Photo by Michael Caterina/University of Notre Dame
Dr. Timothy Shriver, President of Special Olympics, will receive the 2026 University of Notre Dame 181st Laetare Medal.street University graduation ceremony on May 17, 2026.
The Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor awarded exclusively to American Catholics, has been awarded annually by the University of Notre Dame since 1883 to individuals whose contributions have enriched the arts and sciences, articulated the ideals of the Church, and advanced the common good.
Shriver is being honored for his lifelong commitment to promoting dignity, inclusion and opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities through his leadership of the global Special Olympics movement.
Shriver’s connection to the Laetare Medal is also deeply personal. He is the only receiver in Notre Dame history whose parents were Laetare Medalists. Eunice Kennedy Shriver He won the medal in 1988 for founding Special Olympics, and his father, Robert Sargent ShriverHe was honored in 1968 for founding the Peace Corps. Shriver’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy, also received the medal in 1961.
“Being the 2026 Laetare Medal is an honor, not for me, but on behalf of the Special Olympics movement deeply rooted in dignity,” Shriver said. “My mother and father were also honored for their service to the community and their belief in the power of humanity – in founding Special Olympics and the Peace Corps, respectively. I accept this award in honor of the courage, triumphs and vision of those who came before me, and those who continue to live out this mission every day.”
Dr. Timothy Shriver, President of Special Olympics
Created at Notre Dame in 1883, the Order of Laetare served as the American counterpart to the Golden Rose, a papal honor dating back to the 11th century.y century. The medal is awarded to a Catholic whose “genius has honored the arts and sciences, clarified the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity.”
Past recipients include Dorothy Day, Walker Percy, Sister Helen Prejean, Martin Sheen, and Claire Babineau-Fontenot, among many others.
For Shriver, this honor reflects not only his work, but also the millions of athletes, volunteers and supporters who make up the Special Olympics movement.
“I think it was given to me as a placeholder for the people who put in the work every day,” Shriver told Notre Dame. “It’s given so that the athletes running this afternoon’s race — and their families cheering at the finish line — know that the world cares.”
Read more about the Laetare Order here.
