contemporary Catholicism, Dr. Dillon is the first social scientist to receive this prestigious honor. She will also deliver a lecture during the medal presentation, scheduled for Thursday, February 13, at 4 p.m. With the Civitas Dei Medal, Villanova University honors Catholics who have made exemplary contributions to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, beauty and goodness.
Dr. Dillon earned her Bachelor of Social Science and Master of Social Science degrees from University College Dublin, and later completed her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research examines the relationship between religion, culture, and generational and social change, with a particular focus on identity and authority within Catholicism.
An accomplished author, Dr. Dillon has published extensively, including Postsecular Catholicism (Oxford University Press, 2018) and Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith, and Power (Cambridge University Press, 1999). Her forthcoming co-authored book, Catholicism at a Crossroads, reflects her ongoing engagement with critical issues facing the Church today. Her work has appeared in regarded academic journals and has been supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation and other prestigious organizations.
Dr. Dillon’s accolades include serving as President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on the Sociology of Religion. In 2023, she was honored as the Michael Keenan Distinguished Lecturer at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan, and previously held the JE and Lillian Byrne Tipton Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Catholic Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Dillion is also a frequent commentator on religious issues for regional, national and international media.
The Civitas Dei Medal takes its name from the Latin title of St. Augustine’s City of God. In this seminal work, Augustine encouraged intellectual engagement between the Church and the world. A gifted thinker and spiritual leader, he also created communities that searched for truth in unity and love.
View the list of previous Civitas Dei Medal recipients.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.