News
Dr. Enright Receives Cecil Findley Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Robert Enright, founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, was honored recently with the 2012 Cecil Findley Distinguished Service Award. The award is in honor of Cecil Findley, a retired United Methodist pastor and Campus Minister Emeritus at The Crossing (formerly Madison Campus Ministry) in Madison, WI, who passed away in 2010. Rev. Findley’s ministry was marked by his passion for social justice, peacemaking, interfaith dialogues, and the prophetic teachings of Jesus.
The award was presented by Rev. Douglas Pierce, Executive Director of The Crossing, on April 13 at the ministry’s Spring Gala. In his remarks during the presentation of the 2012 Cecil Findley Distinguished Service Award, Rev. Douglas Pierce said,
Our honoree tonight (Dr. Robert Enright) is: a clinical psychologist, a sought-after speaker, and a popular Graduate Student Advisor.
And if that’s not enough, tonight’s honoree is also an accomplished author with over 100 publications and 5 books to his credit. His work has been featured in a major documentary film (The Power of Forgiveness) and in a variety of news outlets.
As a matter of fact, our recipient is often referred to as “the father of forgiveness education” because of his 25 year academic commitment to researching and implementing forgiveness programs.
Read the full presentation speech here.
Siblings Disagree about Forgiveness of Father
National Post (Canada). Lina Dhingra, the daughter of a man who stabbed his wife to death while he was in a psychotic state, has forgiven him. As she visited him in prison and looked at him through the bullet proof glass, she could see his mental illness. “I said to him, ‘I love you, Poppa. I forgive you.’ There was no question,” she recalled. His son is still estranged from the father. Full story here.
Mother Loses 7-Year-Old Daughter and Unborn Child and Forgives
MSNBC (Pittsburgh, PA). At the sentencing of a 24-year-old man, convicted of driving while intoxicated, Nicole Cleland, who lost her 7-year-old daughter and unborn child in the head-on crash, expressed forgiveness for him. ” . . .To heal and be the best mother and wife I could be, I had to forgive you.” Full story here.
Two mothers, two daughters murdered, two stories of forgiveness
Cowichan News Leader newspaper (British Columbia, Canada). Two mothers, Mary Jim and Bev Stone, each lost a daughter to one killer. A man was recently taken into custody in connection with the murders. Jim said this, “….being hateful, isn’t going to get me anywhere.” Stone had this to say, “[My daughter] always had a smile on her face and I’m sure she’d want me to, over time, somewhere down the road, forgive this man for what he’s (allegedly) done to her. Full story here.
Sister Honors Brother’s Memory by Forgiving
Globe Gazette newspaper (Mason City, Iowa). “This is what my brother would have done and you can’t hate forever,” Cindy Wisher said in court after the sentencing of the man who, driving a vehicle while he was intoxicated, killed her brother. She said that she is thankful that 20 months went by between the incident and the court sentencing. It gave her and her family time to adjust and to come to the forgiveness decision.
