The College of Liberal Arts has named Mgsr. John Joseph Enzler, S’73, as the College’s 2025 inductee to the Academic Circle of Excellence Alumni Hall of Fame. Enzler has been an active member of the Mount community and dedicated servant of the Church for more than 50 years.
“I love the Mount and have been involved with it since I entered the Seminary 55 years ago,” Enzler said. “While I don’t look for or need any more awards, I’m happy to receive recognition from a school I admire so much.”
“As a model of Catholic Social Teaching and an active alumnus, Msgr. Enzler is not only a valued member of the Mount community but also the embodiment of the Mount’s values,” said Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Bryan Zygmont.
Enzler was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1973, after graduating from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. From 2011 to 2023, he served as the CEO and president of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington, the Washington, D.C.-area’s largest and most comprehensive social services agency. During his 12 years at the helm, he worked tirelessly as an advocate and helper to the poor and marginalized in the Washington, D.C. area.
Enzler founded new programs in Catholic Charities, including Newcomer Network, which helps establish immigrants in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, and Compass, which provides case management for those living in Wards 7 and 8 in D.C, and the Financial Stability Network, which offers financial planning and tax preparation services to low-income families.
Over the years, Enzler has served as pastor at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C., Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac, Maryland, and Mount Calvary in Forestville, Maryland, and was associate pastor at the Church of the Little Flower in his hometown of Bethesda, Maryland.
Enzler has generously given of his time to the Mount by holding a variety of positions. He served on the Board of Trustees and was secretary from 1992-1994. He’s been a member of the Rector’s Council, President’s Council, 1808 Legacy Society, and the Bicentennial Commission’s Steering Committee, and the 2007 Campaign’s Executive Committee. The Mount previously awarded Enzler an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and a Bicentennial Medal.
Enzler began giving back to the Mount as a seminarian by serving as the then college’s head tennis coach during his time at the Mount.
Enzler currently is a resident at St. Bartholomew’s Catholic Church in Bethesda. He works as the Archdiocese of Washington’s vicar of development and is moderator of the Cardinal’s Appeal. As a model of Catholic Social Teaching, he is a treasured member of the Mount community who embodies the Mount’s values.