Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley will present 116 Cheverus Award Medals to laypersons, deacons and religious during a 3 p.m. Vespers service on November 23, 2014, the Feast of Christ the King, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End.
The 2014 Cheverus Awards presentation will broadcast LIVE from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on CatholicTV, Sunday beginning at 3:00pm ET and will also be rebroadcast that evening at 10:00pm. The CatholicTV Network is available on Comcast Ch. 268, Verizon FiOS Ch. 296, RCN Ch. 85 as well as on any device at www.CatholicTV.com.
First presented in 2008 at the celebration to mark the conclusion of the archdiocese's bicentennial year, the annual award recognizes Catholics for their dedicated service to the Church. The medal is named for the archdiocese's first bishop, Jean-Louis 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 is made of sterling silver and 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. Some recipients are personally selected by Cardinal O'Malley.
Each year, one-third of the parishes of the archdiocese are asked to nominate a parishioner. 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.
Also, each of the regional bishops is asked to nominate a religious and a deacon from his region with similar qualifications. 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.
With this year's group of recipients the total number of individuals and couples who have been named Cheverus medalists stands at 726. There were 93 recipients in 2013, 121 in 2012, 97 in 2011, 98 in 2010 and 133 in 2009. There were 68 awardees in 2008.
Friends and family members of the honorees are welcome to attend the service at the cathedral. The presence of the pastor and a delegation of parishioners is also encouraged to help underscore the parish's appreciation for the service of the honoree.
Cheverus Award recipients 2014
Ms. Tete Adeleke, Sacred Hearts, Malden
Ms. Ana Gladys Amaya, Hispanic Community/Sacred Heart, Roslindale
Ms. Rosemary Angeramo, St. Adelaide, Peabody
Mrs. Dona Bacco, St. Rose of Lima, Topsfield
Mr. Alfred Belanger, St. Mary, Plymouth
Mr. Robert Berlo, St. Mary, Quincy
Mrs. Mary Blasi, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Plymouth
Mrs. Jolyne Boyle St. Mary Star of the Sea, Beverly
Sister Patricia Boyle, CSJ, Pastoral Center Ministries
Mrs. Patricia Buckjune, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell
Mr. Joseph Burke, St. Bernadette, Randolph
Mrs. Mary Caruso, St. Benedict Parish, Somerville
Mrs. Patricia Chevalier, St. John the Evangelist, N. Chelmsford
Mr. David (Dung) Chi Ngo, Vietnamese Community/Sacred Hearts, Malden
Sister Elizabeth Clarke, SHCJ, North Region
Brother David K. Coakley, OSB, South Region
Sister Mary Pedro Conway, SMSM, Archdiocese of Boston
Mrs. Florence Cranshaw, St. Theresa of Lisieux, Sherborn
Mr. Paul Francis Creegan Sr., St. Margaret of Scotland, Lowell
Ms. Helen Cross, Patronage of St. Joseph, Somerville
Ms. Kathleen E. Crozier, Our Lady of Victories, Boston
Sister Ellen Dabrieo, Brazilian Community/St. John the Baptist, Peabody