MILWAUKEE — On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki will distribute 13 Vatican II Awards for distinguished service for outstanding contributions to the church and society. A prayer service and award ceremony will be held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist at 7 p.m. Recipients are:
Jay and Kiara Mack, Service in Administration, as chairpersons of the Catholic Stewardship appeal in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, the couple, members of St. Charles Parish, Hartland, secured funding for Sunday morning broadcasts on WTMJ radio that featured Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. Kiara serves as president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Anthony on the Lake Parish, Pewaukee.
Celwynne Conell, Service to the Church, for serving others with the Milwaukee chapter of The Arc and devoting 13 years to an annual fashion show fundraiser to benefit the organization and another 10 years organizing a summer camp for mentally disabled children. Conell is a member of St. John Vianney Parish, Brookfield.
Margie Mandli, Service in Communication, as an outreach ministry leader at her parish, St. Anne, Pleasant Prairie, she used her expertise to find innovative ways to evangelize. She created a video series about faith to enhance the parish website and served as communication chairperson during the formation of All Saints School, Kenosha.
Marge Didier, Service in Ecumenism, helped launch the Milwaukee Chapter of the Ulster Project in 1979 and also helped open a food pantry in Wauwatosa with support from churches of various denominations. She is a member of St. Jude the Apostle Parish, Wauwatosa.
Patrick Murphy, Service in Education, lectured at Marquette University, DePaul University in Chicago and served as a visiting professor at ULBRA University in Brazil. A member of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, he served on the board of Educational Foundation of the Archdiocese, now know as Partners Advancing Values in Education.
Zongcheng and Mayhoua Moua Family, Service to Families, as members of St. Michael Parish, Milwaukee, the couple and their three children have used donations from a sister parish to establish a tutoring program for refugees from Myanmar in Southeast Asia.
Fr. Stephen Malkiewicz, Service in Liturgy, as a priest in the Order of Friars Minor he has played a major role in the formation of priests, deacons and lay ministers for more than 25 years.
Jean Baumgardner, Service to the Missions, for her work in Toronto, with Native Americans in South Dakota, Guatemala and Ecuador. She is a member of St. Patrick Parish, Milwaukee.
Fr. Ronald Gramza, Service to the Priesthood, for his service as a mentor to those on the road to the priesthood.
Fr. John Pulice, Service to the Priesthood, for providing guidance along life’s educational and spiritual journeys to students and parishioners alike. He served five years as principal of Messmer High School, Milwaukee, and was a guidance director and teacher at Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay.
School Sister of Notre Dame Shawnee Daniels-Sykes, Service in Society, the first and only female African-American Catholic bioethicist in the nation who has served to address problems she witnessed as a nurse that plague racial minorities and lower-income patients. A member of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Milwaukee, she is assistant professor of theology at Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, and is adjunct professor for the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in Louisiana.
Catherine Ryou, Service to the Church: John Paul II Youth Award, for teaching Korean children at her parish, playing the church organ during Mass at her parish, St. Mary Magdalen, Milwaukee, and helping the church choir.
Sam Meier, Service to the Church: John Paul II Youth Award, for his service as a member of the Campus Ministry Leadership team at Catholic Memorial High School, Waukesha, managing lectors for school Masses, mentor for freshman and helping the Ignite Student Youth Group. He is a member of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, North Lake.
