On Oct. 2, over 120 people were bestowed the Cheverus Award at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

According to the Boston Pilot, presenting the award has been an annual tradition that had just resumed after a two-year pause because of the pandemic.

Since 2008, the award has been presented to honor local Catholics for offering their long-time service to the Church, regardless if their efforts are publicly recognized or not. In other words, it is a badge of honor for the unsung heroes and heroines of the archdiocese.

According to Boston Catholic, every year, one-third of the parishes in the archdiocese are asked to nominate a parishioner. On the other hand, regional bishops are asked to nominate one religious and one deacon.

The Central Ministries of the Archdiocese also make their own nominations.

Awardees

The award was presented by Cardinal Sean O’Malley during an afternoon prayer service at the Cathedral.

In his homily, Cardinal O’Malley stated that it is important to say thank you to God and those who work for His Kingdom—those who witness and serve in their own churches.

As such, they honored the men and women from all over the archdiocese and every linguistic and ethnic group who have tirelessly rendered their service with humility and all for the good of the whole church.

Among them is Hosffman Ospino of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.

According to an article by Boston College, Ospino is an associate professor who is actively involved in the Hispanic ministry.

He was the principal investigator for the National Study of Catholic Parishes in the United States, and had played a leadership at the Fifth National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

The award was also granted posthumously to Beirne Lovely and Deacon Jesus Ortiz.

Before his death in 2020, Lovely served as archdiocesan general counsel. On the other hand, Ortiz served at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Boston.

As for the other awardees, their names were compiled in an article by the Boston Pilot.

With 120 awardees, Cardinal O’Malley stated that it was humbling to realize how many parishioners are dedicated and loyal to Christ and the church.

He also stated that with their years of humble works of love, they served as a reflection of Christ’s love and a witness to the transformative power of Christianity.

With this, he called on the attendees to work together and be people of hospitality, love, and service.

Cheverus Award

According to the Boston Catholic, the award is named after Bishop Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus, the first bishop of Boston.

He led the diocese from 1808 until he returned to France in 1824.

In 1836, he passed away as the archbishop of Bordeaux.

His legacy is symbolized by an oval-shaped silver medal that bears his image.

On the reverse side of the medal is the Bishop’s coat of arms and the episcopal motto "diligamus nos invicem," which means "let us love one another."

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