(Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak)
MADISON — Dozens of lay and religious faithful of the Diocese of Madison were presented December 16 with the honors bestowed upon them by Pope Benedict XVI for their meritorious service to the Church.
The ceremony, which preceded the Madison Diocesan Choir’s annual Lessons and Carols, took place at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison in the packed Bishop O’Donnell Chapel.
The honors were bestowed by the pope upon the request of Bishop Robert C. Morlino, who presented most of the 24 honorees at the ceremony December 16. Brian Cain and Joe Tisserand had been presented with their awards during the Catholic Charities dinner on November 8.
The honors presented were the maximum honors allowed for a diocese in one year and thus “honor more broadly the entire diocesan Church and implicitly recognize, in this Year of Faith, the ongoing service of so many local people in parishes and Catholic institutions,” said the Diocese of Madison when announcing the awards.
Besides the members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem who are nominated annually, this is the first request by Bishop Morlino for the bestowal of such awards in the Diocese of Madison, and he hopes to petition for others in the future.
He asked those attending to pray for Pope Benedict XVI.