BRAINTREE -- Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law School professor and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See who served in various roles under three popes, received the Gaudium et Spes Award from the Knights of Columbus at their 143rd Supreme Convention on Aug. 5.

The Gaudium et Spes Award is the highest honor the Knights can bestow upon an individual. It is given to someone who has spent their life advancing the mission of the Catholic Church.

"Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon is a true gift to the universal church and to the church here in Massachusetts. Her scholarship and leadership in defense of human dignity and human rights have proven extraordinarily impactful," Archbishop Richard Henning, who attended the Supreme Convention and was present to witness Glendon receive the award, told The Pilot.

"In addition to her many accomplishments, I am so grateful for her personal witness of faith and integrity and her dedicated service to three popes. I commend the Knights of Columbus for recognizing the contributions of Mary Ann Glendon by conferring the Gaudium et Spes Award," the archbishop said.

In a video celebrating Glendon's award, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said Glendon "has courageously defended human dignity and the rights of the vulnerable."

Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Glendon received her law degree from the University of Chicago and has taught at Harvard Law School for almost 40 years. In 1995, Pope St. John Paul II asked her to lead the Holy See's delegation at the U.N. Conference on Women in Beijing. Representatives of 189 countries deliberated on policy affecting women throughout the world.

"I was quite awed by the idea of meeting a pope," Glendon said in the video. "He gave me some advice: Be a voice for the voiceless."

Glendon promoted the teachings of the church, opposing the use of contraceptives as a method of preventing HIV and AIDS.

"Whenever there was an issue that came up in the Vatican that dealt with women, they turned to Mary Ann," Bishop William Murphy, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and Boston native, said in the video.

Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI asked her to join the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, a panel of experts advising the church on legal, economic, and political matters. She was a member of the academy for over 20 years. In 2013, Pope Francis appointed her to a commission for reforming the Vatican Bank, a project she spent five years on.

"It was the three popes that really called upon her for her ability and leadership," Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley said in the video.

President George W. Bush appointed Glendon as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See in 2007. Her tenure increased and improved communication between the two countries, and she used her position to fight human trafficking and promote the education of women and girls in underdeveloped nations.

"As U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, and a trusted voice both inside and outside the church, she has shown how our Catholic faith can engage the world with wisdom and conviction," Kelly said in the video. "Her leadership, scholarship, and deep commitment to the truth embody what it means to be a faithful Catholic in the modern world."

The Knights of Columbus State's Dinner, where Glendon received the award, was attended by over 2,000 Knights and clergy. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, the Knights' Supreme Chaplain, read her award citation.

"A true Renaissance woman, our honoree has drawn upon her studies of law, theology, philosophy, and diplomacy to make lasting contributions to the church and society, both nationally and internationally," he said. "She has dedicated her formidable intellect and moral authority to advancing the social teachings of the church, advocating for human rights and liberty not for their own sake, but to defend the dignity of every human person and to promote the common good of all."

In her remarks, Glendon thanked the Knights for their support of lay Catholics. She spoke about "Gaudium et Spes," the Second Vatican Council document that the award was named after. The document states that the church, especially through laypeople, has a responsibility to address problems affecting the world outside of the church's traditional sphere. Glendon said that the document still has lessons for lay Catholics.

"The job of building the civilization of life and love is our responsibility, whatever we're doing in our daily lives, and it's a work that is never going to end," she said. "The Knights of Columbus, from the time they were founded to the present, have been the very model of a transformative presence in the secular sphere."