ST. JOSEPH MEDAL OF APPRECIATION AWARDED FOR SERVICE

HARTFORD (03-07-2010) - Families, friends and fellow parishioners crowded into the Cathedral of St. Joseph to honor "faithful servants" from 163 parishes in the archdiocese as they received from the Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell the 2010 St. Joseph Archdiocesan Medal of Appreciation.

Archbishop Mansell congratulated the recipients who were nominated by their pastors for the award. Given annually, the medal of appreciation honors one person or one married couple from a parish who has exemplified faithful service to the parish over a period of several years. Pastors are invited to send in the name of the nominee and reasons for the nomination. Some recipients have opened the church every morning for years, others have volunteered their time in the parish school or have taken care of the sacristy or maintenance needs of the church. Every person has his or her own story of long-term commitment to the life of the parish, as the Archbishop pointed out. Click here to see a list of the St. Joseph Medal recipients (pdf).