BOSTON —Boston College professor of philosophy and prolific author Peter Kreeft will be the keynote speaker at The Massachusetts Family Institute’s 14th annual banquet Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.

“We’re very honored to have Dr. Kreeft with us,”said Kristian Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, calling Kreeft an “outstanding spokesman and scholar on behalf of traditional family values.”

The banquet will also feature Archbishop Seán P. O’Malley who will give the benediction, and it will be an opportunity to “recognize some unsung heroes”who have made gains in the pro-family movement over the past year, Mineau said.

“This year we’re recognizing individuals that went far and beyond the normal call of citizenry —one family in particular involved in the fight against embryonic stem-cell research, another individual who stood up in her community for abstinence education, and a third individual who was very much involved in the battle for marriage,”he added.

Massachusetts Family Institute is currently organizing a petition drive for a ballot initiative, VoteOnMarriage.org, that would allow Massachusetts residents to vote for or against traditional marriage in 2008.

“Since we’re so involved in the initiative to get an amendment to the constitution to clearly define marriage, this banquet in particular will highlight a lot of where we are in the amendment process and where we need to go,”said Mineau. “It should be a great motivational evening for all those who stand for traditional marriage.”

The banquet will be held at the Newton Marriott Hotel. For more information call the Massachusetts Family Institute at 617-928-0800.