CARDINAL SEÁN O'MALLEY TO PRESENT 93 CHEVERUS AWARDS ON NOVEMBER 24, 2013

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap will present 93 Cheverus Award Medals to laypersons, deacons and religious during a 3 pm service on Sunday, November 24th at the Cathedral of The Holy Cross, 1400 Washington St, Boston, MA. 

“Each year we recognize members of our parishes, schools and ministries for their extraordinary dedication to the life of the Church with the annual Cheverus Award,” said Cardinal Seán.  “I am very pleased to be able to honor 93 new recipients this year for their works of mercy and care for the Catholic family in the Archdiocese of Boston.  We are blessed by their willingness to share of themselves in building communities of love, compassion and faith.”

First presented in 2008 at the conclusion of the Archdiocese’s bicentennial, the annual award recognizes Catholics for their dedicated service to the Church.  The medal is named for the city’s first bishop, Jean-Louis Anne Magdelaine Lefebvre de Cheverus, who led the diocese from 1808 until his return to France in 1824. Bishop Cheverus died in 1836 as the archbishop of Bordeaux.

The oval-shaped medal bears a likeness of Bishop Cheverus based on the Gilbert Stuart portrait. On the reverse side is Bishop Cheverus’ coat of arms.

The medal recipients are chosen for their service to the Church and God’s people.  Most recipients are nominated by their pastor, forwarded by their area vicar and approved by their regional bishop and Cardinal O’Malley, who also nominates recipients.

Each year, one third of the parishes of the archdiocese are asked to nominate a parishioner, therefore most parishes will have one honoree every three years.  The criteria given to pastors is that the nominee should be a lay person who has served the parish well over an extended period of time and has done so in a quiet, unassuming and, perhaps, unrecognized fashion.

The Regional Bishops each year are asked to nominate from their respective regions a religious and a deacon of similar qualifications to be honored with the Cheverus medal. The Central Ministries of the Archdiocese also make nominations from among religious, deacons and lay persons who serve on Archdiocesan committees or lead important ministries. 

Including this year’s group of 93 recipients, there are 611 individuals and couples that have been named Cheverus medalists.  There were 68 in 2008, 133 in 2009, 98 in 2010, 97 in 2012 and 122 last year. The medals are typically presented on the Feast of Christ the King, which ends the Church’s liturgical year. 

Family members and friends are encouraged to join the honoree at the Cathedral. The presence of the pastor and a delegation of parishioners are welcomed as a sign of the appreciation and gratitude of the parish towards the honoree.

The award ceremony will be broadcast LIVE on The CatholicTV Network and at CatholicTV.com. Those unable to attend can watch the broadcast either on television or on their computer, tablet or hand-held device.

For more information on the Award and for a list of previous award recipients, please visit http://www.bostoncatholic.org/cheverusawards.aspx.

2013 CHEVERUS AWARD RECIPIENTS:

1.      Ms. Susan Abbott, Saint Theresa of Avila Parish, West Roxbury

2.      Ms. Laura Albaladejo, Saint Patick Parish, Brockton

3.      Mr. & Mrs. Josephine and Charles Anastasia, Saint John Chrysostom Parish, West Roxbury

4.      Ms. Ruth Andrews, Saint Katherine Drexel Parish, Boston

5.      Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region

6.      Mr. William Bibeau, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Haverhill

7.      Mrs. Madelyn Brown,The Catholic TV Network, Watertown*

8.      Ms. Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Charlestown

9.      Ms. Jacquelyn Butterfield, Saint Anne Parish, Littleton

10.  Mr. James Buxton, Holy Trinity Parish, Lowell

11.  Mr. John Carter, Sacred Heart Parish, Waltham

12.  Mr. Everett Casey, Sacred Heart Parish, Middleborough

13.  Mr. & Mrs. John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael Parish, Lowell -Kenyan Apostolate

14.  Mr. & Mrs. Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary Parish, Randolph -Filipino Apostolate

15.  Deacon Charles Clough, West Region

16.  Mr. William Corrigan, Saint Anthony Parish, Allston

17.  Ms. Marileia Costa, St. Anthony Parish, Everett -Brazilian Apostolate

18.  Mr. Paul Daly, Sacred Heart Parish, Quincy

19.  Ms. Joan DeGuglielmo, Saint Francis Parish, Cambridge

20.  Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region

21.  Mr. Samuel E. DeMerit, Saint Paul Parish, Cambridge

22.  Mr. Jose DePina, Saint Peter Parish, Dorchester

23.  Mrs. Barbara Devita, Saint Thomas of Villanova, Parish Wilmington

24.  Ms. Linda Devoll, Saint John the Evangelist Parish, Canton

25.  Ms. Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception Parish, Revere

26.  Ms. Anne Doherty, Saint Camillus Parish, Arlington

27.  M. J. Doherty, PhD, Archdiocese of Boston       

28.  Mr. Kevin Dolan, Saints Martha and Mary Parish, Lakeville

29.  Mr. Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston

30.  Ms. Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart Parish, Lynn

31.  Mr. Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, Brookline

32.  Mr. Walter Faria, Saint Mary of the Nativity Parish, Scituate

33.  Mr. & Mrs. George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception Parish, Everett

34.  Ms. Rosa Garcia, Saint James Parish, Haverhill

35.  Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Cambridge - Haitian Apostolate

