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Honoring those who serve the Lord with 'hiddenness and holiness'
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August 4, 2020
In the near future, we will be distributing our annual Diocesan Service Awards. There are two groups of people who are honored with these service awards. One group of recipients are youth in our diocese and the other group are adults in our diocese. The recipients of these awards are nominated by their pastor. In the past, we have gathered during a prayer service to present these awards to the recipients. However, the current safety protocols addressing COVID-19 make it more prudent for us this year to forego having a prayer service and to distribute these important diocesan awards outdoors at scheduled times in several locations in the diocese.
Those being honored this year with these awards embody the virtues of two very significant saints for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux: St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales.
St. Joseph served the Lord in secret and in silence. There is little we know about the life of the Holy Family while in Nazareth, but we know that St. Joseph served Jesus in those hidden years of his life. St. Joseph never speaks a word in Scripture. He simply silently and faithfully does what God asks him to do.
St. Francis de Sales is best known for his book, An Introduction to the Devout Life, which remains perhaps one of the best works on the spirituality of the laity. St. Francis de Sales enriches the spiritual lives of the laity and makes very clear how they too can achieve holiness of life as they answer their call and vocation from the Lord.
Together, these two important saints for our diocese served the Lord with “hiddenness and holiness.” These are virtues that we should all seek to embrace to serve the Lord, and with these awards we recognize the humble service of youth and adults in our diocese who embody these characteristics of service.
The award received by youth recipients is a medal comprised of a white and red banner, an image of an eagle, a cross and the diocesan crest. The white in the banner represents one’s baptism; the red signifies the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ. The image of the eagle signifies the many qualities of a leader such as courage, strength, loyalty, self-confidence, passion and perseverance. The cross is one of the most recognizable symbols of Christian faith. The diocesan crest represents the place where the recipients of the award were nurtured to become the outstanding young people they are today.
The award received by adult recipients is a medal with the images of St. Joseph and St. Francis de Sales. Like St. Joseph, who humbly served the Lord, and St. Francis de Sales, who taught the lay faithful how to strive for holiness, the award recognizes the humble service and holiness of life on the part of those who receive the award. Their great generosity of service proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ and enriches all who are a part of the parish community.
I want to express my great gratitude to the recipients of our diocesan awards this year. Your faith, service and holiness of life inspire me and so many others. You are generous in your service to the Lord, in your service to our diocese, in your service to your parish communities, and in your service to others. One thing we learn from sacred Scripture is that God will not be outdone in generosity. Because you give so much in service to the Lord, you can be confident that the Lord will return to you in some manner and at some time a more generous portion than that which you have so kindly shared with others.
I hope that you will accept this small “thank you” from our diocese as an indication of our great gratitude for you and for all that you assist us in accomplishing. I also express my gratitude to your family members, who are also generous in allowing you to give time and service to our faith community.
We continue in these days to make plans for a return to school during the month of August. Pray for a safe return to school and for as “normal” a school year as possible. Quite obviously we still know the many burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety requirements that it places upon us. We also continue to witness racial unrest and the effects of racism that continue to fill headlines and news reports.
I invite you to bring all these concerns to prayer and to action in your life and faith. Through our prayer and action, may we be a part of resolving these problems, and strengthening the ties that bind us to one another and to Jesus Christ!
God bless you all! Stay safe!