CNN Journalist Soledad O'Brien to Headline 11th Annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education

June 14, 2007

The 11th Annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education will feature one of the country's premier journalists. Soledad O'Brien, an internationally recognized award-winning journalist will be featured at the Oct. 21 dinner. The Bishop's Dinner supports more than 6,000 students who attend Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Sioux City.

O'Brien joined CNN in July 2003 and is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN: Special Investigations Unit, reporting hour-long documentaries throughout the year and filing in-depth series on the most important ongoing and breaking news stories for all major CNN programs.

Bishop R. Walker Nickless said O'Brien will be a thrilling speaker.

"To have a celebrated journalist like Ms. O'Brien who has covered some of the most important stories of our time will be a privilege and a great treat for our Diocese," said Bishop Nickless. "Her deep-rooted faith and humanitarian efforts are inspiring."

O'Brien came to CNN from NBC News where she had anchored the network's Weekend Today since July 1999. During that time, she contributed reports for the weekday Today Show and weekend editions of NBC Nightly News and covered such notable stories as John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash and the school shootings in Colorado and Oregon. In 2003, she covered the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and later anchored NBC's weekend coverage of the war in Iraq. Additionally, in 1998, she traveled to Cuba to cover Pope John Paul II's historic visit.

O'Brien said she has a lot of experiences to share at the Bishop's Dinner.

"As a journalist I have the incredible privilege of covering stories whose roots are in our nations faith and values: Hurricane Katrina, which revealed devastating poverty in the Gulf, the Tsunami, which gave a close view of humanitarian response after a tragedy. Being knee deep in a story - (or in water or mud, as the case may be) often makes me reflect on my own faith, my own priorities. Examining the priorities of our nation is my job description," said O'Brien. "I look forward to visiting the Diocese of Sioux City to discuss some of the toughest stories I've ever had to tackle and the personal impact those stories have had on my life."

This year's dinner is set for Sunday, Oct. 21 at the Sioux City Convention Center. Tickets are $125 per person with $85 of each ticket going to Catholic schools within the Sioux City Diocese. Last year, nearly $161,000 was distributed to Catholic schools because of the success of the Bishop's Dinner.

Tickets go on sale mid-August. Visit www.scdiocese.org for more information or contact the Diocese of Sioux City at (712) 255-7933.