November 13, 2012 - Cardinal Seán to Present 122 Cheverus Awards on November 18, 2012* - Archdiocese of Boston

BRAINTREE, MA (November 9, 2012) — Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap will present 122 Cheverus Award Medals to laypersons, deacons and religious during a 3 pm service on Sunday, November 18 at the Cathedral of The Holy Cross.

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 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, 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 122 recipients, there are 518 individuals and couples that have been named Cheverus medalists. There were 68 in 2008, 133 in 2009, 98 in 2010 and 97 last year. The medals are typically presented on the Feast of Christ the King, which ends the Church’s liturgical year. Because of the consistory in Rome this year on that date, Cardinal Seán is presenting the awards a week earlier.

There is no limit to the number of family members and friends who can join the honoree at the Cathedral. The presence of the pastor and a delegation of parishioners is warmly encouraged to help underline the appreciation and gratitude of the parish towards the honoree.

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

Below is a list of those receiving the 2012 Cheverus Award Medals.

1. Mrs. Anna Abbruzzese, Cohasset
2. Mrs. Deborah Albano, Tewksbury
3. Deacon John Alexander, Merritt Island
4. Ms. Mary Beth Ammann, Somerville
5. Dr. Angelica Avcikurt, Chestnut Hill
6. Ms. Judith Bell, Dorchester
7. Mrs. Cecile Benotti, Weston
8. Sister Kathleen Bettencourt, OCarm/P, Peabody
9. Mrs. Donna Biggins, Sudbury
10. Mr. George & Mrs. Joan Bishop, Somerville
11. Mr. James Bocelli, Malden
12. Mr. Charles Braid, Revere
13. Sister Mary Braley, S.C.N., Newburyport
14. Deacon Robert Breen, Medford
15. Mrs. Madelyn Brown, Medford
16. Mr. Timothy Buckley, Waltham
17. Ms. Kathleen Callagy, Lawrence
18. Mr. Stephen Cavanaugh, Brockton
19. Mr. Peter & Mrs. Laura Chan, Stoneham
20. Mrs. Mary Frances Chisholm, Tyngsboro
21. Dr. Henry (Hang Rok) Cho, Canton
22. Sister Maureen Clark, CSJ, Watertown
23. Mr. John Collier, Braintree
24. Ms. Margaret Costa, Boston
25. Ms. Olga de los Santos, Lynn
26. Mr. Lawrence Destefano, Lexington
27. Mr. David & Mrs. Anne DeVoe, Salem
28. Ms. Shirley Di Iorio, Jamaica Plain
29. Mrs. Felicia DiFeo, East Boston
30. Mr. John DiMasi, Billerica
31. Ms. Patricia Dineen, Belmont
32. Ms. Marijane Dosdall, Wellesley
33. Ms. Joyce Durst, Mattapan
34. Mr. John Dwyer, Duxbury
35. Mr. John Ellis, Jr., Brighton
36. Mrs. Mary Fagan, South Boston
37. Ms. Anne Farmer, Danvers
38. Ms. Madeline Feldmann, Braintree
39. Ms. Herondina Ferreira, Watertown
40. Ms. Elizabeth Folloni, Bridgewater
41. Mrs. Iwona Gajczak, Quincy
42. Mr. Joseph Galluzzo, Andover
43. Mrs. Elaine Garcia, Marlborough
44. Ms. Kathleen Garon, North Andover
45. Ms. Ann Garvey, Natick
46. Mrs. Anna Gaudet, Newton
47. Mrs. Patricia Gavin, Norwood
48. Mr. Craig Gibson, Winchester
49. Mr. James Gregory, Stoneham
50. Mr. Meynardo Gutierrez, Medford
51. Mrs. Loretta Haley, Newburyport
52. Ms. Katherine Harless, Malden
53. Mr. John Harrington, Reading
54. Mrs. Lois Harrington, Stoneham
55. Mr. Michael Hatch, Sr., Avon
56. Mr. Walter Hunt, Boston
57. Mrs. Mary Hurley, Hingham
58. Mrs. Justine Hyppolite, Waltham
59. Miss Clare Joyce, Milton
60. Ms. Margaret Keefe, Lowell
61. Mr. Francis Kelley, Boston
62. Ms. Jean Kelley, Boston
63. Mr. Donald Kelly, Halifax
64. Mrs. Theresa Kiernan, Dorchester
65. Mr. Fred Klingmeyer, Wellesley
66. Deacon William Koffel, Framingham
67. Mrs. Paulette Lacoursiere, Hingham
68. Ms. Mary Laverdure, Groveland
69. Deacon Roland Leduc, Lowell
70. Mrs. Janice Leonard, North Reading
71. Ms. Eveline Lima, Marlboro
72. Brother James Lucas, O.M.I., Tewksbury
73. Dr. Aloysius Lugira, Woburn
74. Attorney Henry Luthin, Brighton
75. Mrs. Raye Mahoney, Peabody
76. Mr. Charles Mangine, Needham
77. Mrs. Carmella McCourt, Brockton
78. Mr. Gerard McGrath, Quincy
79. Mr. John McNeice, Canton
80. Mr. Charles J. Murphy, Sudbury
81. Ms. Joan Nelson, Boston
82. Mr. Peter Thong Nguyen, Saugus
83. Deacon John Nicholson, Marlborough
84. Ms. Bernadette Obas, Mattapan
85. Mr. William O'Halloran, Watham
86. Mr. Richard Paquette, Haverhill
87. Ms. Carol Parillo, Dedham
88. Mrs. Edith Pedro, Cambridge
89. Mr. Phong Pham, Lawrence
90. Dr. Wilfrid Pilette, Framingham
91. Ms. Judith Pinard, Ayer
92. Mrs. Angiolina Pizzicannella, East Boston
93. Ms. Janet Platt, West Newton
94. Mrs. Mary Plourde, Brockton
95. Ms. Jacqueline Proctor, Beverly
96. Ms. Charlotte Quealey, Lowell
97. Mrs. Maureen Rodino, Wellesley
98. Ms. Mary Romano, Boston
99. Mr. Mario Rosa, Cambridge
100. Mr. Francis Russell, Readville
101. Ms. Jan Sandberg, Lowell
102. Ms. Frances Shawcross, Winchester
103. Mr. Walter Shea, Kingston
104. Mrs. Josephine Silva, Somerville
105. Mr. Alvaro Soares, Nashua
106. Dr. Robert Sperber, Brookline
107. Mr. Ernest St. Laurent, Foxborough
108. Deacon Daniel Sullivan, Milton
109. Mrs. Barbara Suojanen, Medfield
110. Mrs. Janet Swenson, Braintree
111. Ms. Jennie Swenson, Hanover
112. Mr. Charles Tautkus, Abington
113. Mrs. Malida Thelusme, Brockton
114. Mrs. Susan Tocci, Townsend
115. Mrs. Donna Vaira, Ayer
116. Mr. Raoul Vincent, Newton
117. Mr. Thomas Walsh, Beverly
118. Sister Mary K. Walsh, CSJ, Milton
119. Sister Mary Jude Waters, OP, Watertown
120. Ms. Virginia Williams, Duxbury
121. Mr. Lee & Mrs. Eleanor Wright, Medford
122. Sister Peggy Youngclaus, SND, Boston