Bishop Kevin J. Farrell presents a Bishop Award for Service to the Church to Lee Cook, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano, during the Mass celebrating the Bishop’s Awards for Service to the Church, on Feb. 7 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas. (BEN TORRES/Special Contributor)
By Bishop Kevin J. Farrell
Publisher of The Texas Catholic
One event that I especially enjoy each year is the Mass and reception at which we honor lay men and women for their volunteer work in our parishes and agencies with the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church. On Feb. 7 about 150 awardees and their families gathered at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe for a wonderful celebration of being Church.
It occurs to me that these are the people who are the Church. They are the readers, the parish council members, the ministers to the sick, the bazaar workers, the Eucharistic Ministers, the cat-echists, the scout leaders, the room mothers, the ushers, the marriage ministers the ones who clean up and wash dishes after parish events…the people who make up the Body of Christ.
Pastors sometimes tell me that it is difficult to select only two to receive the Bishop’s Award be-cause there are so many parishioners who deserve recognition. I assure them that is the sign of a vibrant and successful parish and that there will be the opportunity to recognize others in the fu-ture.
As is always the case, the Mass and reception Saturday were joyful family events, a wonderful liturgy, good food, lots of picture taking and visiting, just a general good time. I noticed that people didn’t seem in a hurry to leave.
As a matter of fact, neither was I.
Look for more coverage of the Mass celebrating the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church in the Feb. 20 print edition of The Texas Catholic.
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell is the seventh bishop of Dallas. Read his blog at bishopkevinfarrell.org.
