Twenty employees of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, were nominated by their peers for service and leadership awards that were presented at the 18th annual St. Elizabeth of Hungary celebration on Nov. 17. Employees from all sites throughout the eight-county diocese were invited to the celebration.
Bishop Nelson Perez celebrated Mass at Sagrada Familia Parish in Cleveland. The event traditional takes place on or near St. Elizabeth?s feast day, which is Nov. 17. The award presentations followed Mass, as did a reception at the nearby St. Augustine Manor, where the awardees and the work of all Catholic Charities employees were recognized.
Sister Kathleen Ryan, director of the Diocesan Office of Social Action, received the St. Elizabeth of Hungary Award.
Receiving Servant Leader Awards were Gina Kerman, executive director of Rose-Mary, and Terry Morris, who recently retired from Matt Talbot.
Mission and Values Awards were presented to Tonja Fowlkes, Matt Talbot; Camille Gill, managing attorney, Migration and Refugee Services; Jackie Vigneault, Youth and Young Adult Ministry; and Christina Zeleniuch, a licensed practical nurse at St. Augustine Manor.
In his homily, Bishop Perez reminded those at the Mass that ?the story doesn?t change, but we do. It?s been the same for 2,000 years.?
As the end of the Church year approaches, he said the Gospels ?get scary. They talk about end times.?
The bishop trained as a clinical psychologist and said he ?is a fan of backward design,? so he asks where a person wants to be, then works backward. ?I used that technique as a therapist. As some of you know, you listen for weeks to learn about the situation. Then I would give the client an assignment and ask where they would want to be in five years.?
He said these Gospels help us ask some tough questions, including what do we want to look like on our death bed
