Mary Jo Leddy

Mary Jo Leddy, CM (born 1 February 1946) is a Canadian writer, speaker, theologian and social activist.

Leddy is widely recognized for her work with refugees at Toronto's Romero House. In 1973, she was the founding editor of the Catholic New Times. She is the author of the books "Say to the Darkness We Beg to Differ" (Lester and Orpen Denys, finalist City of Toronto Book Award), Reweaving Religious Life: Beyond the Liberal Model (Twenty Third Publications, 1990), At the Border Called Hope: Where Refugees are Neighbours (HarperCollins, 1997 and finalist for the Trillium Award, Radical Gratitude (Orbis Books, 2002), "Our Friendly Local Terrorist" (Between the Lines 2010) and "The Other Face of God: When the Stranger Calls Us Home" (Orbis 2011). 'Why Are We Here? A Meditation on Canada" (Novalis 2019)

Leddy was the recipient of a

, she began working for a welcome house for refugees in 1991. This house then became the Romero House community and she became its director until 2010. She continues to live and work at Romero House.

Leddy received the Human Relations Award of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews (1987), the Ontario Citizenship Award (1993), and the Order of Canada (1996).^[1]

She has received several honorary doctorates:

• D.Litt. - York University (1993)
• D.Litt.
  - Mount Saint Vincent (1994)
• LL.D
  - Windsor (1990)
• LL.D. - Waterloo (1995)
• DD - St. Andrew's
• D.M. - Catholic Theological Union, Chicago (2008)
• Honorary Fellow, University of St. Michael's College (2015)
• DD - Atlantic School of Theology (2016)
• DD Misericordia University , PA (2018)
• (DD) Emmanuel College/Victoria University/U of Toronto (2019)

References