BOSTON — Eleven local laypeople were awarded the Cheverus Award Medal for their commitment to serving the Catholic Church and its members.
Archbishop Richard Henning presented 102 medals to laypersons, religious and deacons, during a prayer service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in South Boston on Nov. 23.
First awarded in 2008, the medals are conferred upon selected recipients from throughout the Archdiocese annually at the Cathedral on or around the Solemnity of Christ the King. The recipients are all nominated for the award.
The award, named for Bishop Jean-Louis Anne Madelain Lefebvre de Cheverus, who was the founding Bishop of Boston, is given to those who live out his episcopal motto, “let us love one another.” The recipients have served their parishes for an extended period of time and done so in a quiet and unassuming fashion, even perhaps unrecognized.
Saint Gabriel the Archangel of Haverhill had two people awarded the honor: Javier Velazquez (posthumously) and America Alvarez.
In Lawrence, Marilinda Cruz, Alfred LaSpina, Susan Witham and Thomas Witham of Holy Rosary Shrine and Raymond Leavitt of Saint Patrick Parish were awarded the medal.
In Methuen, Eileen Giordano and Lawrence Giordano of Saint Lucy Parish and Caroline Beaudoin of Methuen’s Saint Monica Parish and Barbara Lussier of Saint Michael Parish in North Andover were presented the award.
“The Church is centered around the core belief that Jesus is our one, true Savior,” Henning said. “Therefore, we are bound together by a commitment to serve Christ and the Church in building communities of faith, hope and love.”