By Mary Stadnyk | News Editor

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., announced that Pope Benedict XVI has awarded papal honors to two priests, two religious, one deacon and three lay persons in the Diocese of Trenton. At the same time, he named two recipients of diocesan-level award recognizing Father Brian McCormick and Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Janet Yurkanin for their many years of service to Catholic social justice efforts.

Bishop O’Connell will bestow the papal honors during the Eucharistic Congress at the conclusion of the Great Mass that will be celebrated Oct. 14 starting at 4 p.m.

The priests receiving papal honors are Msgr. Thomas J. Mullelly, diocesan Episcopal Vicar for Clergy and Consecrated Life, and Msgr. Joseph Roldan, rector of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and liaison for Hispanic and Portuguese Ministry. Msgr. Mullelly and Msgr. Roldan were named Chaplains to His Holiness and given the new titles of “Reverend Monsignor.”

A Chaplain of Honor to His Holiness is a distinction given by the pope to certain Roman Catholic priests in recognition of their service to the Church. Candidates are nominated for the honor by their bishop for consideration by the Holy Father. Priests who hold the title of “monsignor” are part of the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, which includes the Papal Chapel and the Papal Family. As member of the “papal family,” the monsignors are included in the Pontifical Yearbook, Annuario Pontificio, an official directory of the Holy See.

The origin of the honor dates back to the time of Pope Urban VIII. In addition to his being addressed as “Monsignor,” the position also carries with it certain privileges, such as in regard to ecclesiastical dress.

Bishop O’Connell will award the Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice Cross to Sister of St. Joseph Dorothy Payne, president of Trenton Catholic Academy, Hamilton, and Sacred Heart Brother Robert Ziobro, director of religious education in St. David the King Parish, West Windsor.

The Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice (Latin for “For the Church and the Pope”) was established by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 to commemorate the golden jubilee of his priesthood. It is given for distinguished service to the Church by clergy and lay people. It is the highest honor that can be awarded to the laity by the papacy.

Four individuals will be presented with the Benemerenti Medal which was instituted by Pope Gregory XVI and is conferred on those who have exhibited long and exceptional service to the Catholic Church, their families and community. The word, “benemerenti,” which means “to a well deserving person,” is on the back of the medal, surrounded by a crown of oak leaves: the ribbon is made of papal colors, yellow and white.

In 1925, the concept of awarding the medal as a mark of recognition to persons in service of the Church, both civil and military, lay and clergy alike, became acceptable.

The Benemerenti Medal recipients are: Deacon John Flanagan of St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel; Maureen Fitzsimmons, diocesan victim assistance coordinator; James Manfredonia, and Cheryl Manfredonia, who co-founded Domestic Church Media and currently operate local radio stations WFJS 1260 AM and 89.3 FM where Bishop O’Connell can be heard on the first Friday of each month on his own radio show, “The Shepherd’s Voice.”

The diocesan Gaudium et Spes Award will be given to Father McCormick, recognizing him for his 42 years of ministry as president of the Martin House Community Justice Foundation.  Father McCormick, who recently retired from Martin House, has tirelessly devoted his priestly life to working among, ministering to and championing for thousands of poor adults and children living in one of the poorest sections of the City of Trenton by helping them to improve their lives through housing and educational opportunities.

The Gaudium et Spes (Church in a Modern World) Award is named after the document promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1965, the longest and most significant of the Second Vatican Council’s documents covering such subjects as conscience, marriage, culture, politics and warfare.

Looking to the Gaudium et Spes document, Bishop O’Connell noted that Father McCormick’s vision of ministry was reflected in the following citation: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ.” (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, art. 1)

Bishop O’Connell also saw the Eucharistic Congress as an appropriate occasion to also present the inaugural diocesan Lumen Gentium Award to Sister Janet, who served as director of the diocesan Office of Migration and Refugee Services from 1997 to 2012.

Sister Janet was case manager for the refugee resettlement program in conjunction with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Services program. She served as a subcontractor for the Rescue and Restore Human Trafficking Program with US Health and Human Services and USCCB and assisted victims of human trafficking through case management and as a resource to other agencies. She also worked with the USCCB’s unaccompanied minor program that helped release undocumented children from immigration detention and reunited them with relatives in New Jersey.

Bishop O’Connell noted that the title of the award is derived from Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which was one of the principal documents promulgated during the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI Nov. 21, 1964.

In reviewing the Lumen Gentium document, Bishop O’Connell noted that Sister Janet and her tireless work among immigrants and refugees, is especially reflected in the following citation: “Christ is the Light of All Nations…at all times and in every race, God has given welcome.” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, art. 1;9)