The Association of Papal Orders in Ireland welcomes the announcement that in one of his last acts as Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis conferred the honour of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great upon Martin and Carmel Naughton. The papal honour is in recognition of their outstanding philanthropy in the areas of education and the arts, particularly in the provision of philanthropic support and scholarships to Irish centres of learning including Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and Queen’s University Belfast on the island, as well as Notre Dame University in the United States and Kylemore Abbey.
Martin Naughton, 86, is the owner of Glen Dimplex, the world’s largest manufacturer of domestic electric heating appliances. His company has plants in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and North America. His business has more than 8000 staff and 22 manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Martin received a KBE in 2015 from the then Prince of Wales and the Legion d’Honneur in 2016 in recognition of his far reaching philanthropy through the Naughton Foundation and his work for peace on the island of Ireland.
John McCaffrey, President of the Association of Papal Orders in Ireland, said: “This unique honour from the Holy See is a particular mark of favour from the Holy Father. It is usually given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the Church in a particular country or in the wider world, as is the case with Carmel and Martin Naughton.
Their remarkable generosity has made a lasting mark on countless universities and institutions in Ireland and beyond, allowing access to the gift of education for hundreds of students over the years. Their work for peace on this island has also been constant and unceasing. It is significant that these were among the very last honours to be awarded by the late Pope Francis, who himself studied in Ireland at
one point and for whom peace and education were especially close to his heart.”
Martin Naughton, commented on receiving the award, remarked: “Carmel and I are deeply honoured and humbled to be recognised by the Holy See in such a special way. For both of us, the Order of Saint Gregory has an important.”
The conferral of the papal honours will take place in late August at a Mass and ceremony in Dublin by the Most Reverend Thomas Deenihan, Bishop of Meath.
