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Catholic Charities recognizes leaders in social justice education, ministries
By Andrew Junker, The Catholic Sun
November 15, 2007
Catholic Charities Community Services awarded seven local leaders for their commitment to social justice issues at a Nov. 6 luncheon at the downtown Diocesan Pastoral Center.
Tricia Hoyt, director of Catholic Charities’ Office of Peace and Justice, said this year’s McCarthy Award winners all showed great compassion to the worker.
“The poor are now the working poor,” she said. “We really are finding that it’s a scandal. People working full time are still in poverty.”
The annual awards are named for Bishop Edward McCarthy, who served as Phoenix’s first bishop from 1969 to 1976. He was known for his commitment to social justice, especially with regard to refugees and the poor.
Many of the award winners have fought to change the root causes that keep so many of these workers in poverty, Hoyt said.
Linda Martinez, a parishioner at St. John Vianney Parish in Sedona, won the award for Excellence in Mobilization of Community to Enact Systemic Change.
She has fought for affordable housing in the Sedona and Verde Valley area, and pressed the local government to provide better public transportation for workers who cannot afford cars.
Her ability to discuss the plight of the poor with local lawmakers “provides the silent voices access to the legislators and the political process,” said Lucas Gomez, a fellow parishioner at St. John Vianney who nominated Martinez for the award.
Richard Browner, a teacher at Bourgade Catholic High School, won the Campus/Youth Ministry Award. In his eight years at the school, Browner has organized service trips to Mexico and organized a vocation ministry week, brought Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos to the school and regularly leads prayer services.
“When one member suffers, all the members suffer,” Browner said, quoting St. Paul during his acceptance speech. “I don’t think there’s anyone here in ministry who’s not aware of that.”
The ministries provided by the award winners are diverse, ranging from preaching to lobbying to directly working with the most destitute.
Hoyt said the award winners should inspire parishes to take on more social justice ministries, which can cover a broad range of services and education.
“We hope they will take Catholic social teaching and infiltrate it through all of their ministries and really bring this perspective” to parish life, she said.
Carmelite Father Val Boyle won the Human Life and Dignity Award and Debbie DiCarlo won the Parish Social Justice Ministry award for her work at St. Paul Parish.
Fr. Ray Ritari, pastor of St. Matthew Parish, won the Excellence in Preaching Award. Brophy College Preparatory teacher Tim Broyles won the Social Justice Education Award.
And Bonnie Danowski from the Franciscan Renewal Center won the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with marriage counseling, the poor, people with disabilities and caregivers.
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