36.  Deacon Thomas Hanlon, South Region

37.  Ms. Anne Hanning, St. Charles Borromeo Parish,Waltham

38.  Mr. John Hennigan, Saint Dennis Parish, Westwood

39.  Sister Magdalene Ikeda, PDDM, Regina Cleri, Boston - Japanese Apostolate

40.  Mr. George Jackson, Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Braintree

41.  Mrs. Marie Jutkiewicz, St. Tarcisius Parish, Framingham

42.  Mrs. Sonete Kammer, St. Tarcisus Parish, Framingham -Brazilian Apostolate

43.  Mrs. Anne B. Kelly, Saint Francis de Sales Parish, Charlestown

44.  Mrs. Mary Kiesinger, Saint Dorothy Parish, Wilmington

45.  Mr. Richard Kimball, Saint Cecilia Parish, Boston

46.  Mr. J. Timothy Looney, Saint Joseph Parish, Wakefield

47.  Dr. Aloysius Lugira,St. Mary Parish, Waltham- Ugandan Community*

48.  Ms. Eleanor Mackin, Saint Mary Parish, Lynn

49.  Mrs. Judie Mahan, Saint Gerard Majella Parish, Canton

50.  Miss Constance Malloy, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Sharon

51.  Deacon Leo Martin, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Peabody

52.  Ms. Jeanne Masterman, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish, Westford

53.  Mrs. Janice Mathias, Saint Mary Parish, Billerica

54.  Mr. Robert Matson, Saint Joseph Parish, Holbrook

55.  Mrs. Elinor McFarland, Saint Ann by the Sea Parish, Marshfield

56.  Mrs. Darice McIntire, Sacred Heart Parish, Manchester

57.  Mrs. Altagracia Mena, Saint Patrick Parish, Lowell

58.  Mrs. Helen Monteiro, Saint Patrck Parish, Roxbury

59.  Deacon Pablo Morel, North Region

60.  Mr. Kevin Muldoon, Immaculate Conception Parish, Weymouth

61.  Ms. Sheila Murphy, Saint Andrew Parish, North Billerica

62.  Ms. Sylvia Murphy, Saint Helen Parish, Norwell

63.  Mr. Joseph R. Nolan, St. Francis Chapel, Boston (Prudential Center)

64.  Mrs. Roberta Oles, Saint Mary Parish, Wrentham

65.  Mr. John Ollquist, Holy Family Parish, Dorchester

66.  Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence and Sally O'Maley, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Essex

67.  Sister Mary O'Rourke, CSJ, West Region

68.  Mr. Eduardo Pascua, Holy Trinity Parish, Quincy

69.  Mrs. Mary Peck, Saint Margaret Parish, Burlington

70.  Mr. Michael Pietkiewicz, Saint Stanislaus Parish, Chelsea

71.  Mrs. Rita Pizzi, Saint Blaise Parish, Bellingham

72.  Ms. Nancy Pouliot, Holy Family Parish, Amesbury

73.  Brother Thomas Puccio, C.F.X., North Region

74.  Ms. Lucille Ratte, Star of the Sea Parish, Salisbury

75.  Ms. Pat Riley, Saint Michael Parish, North Andover

76.  Mrs. Martha Roberts, Saint Malchy Parish, Burlington

77.  Sister Florita Rodman, CDP, South Region

78.  Mrs. Ellen Greene Romikitis, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Parish, Dorchester

79.  Mr. John Scanlon, Sacred Heart Parish

80.  Mrs. Margaret Scollins, Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Green Harbor

81.  Ms. Patricia Shafto, Saint Christine Parish, Marshfield

82.  Deacon Richard Siebert, Merrimack Region

83.  Ms. Joan Silta, Saint Pius X Parish, Milton

84.  Ms. Stella Simione, St. John the Evangelist Parish, Winthrop

85.  Ms. Celia Sirois, Archdiocese of Boston 

86.  Mrs. Marguerite Small, Saint Mary of the Annunciation Parish, Melrose

87.  Mr. Jean Soucy, Saint Magdalen Parish, Tyngsborough

88.  Mr. & Mrs. Antonio and Delminda Sousa, Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Peabody

89.  Ms. Claudia Suarez, Madonna Queen Shrine, East Boston

90.  Ms. M. Doris Thompson, Saint John the Evangelist Parish, East Bridgewater

91.  Mr. Joseph Tuan Thong, St. Bernadette Parish, Randolph - Vietnamese Apostolate

92.  Ms. Paule Verdet, Sacred Heart Parish, Newton

93.  Ms. Judy Vivien, St. Mary of the Assumption/St. Ann Parish, Hull

94.  Mrs. Ann C. White, Saint Ann Parish, Quincy

95.  Ms. Magda E. Zabala, Holy Family Parish, Dorchester

* Awarded in 2012 – Accepted in 2013