The Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, faculty selected four individuals to receive special honorary awards and degrees during Commencement exercises on May 18, 2007. Two awards were the Christus Vivit, one was the honorary degree of doctor of letters and one was the honorary doctor of divinity degree.

Carl A. Rausch of St. Louis, Mo., received the Christus Vivit Award. He is president of Lutheran Senior Services (LSS), St. Louis,Missouri, an office which he has held since January 1985. He has exhibited the character of his Christian faith and witness in the exercise of extraordinary skills in administration and leadership among various agencies in the St. Louis area, particularly on behalf of the Lutheran community. He is responsible for building and overseeing the most successful not-for-profit senior care organization within a 150-mile radius of St. Louis. He is a member of Concordia Lutheran Church, Kirkwood, Mo., has been active on the board for ChristCommunity Lutheran School, and has served on the board of trustees for the Lutheran High School Association. In addition to his strong commitment to the church, Rausch is very active in the community.

The Honorable John Shimkus of Collinsville, Ill., received the Christus Vivit Award. He is currently serving his sixth term as congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 19th District of Illinois. He and his family are active members of Holy CrossLutheran Church, and his Christian faith is illustrated by the fact that, despite the rigors of his Congressional schedule, he regularly teaches a Sunday morning Bible class at Holy Cross. He is an active participant in Bible studies on Capitol Hill and has been a regular contributor to graduate seminars and continuing education offerings conducted by Concordia Seminary in Washington, D.C. In Congress, Shimkus has established a solid track record of legislative initiatives that contribute to the welfare of the people.

The Reverend Doctor Julius Jenkins of Selma, Ala., received the honorary degree of doctor of letters. He is the president of ConcordiaCollege, Selma, Alabama, a post he has held since 1980. His work has been richly blessed, and his leadership has effected progress in development of Concordia College to an institution of learning recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence. In the community of Selma, he has been a member of the Blanton Agency and of the Board of Directors of AmSouth Bank—Selma Branch. He is co-author (with Dr. Richard C. Dickinson) of the publication, “The Miracle on Green Street.”

The Reverend Emile Lussambu Mbugatodu Dongo of Dapaong, Togo, Africa, received the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. He is interim president, professor of theology, dean of studies, and dean of the chapel at the Centre Luthérien d’Etudes Théologiques (CLET;Lutheran Center for Theological Studies) in Dapaong, Togo. Through his ministry of teaching and administration at the Center, Dongo has made a significant contribution to the presence of the Lutheran Church throughout West and Central Africa. With support from LCMS World Mission and under Dongo’s increasing leadership, the Center has furnished theological education to students from the West African countries of Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Benin, and Burkina Faso, and from the Central African nations of the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this way, CLET has become a key base for a Lutheran confession of the faith in Africa.

For more information, contact Communications, Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, St. Louis, MO 63105; (314) 505-7374; communications@csl.edu.