King's Professor Robert Ventresca awarded Koenig Prize for Soldier of Christ: The Life of Pope Pius XII

King’s University College is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert A. Ventresca has been awarded The Harry C. Koenig Prize by the American Catholic Historical Association for his publication Soldier of Christ: The Life of Pope Pius XII (Harvard University Press, 2013).

In making their selection, the American Catholic Historical Association notes that Ventresca’s monograph “gives the best insight into one of the longest pontificates in the 20th century. The writing is scholarly yet effortless and engaging. Readers will appreciate the emotional intelligence that Ventresca brings to reading Pius’s personality.”
Soldier of Christ was also nominated for the prestigious 2015 Grawemeyer Award by the University of Louisville for highly significant contributions to religious and spiritual understanding.

Dr. Ventresca is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at King’s. He demonstrates, through his study of modern Italian and Church history, the complex intersection of religion and civil society and the role of religious traditions in the modern world. His current work explores how Catholic thought on modernity, the nation-state, race and the ‘Jewish Question’ influenced a range of Catholic responses to 20th century fascist bio-politics. He is a first-generation university graduate whose growing international reputation is evident through his publications and research presentations in North America and Europe.

Dr. Ventresca was recently elected as a Member to the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The Royal Society of Canada is the highest recognized membership for scholars in Arts, Humanities and Sciences in our country. He recently returned from Washington, D.C. where he held a visiting teaching fellowship at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies.

“This latest accolade for Professor Ventresca is yet another occasion for King’s to celebrate the exemplary achievements of our faculty,” says Dr. David Sylvester, Principal of King’s. “Robert embodies King’s commitment to scholarship, teaching and service to the broader community. His professional and personal integrity make him a treasured colleague and an inspiration to students. This recognition by the ACHA is well-deserved.”

King's is a publicly-funded Catholic post-secondary institution founded in 1954. King’s provides general and honors degree programs in the liberal arts, social sciences, business, and a master's degree in social work. Institutionally-autonomous, King’s is academically-affiliated with Western University. King’s is open to students of all faith backgrounds, with its community centered on the principles of social justice and the education of the whole person.