Years of tradition combined with pandemic year flexibility as the diocese’s 2020 Immaculata Awards for Service were presented.
The Immaculatas were instituted in 2011 as part of the diocese’s 125th anniversary celebration. The awardees, nominated by their parish leaders, are “those who generously and unselfishly give of themselves to their parishes and whose love for the Church has been shown through their devotion to the Holy Father, as well as to our Diocese. They are the unsung heroes in our midst who build up our parish communities by extraordinary service in parish ministry in volunteer service.”
The awards are typically presented during a special Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. This year, however, mindful of coronavirus concerns and protocols, Bishop Douglas J. Lucia directed pastors to present the awards to the honorees in their home parishes.
Bishop Lucia blessed the Immaculata Award medallions during a Mass at St. Margaret’s Church in Mattydale Nov. 28. Originally scheduled to take place at the Cathedral, the Mass and blessing were moved to St. Margaret’s when portions of Syracuse were designated a COVID-19 “orange zone” and church attendance was limited to 25. Parish representatives at the Mass brought the blessed medallions back to their parishes; pastors were to confer the awards at Mass on the Second Sunday of Advent or the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
In his homily Nov. 28, Bishop Lucia reflected on the meaning of the Immaculata Award. The Immaculata is “an award that speaks of service. An award that actually speaks of being alert to the Lord as he comes into the lives of our parish communities. And so on this particular Sunday, even though we are in the midst of the coronavirus and everything still is up in the air and cases seem to be increasing, we know that again, through the service of these folks who will receive the award, God is with us. That our God is a God of accompaniment. A God who comes to walk with us. And that is the whole theme of the Advent season.”
Photos of some of this year’s honorees appear on these pages; turn to page 10 for a list of all honorees. Share photos of your parish’s Immaculata Award recipient by sending to klong@thecatholicsun.com.
2020 Immaculata Award honorees
Josie Abounader
St. Joseph/St. Patrick, Utica
William & Pamela Aiken
St. Anne, Mother of Mary, Mexico
Karen Babicek
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Endicott
Eileen Balsley
Christ Our Light, Pulaski
Dick & Kathy Bensley
St. Stephen/St. Patrick, Whitney Point
Matthew & Barbara Bishop
St. Margaret, Mattydale
Michael Brunner
St. Ambrose, Endicott
Richard & Alicia Calagiovanni
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse
Nancy & John Cannizzaro
St. John the Baptist/Holy Trinity, Syracuse
Christine Carguello
St. Mary of the Assumption, Minoa
Patricia Cashier
St. Daniel, Syracuse
David & Kathy Cizenski
Our Lady of Hope, Syracuse
Sally Copley
St. Patrick, Jordan
Philomena Corsi
St. Anthony, Cortland
Eric R. Cote
Sacred Heart, Cicero
Yolanda Dancesia
Ss. Cyril & Methodius, Binghamton
Joan Decker
Blessed Sacrament, Syracuse
Nick DiFulio
St. Rose of Lima, North Syracuse
William & Judy Ann Dougherty
Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Syracuse
Jerome Dubos
Most Holy Rosary, Syracuse
Susanne Dunne
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Verona
Larry & Patty Ehlinger
St. Joseph, Rome
Don & Helen Falardeau
St. Mary of the Assumption, Baldwinsville
Marie Felice
Our Lady of Pompei/St. Peter, Syracuse
Peter & Patricia Ferguson
Our Lady of Sorrows, Vestal
Joseph C. Fleury
St. Vincent de Paul Blessed Sacrament, Vestal
Kathryn Franco
St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus,
New Berlin
Fred & Mary Ann Furtek
St. Augustine, Baldwinsville
Marian Godfrey
St. Joseph, Oxford
Rocco Griffo
St. John the Baptist, Rome
Sister Harriet Hamilton, OSF
St. Mary, Cortland
John Hohl
St. John, Bainbridge & St. Agnes, Afton
Mary Eileen Horan
Saints John & Andrew, Binghamton
Scott & Donna Igler
St. Francis of Assisi, Binghamton
Jay & Lori Johnson
St. Patrick/St. Anthony, Chadwicks
Mary Katherine Johnson
St. Joseph, Camillus
Florence Jutton
St. Charles-St. Ann, Syracuse
Patrick Kelly
Assumption Church, Syracuse
Maureen Kimble
Immaculate Conception, Greene
Ursula King
St. Mark, Utica
Dan Koehl
St. Joan of Arc, Morrisville
Terry Kotlarz
St. Francis Xavier, Marcellus
Frances Kriese
Holy Family, Syracuse
Fred & Irene Lenga
Church of the Holy Trinity, Binghamton
Michael & Kathleen Lucarelli
St. Malachy, Sherburne
Angelo & Carmelina Manoiero
St. Anthony & St. Agnes, Utica
Kate McMahon
St. Michael & St. Peter, Syracuse
John & Joy Metzger
The Mission of St. Bernadette, Constantia
Joseph Morris
Most Holy Rosary, Maine
Olga Mulpagano
St. Vincent de Paul, Syracuse
Connie Murabito
St. Mary of the Assumption, Oswego
Robert & Joan Payne, II
Historic Old St. John, Utica
Craig Peets
Epiphany Parish, Liverpool
Vincent Penna
St. Mary of the Assumption, Binghamton
Patricia Piedmonte
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Baldwinsville
Lynne Pletl
St. Bernard, Waterville
Gail Rau
Pope John XXIII, Liverpool
Leo Rayhill
Immaculate Conception, Fayetteville
The Romano Family
Christ the King, Liverpool
Jean Sajna
St. Matthew, East Syracuse
Eva Schmidt
St. Paul, Binghamton
Herbert Secor
Transfiguration, Rome
Patricia Sheridan
St. Mary, Clinton
Joseph & Laurie Siniscarco
St. Mary of Mt. Carmel/Blessed Sacrament, Utica
Bernard Solan
Our Lady of the Rosary, New Hartford
JoAnne Smith
Divine Mercy, Central Square
Rachelle Smith
St. Francis of Assisi, Bridgeport
Benjamin Stuttard
St. Joseph, Oriskany Falls
Mary Sugar
Holy Trinity, Fulton
Joseph & Janice Swain
St. Mary, Hamilton
Joy Twiss
Spirit of Hope Catholic Community, Oneida
Michael Vaseleck
St. James, Johnson City
Daniel J. Verna
Our Lady of Lourdes, Utica
SP Outreach Ministries Volunteers
St. Patrick, Binghamton
STA Outreach Ministries Volunteers
St. Thomas Aquinas, Binghamton
Mike & Kathy Wajda
St. Paul, Rome
Rita White
Holy Cross, DeWitt
Henryk Widomski
Holy Trinity, Utica
Martha Winterton
St. Anthony of Padua, Syracuse
Margaret Woodruff
St. Stephen, Phoenix
