Above: The annual Immaculata Awards took place on the afternoon of Dec. 7 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse.
2025 Immaculata Award honorees represent 90 parishes
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
On the afternoon of Dec. 7, at the crowded Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, the annual Immaculata Awards were presented to lay men and women from 90 parishes in the diocese. The awards were established in 2011 by Bishop Emeritus Robert J. Cunningham to recognize the many laypeople around the diocese who devote their energy and time to volunteering in their parishes and beyond, honoring their service and fidelity to Christ and His Church. The awards’ namesake comes from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, as the conferral of the awards always takes place on the Sunday closest to the Holy Day.
In between beautifully sung prayer and scripture, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia gave a homily in which he drew a connection between Mary’s openness and devotion to God’s plan in her life and the Immaculata Award honorees’ answer to God’s call in their lives.
Bishop Douglas J. Lucia speaks at the annual event honoring dedicated lay volunteers from parishes within the Syracuse Diocese.
“We celebrate in this Advent season the nearness of our God,” Bishop said. “The nearness of God was very much part of the role of Mary — Mary’s role in salvation history, as she opened her life to God. And when God made the request of her, to carry in her womb the Son of God and Son of Man, Savior of the World, her simple response was ‘I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.’ Today, as we gather in this Cathedral church, we call to mind men and women who continue to follow after their Mother. Who look to her and who respond like her: ‘I am the servant of the Lord.’ And they bring forth Christ into the world, the world of our parishes, the world of our communities, especially through their service.”
After Bishop greeted and congratulated each honoree and the event concluded, The Catholic Sun spoke with award recipients from around the diocese, who each expressed their humility and gratefulness to others in their parish communities for supporting them over the years. Each emphasized that serving in parishes is a group effort and spoke with zeal about the different ways they minister in their church communities.
Honorees Douglas Ambrose and Sheila O’Connor-Ambrose of Mary, Mother of Our Savior in Utica, have been serving the parish community for almost 30 years, from teaching adult faith formation classes and assisting with the universal prayers each week, to organizing a Holy Hour and running the parish Facebook page.
”I loved the Bishop’s homily. … This is a very humbling way [of] helping to open the doors for Christ and letting Him out into the world, and so that’s a very humbling and beautiful thought,” Sheila said.
“I help where I can,” said award recipient Susan King of St. Mary in Clinton. King has also been serving her parish for about 30 years, coordinating Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and lectors as well as serving on the parish council. “It’s always a pleasure to be honored by my peers, and I’m so grateful to them for all the help they give me,” she shared.
Honoree Deborah Martin of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Baldwinsville said, “It’s a big honor. It’s very humbling.” She accepted the award “for God, for the people in my parish, for the Seton Server ladies who I could not do this without, and of course our great priests and everything that we have — Father Ben [Schrantz] and Bishop Lucia — and for all the ladies who came before me.”
Martin shared that the funeral luncheon committee changed their name to the Seton Servers to more accurately reflect the variety of activities they undertake in parish life, including coordinating Totus Tuus for faith formation, hosting an Easter Vigil celebration for the OCIA candidates, and even celebrating Bishop Cunningham’s 80th birthday.
”We love doing so many different things. … The greatest joy is looking out and seeing people socializing and having a great time, that they’ve got time to be with each other. So that’s our joy.”
