The Rev. John E. Rybolt, DePaul University scholar-in-residence, was recently honored with the Vincentian Studies Institute’s Pierre Coste Prize.
The honor was based in part on his recently published seven-volume global history of the Vincentian community dating back to its beginning in 1625, according to a DePaul release. The award is named after French Vincentian historian Pierre Coste, who is largely recognized as the father of modern Vincentian studies.
Rybolt, who was ordained in 1967 and holds a master’s in Latin from DePaul, taught in the Congregation of the Mission seminaries before initiating the Centre International de Formation, headquartered in Paris, the release said. Since 2003, he has been the historian of the congregation.
Rev. John E. Rebolt
“Father Rybolt is a prolific author and traveler," the Rev. Edward R. Udovic, a professor of history, senior executive for the university mission and vice president for teaching and learning resources at DePaul, said in a press release. “He was selected for the Pierre Coste Prize for his significant contributions in advancing Vincentian studies, which includes the monumental seven-volume international history of the Congregation of the Mission plus an additional summary volume.”
The Pierre Cost Prize was established in 2003 and is periodically presented in recognition of distinguished achievement in Vincentian studies.
“Coste is the one who brought together all of Vincent’s (St. Vincent de Paul) extant writings and conferences and put them into an authoritative critical edition,” Udovic said in the release. “He wrote what is still considered the foundational modern biography of Vincent. He is the first person who began to clear away the myths, and he contextualized Vincent within his world, so he really set the standard for 20th century Vincentian scholarship."
Founded nearly four decades ago by the 10 provinces of the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity in the U.S., the Vincentian Studies Institute serves as an international resource for Vincentian scholarship, sponsoring traditional research, publications and continuing education by expanding these resources through a variety of online and digitization projects, the release said. The department is housed in DePaul’s Office of Mission and Values.
Udovic said the distinction is a well-deserved one for Rybolt.
“To do this work you have to have the scholarly credentials, so an award like this reminds us that behind these great works of history, these volumes upon volumes and these articles upon articles, that there are men and women behind those works who have really put their entire lives into producing the written word about Vincent and his life,” he said in the release.
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