2024 Accountancy Alumnus of the Year

When Bishop Bob Lombardo (BBA '79) learned he'd received the 2024 Accountancy Alumnus of the Year award, he felt "honored and surprised." After all, he only worked in public accounting for two years after graduating from Notre Dame before pursuing missionary work and his ultimate vocation in the Catholic Church. However, he's quick to point out that Catholic parishes, schools, hospitals and charities all need accountants — many of whom serve on a volunteer basis. Bishop Bob relies on his Notre Dame education daily at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, serving the urban poor living on Chicago's west side.

"I may not be acting as an accountant, but as a bishop, I often have to review budgets,” he said. “Beyond the numbers, my business degree taught me about the good operation of any organization. It taught me to ensure that meetings have value and not to waste people's time." The Mission and the buildings and churches surrounding Vicariate III under Bishop Bob's care depend on volunteers to operate weekly programming — from meals and field trips for senior citizens to the food pantry and retreat center. Many parishioners have come to Chicago in recent waves of immigration from Latin America. As much as they need financial resources, they also need friendship to strengthen their faith. "There's something exciting about helping people grow in their relationship with the Lord and reflect during important moments about what is stirring inside," he explained. Bishop Bob's life defining moment occurred during his senior year at Notre Dame. That year, he served as a resident advisor in Cavanaugh Hall. He was called to the school's infirmary in the middle of the night to sit and pray beside a hallmate who was seriously ill. Tragically, the classmate passed away from meningitis soon after. "It shook all of us up in the dorm because we had been together for four years," he reflected. "It made us start thinking about life and our priorities." It was then that he began considering dedicating his life to God in the Church. In 2005, in response to Cardinal George's third request, Bishop Bob came to Chicago, reluctantly leaving the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal friary he loved.  There, he began the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels on the site of a tragic school fire in 1957 that took the lives of 92 students and three Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When Bishop Bob first arrived, many parishioners were moving to the suburbs to flee the neighborhood's mounting gang violence and drug culture. "Sometimes you have to make a sacrifice, so I came to Chicago intending to stay for a year or so to start the mission." He started to laugh. "Ten years later, here I am." From the beginning, Bishop Bob found friendship and incredible support for the Mission at the Notre Dame Club. "Without the wonderful, dedicated Chicagoland area alumni, things would probably look very different here now," he said. Just the weekend before he spoke with Prospectus, "a slew" of Notre Dame alumni and current students volunteered to put on a BBQ for 700 of the Mission's neighbors. "We have a ton of volunteer opportunities for renovating buildings, providing food and clothing to people in need, or giving of their time as tutors in our after-school programs for kids who might have difficult circumstances at home," he explained. Bishop Bob is adamant that other Mendoza alumni should continue making a difference in the Church or in other types of nonprofits. "Our Notre Dame education is a blessing that we can each share with others to help make the world a better place. "Our faith is something that we have to live out. It's not a philosophy; it's a way of life," he said.