2025 Immaculata Award Recipients
Joan Di Chiara • St. John the Evangelist, Bainbridge
Kathleen Harding • St. Mary of the Assumption, Baldwinsville
Deborah Martin • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Baldwinsville
Paul & Luanne DeFelice • St. Augustine, Baldwinsville
Kathy Blodgett • St. Paul, Binghamton
Barbara Brozovic • St. Francis of Assisi, Binghamton
Stephen & Linda Gardner • St. Mary of the Assumption, Binghamton
Constance Varsik • Ss. Cyril & Methodius, Binghamton
James & MaryAnn Massar • Church of the Holy Trinity, Binghamton
Mary Zervos • St. Thomas Aquinas, Binghamton
Michael & Robin Nickerson • Sts. John & Andrew, Binghamton
Carolyn Scoville • St. Patrick, Binghamton
Elizabeth Allman • St Francis of Assisi, Bridgeport
John & Jane Sullivan • St. Joseph, Camillus
Cindy Atkinson • Divine Mercy, Central Square
Lynn LaVenture & Connie Toukatly • St. Patrick-St. Anthony, Chadwicks
Donna Barrett • Sacred Heart, Cicero
Joanne Livermore • Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Cincinnatus
Susan King • St. Mary, Clinton
Chris & Liesl Moheimani • St. Anthony of Padua, Cortland
St. Mary’s Ministry of Consolation • St. Mary, Cortland
Bridget Davis • St. Joseph, Deposit
Betty Robinson & Ruth Case • St. Lawrence Mission, DeRuyter
Ronald & Josephine Rabideau • Holy Cross, DeWitt
Bernie Beck • St Matthew, East Syracuse
Dorothea Smith • St. Joseph, Endicott
Elaine Alfonsetti • Our Lady of Good Counsel, Endicott
Bob & Karen Taluba • St. Anthony of Padua, Endicott
Bernard Marchuska & Julius Marchuska • St. Ambrose, Endicott
Candace Nash • Church of the Holy Family, Endwell
David & Daryll Wheeler • Immaculate Conception, Fayetteville
Leonard Langdon • Holy Trinity, Fulton
Joe & Jackie Henninge • Immaculate Conception, Greene
Joanne Lloyd • St. Mary, Hamilton
Lisa Clark • St. Margaret, Homer
Carol Hall • St. James, Johnson City
Alexander & Georgianna Speck • St. Patrick, Jordan
Ursela Kraemer • St. Mary, Kirkwood
Peter & Cheryle Jepson • Church of the Nativity at St. Joseph, Lafayette
Dominick Madia • Pope John XXIII, Liverpool
Lorraine DeChick • Epiphany Parish, Liverpool
Rita Stala • Christ the King, Liverpool
John & Mary Kaufman • Most Holy Rosary, Maine
John & Mary-Ann McDonald • St. Ann, Manlius
Dan & Jeanie Cupoli • St. Francis Xavier, Marcellus
Kelly Merrill • St. Margaret, Mattydale
Margaret Wilson • St. Anne, Mother of Mary, Mexico
Daniel Borawski • St Mary of the Assumption, Minoa
Paula Curtis • St. Joan of Arc, Morrisville
Dawn Gubbins • Sacred Heart/St. Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa, New York Mills
Frank Smith • St. Rose of Lima, North Syracuse
Joe & Cindy Zifchock • Spirit of Hope
Judy Engle • St. Joseph, Oriskany Falls
Jim Schneider • Shrine at St. Mary of the Assumption, Oswego
Hugh & Patricia Korta Flanaga • Christ the Good Shepherd, Oswego
Francis & Cecelia McDonough • Church of the Nativity at St. Patrick, Otisco
Joan E. Kulina • St. Joseph, Oxford
Terry Iorio • St. Stephen, Phoenix
Kathy Costello & Kristin Bobbette • Church of the Nativity at Immaculate Conception, Pompey
Anne Waymire • St. Joseph, Port Crane
Edmund & Linda Muroski • Christ Our Light, Pulaski,
Nicholas Pantazis • Sacred Heart, Rome
Barbara Murphy • St. Mary of the Lake, Skaneateles
Thomas Carmichael • St. Daniel, Syracuse
Patricia Wlosinski • Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Syracuse
Steven Washington • St. Anthony of Padua, Syracuse
Tilda Booker • All Saints, Syracuse
Frances Zirilli • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Syracuse
Felicia Castricone • St. Vincent De Paul, Syracuse
Ana McConnell • Transfiguration Syracuse
Mary Linda Raccuia • Our Lady of Pompei/St. Peter, Syracuse
Owen Donovan • St. John the Baptist/Holy Trinity, Syracuse
Katherine Scullion • Most Holy Rosary, Syracuse
Antonio Casale • St. Marianne Cope, Syracuse
Edward Johnson • Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse
Holy Family Church Funeral Choir • Holy Family, Syracuse
Edward White • Blessed Sacrament, Syracuse
Linda VanWagenen • St. Patrick’s Oratory, Truxton
Jeanette Shepardson • Church of the Nativity at St. Leo’s, Tully
Maureen Zumpano • Historic Old St. John, Utica
Paul Zaleski • Holy Cross, Utica
Douglas Ambrose & Sheila O’Connor-Ambrose • Mary, Mother of Our Savior, Utica
Fred & Kathy Capozzella • St. Anthony & St. Agnes, Utica
Bill & Jacky Thibault • St. Mary of Mt. Carmel/Blessed Sacrament, Utica
The People of Mother Marianne’s West Side Kitchen & Boutique • St. Joesph-St. Patrick, Utica
Martin & Marilee Beyer • St. Vincent de Paul/Blessed Sacrament, Vestal
Richard & Patricia Woodruff • Our Lady of Sorrows, Vestal
Joyce & John Rienzo • St. Bernard, Waterville
Ted Champney • St. Stephen-St. Patrick, Whitney Point
Robert Acquisto • Our Lady of Lourdes, Windsor
