Anne Carroll, wife of late Christendom College founder Dr. Warren Carroll, has been honored with the Benemerenti Medal by Pope Leo XIV in recognition of her decades of service to the Catholic Church. The Papal Honor, which has been awarded to laity and clergy for the past century, recognizes Carroll’s enormous contributions to the Catholic Church in America, including being instrumental in the founding of Christendom College and founding both Seton School and Seton Home Study.
Carroll earned her B.A. from Loretto Heights College and her M.A. from New York University. In 1975, she founded Seton School in Manassas, Virginia, to provide a faithful Catholic education for junior and senior high school students. Two years later, she helped her husband open Christendom College, playing a pivotal role in the college’s early development as a director while continuing to serve as Seton’s executive director.
In the early 1980s, families outside Northern Virginia began to seek the same quality Catholic education Seton School provided. In response, Carroll founded Seton Home Study in 1982, appointing Dr. Mary Kay Clark as director. Carroll is also the author of two widely used history texts — Christ the King: Lord of History and Christ and the Americas — which have been read by thousands of students over the past several decades.
Over her 50-year career, Carroll’s passion for Catholic education has shaped generations of students. Her tireless efforts have earned her the St. Thomas More Award from the Diocese of Arlington for lifetime achievement, an honorary doctorate from Christendom College’s Graduate School of Theology, and Christendom’s St. Catherine of Siena Award for distinguished service to the Church.
This latest honor from the Holy See serves as a lasting tribute to Carroll’s devoted leadership, steadfast faith, and lifelong dedication to advancing Catholic education in America, for which Christendom College is eternally grateful.