Hundreds gathered to honor and support awardees at the 15th
Annual Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries Appreciation Mass and Dinner at
St. Joseph Church in Herndon Dec. 11. Father Thomas P. Ferguson, vicar general
and pastor of Good Shepherd in Alexandria, was the celebrant and homilist.
“We rejoice and give thanks to God for the witness of those among
us who are leaders in youth ministry and especially we rejoice as we honor and
celebrate in a special way those who have been outstanding over the past year
or, in some cases, over many years, decades even, as leaders among us who share
our faith with young people in our parishes and youth ministries,” he said.
Following Mass, Kevin Bohli, executive director of diocesan
Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries, served as the master of
ceremonies with Father Ferguson handing out the awards. The first to be honored
were 34 volunteers of the year, while the final person honored was Beverly Anderson,
who received the More Award, honoring a lifetime commitment to young people.
Anderson has been a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Alexandria since 1990.
Bohli gave a litany of more than three decades of her accomplishments
pertaining to youth ministry, which included her work as director of religious
education at St. Joseph; community service, such as her active membership in
the pro-life movement, she attended the March for Life for the past 26 years;
and her organization of World Youth Day pilgrimages along with accompanying the
youths. Bohli also quoted Anderson’s husband, Deacon Al Anderson, to provide
insight into her unwavering dedication to young people.
“The reason for Bev’s commitment is that she feels young people
have too often been underserved. She feels that the youth bring a faith-filled
vitality and exuberance that is often mistaken for impatience,” Bohli said,
quoting Deacon Anderson, who served at the Mass earlier.
Visibly moved by the appreciation given by Bohli, Anderson
received a sustained standing ovation.
Other awardees were quick to show gratitude for their honors.
“It’s a really big accomplishment for me because I never thought
that I would be able to do something like this or to receive an award for the
work that I have done,” said Jocelyn Hernandez, the winner of the Excellence in
Young Adult Ministry for her work with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
Chris Maimone, another awardee, posthumously was given an Excellence
in Youth Ministry Award for his work at St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax and
the Youth Apostles Institute. His family was in attendance, and after the
awards ceremony, his son, Max, expressed his gratitude for his father.
“My dad’s been a youth ministry leader for that past 30 years or
so, and it was beautiful to see people standing up for that. It is just a
beautiful thing,” said Maimone. His father passed away in October.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Patricia Helene Earl, director of
the Catholic School Leadership Program at Marymount University in Arlington, described
the importance of the event.
“I think this is a tremendous evening to recognize the
volunteerism, the dedication of people to meet the needs of our youth and a
beautiful expression of gratitude to all those who help in the formation of our
young people. I am also delighted that Father Tom Yehl was a recipient of the
Ex Corde award. He is just a beautiful example of priesthood and commitment to
young people,” said Sister Earl.
Full listing of awardees:
Volunteer of the Year
Mike and Theresa Zahorchak, All Saints Catholic Church,
Manassas
Julia Fabian, Basilica of St. Mary, Alexandria
Ed Fitzpatrick, Bishop O’Connell High School, Arlington
Kathleen Obert, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church,
Alexandria
Andrew D’Abbraccio, Cathedral of St. Thomas More,
Arlington
Enid Acosta, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, Sterling
Henry Love, Christendom College, Front Royal
Mary Chris Beardsley, Corpus Christi Catholic Church, South
Riding
Peter and Melanie Lynch, Good Shepherd Catholic Church,
Alexandria
Matthew Drabik, Holy Family Catholic Church, Dale City
Ruthie Thorne, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Gainesville
Stephanie Juan-Andres, Marymount University, Arlington
Bill and Kathy Belden, Church of the Nativity, Burke
Dan and Laura Glass, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic
Church, Vienna
Robert Stulac, St. Paul VI Catholic High School, Fairfax
Sue Straka, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Manassas
Andy Stoss, St. Ambrose Church, Annandale
Susannah O’Donnell, St. Ann Catholic Church, Arlington
Kevin Sofa, St. Anthony of Padua Mission, King George
George Schafer, St.
Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Falls Church
Linda Milligan, St. Bernadette Catholic Church,
Springfield
Maggie May, St. Bridget of Ireland Catholic Church,
Berryville
Mark Cerny, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,
Arlington
Tina Lovingood, St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, Purcellville
Mark Voorheis, St. John the Apostle Catholic Church,
Leesburg
Phyllis Johnson, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Alexandria
Tom Reilly, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Herndon
Sandi Sale, St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Fairfax
Becky Byrne, St. Luke Catholic Church, McLean
Walter Gawlek, St. Mark Catholic Church, Vienna
Kathryn Stinard, St. Mary of Sorrows Catholic Church,
Fairfax
DongChul Kang, St. Paul Chung Catholic Church, Fairfax
Jocelyn Halisky, St.
Thomas à Becket Catholic Church, Reston
Michelle Hill, St. Veronica Catholic Church, Chantilly
Excellence in Youth Ministry
Chris Maimone, St. Leo the Great and Youth Apostles
Institute
Erin Johnson, St. Veronica
Christopher Miller, Northern Virginia Junior Catholic
Youth Organization
Bl. Chiara Badano
Zia Sampson, Holy Trinity
St. Jose Sanchez del Rio
Benedict Ham, Holy Family
Ex Corde
Father Thomas M. Yehl, Marymount University, Arlington
Excellence in Young Adult Ministry
Jocelyn Hernandez,
Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Bishop Loverde
Emily Teter, Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult
Ministries volunteer
More
Beverly Anderson, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Alexandria