December 7, 2006

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan presented awards to 16 people from southeastern Wisconsin during the annual Vatican II Awards Ceremony at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Tuesday, Dec. 5.

Recipients were honored for exemplary contributions in 10 Church service areas. The awards, established in 1991, honor men, women and young adults whose actions demonstrate the vision set forth by the Second Vatican Council.

The 2006 recipients are:

Service in Administration: Dick and Carol, Richards, St. William Parish, Waukesha -- As strong ambassadors for the archdiocese, the Richards have been chairpersons of the Catholic Stewardship Appeal for the past two years. In addition to soliciting many individual gifts, they hosted multiple group events, including the Campanile Society Dinner.

Service in the Church: Carlos Matus, St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Burlington -- Matus is active in the Hispanic community, working through a variety of outreach efforts to better connect the community to active participation in the Catholic Church. He teaches pre-baptismal classes, is a Eucharist minister, lector, Mass server and active in various prayer groups.

Service in Communication: Antoinette Mensah, St. Martin de Porres Parish, Milwaukee -- Mensah has served on the Advisory Board for African American Catholic Ministry, the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary and the Strategic Planning Task Force.

Service in Ecumenism: Sister Adele Thibaudeau, OSF, St. Benedict the Moor Parish, Milwaukee -- Sister Adele is the director of Campus Ministry at Cardinal Stritch University and is an active member of the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue Committee. She has served on the Archdiocesan Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission and currently serves on the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee with the sisters and associates of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

Service in Education: Kathie Amidei, St. Anthony on the Lake Parish, Pewaukee -- Amidei is a pastoral associate for lifelong formation at St. Anthony of the Lake Parish. For the past 15 years, she has been developing a model of intergenerational ministry that empowers parents to be primary catechists for their children.

Service to Families: Anne Skowlund, St. Clement Parish, Sheboygan and Judie Meise, Bethany Reformed Church, Sheboygan -- Skowlund and Meise came together 20 years ago to start Rainbow Kids, Inc., an ecumenical group of churches working together to bring help, healing and hope to Sheboygan County children and parents dealing with loss due to death, divorce, separation or abandonment. Skowlund served as the organization’s executive administrator from 1991-2004. Meise continues to direct the program.

Service in Liturgy: William Erickson, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, North Lake and Monches -- Erickson, a liturgist and pastoral musician, has been active in the archdiocese since 1972. In 1982 he was instrumental in forming the Archdiocesan Choir, serving as its director for 12 years. He has been active in the Archdiocesan Music Committee and served in a number of parishes throughout the archdiocese.

Service to the Missions: Deacon Donald Kabara, St. Joseph Parish, Grafton -- For more than 15 years Deacon Kabara served as the liaison between St. Joseph Parish and the town and parish in Los Toros in the Dominican Republic. He has led several archdiocesan parish delegations to Los Toros and personally assisted young people from the Dominican Republic to visit St. Joseph Parish.

Service to the Priesthood: Rev. Paul M. Esser, retired from the priesthood -- Ordained in 1957, Father Esser has served the people throughout the archdiocese as a pastor and as an educator, serving as principal of Messmer High School, Milwaukee and St. Joseph High School in Kenosha. In retirement, he is active in archdiocesan efforts to help rebuild Our Lady of the Gulf Parish in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Rev. Paul Daniels, retired from the priesthood -- Following his ordination in 1957, Father Daniels has served in a number of parishes throughout the archdiocese, including St. Matthias Parish, Milwaukee; St. Joseph Parish, Waukesha, St. Patrick Parish, Racine and Good Shepherd Parish in Menomonee Falls. In retirement, he continues to assist with pastoral needs at parishes.

Service in Society: Thomas Plakut, St. Catherine of Alexandria, Milwaukee -- For the past 25 years Plakut was director of the St. Ben’s Community Meal Program. Since joining the staff in the 1980s, the program has increased the number of meals served, as well as volunteer participation. He resigned as director in 2005.

Youth Service to the Church: Liz Farrington, Lumen Christi Parish, Mequon -- Farrington was chair of the Peer Ministry team, a group of high school teens dedicated to planning social, service and spiritual experiences. Her other parish activities include being a youth representative on the parish council, teaching third grade formation classes and leading mini-retreats for students.

Youth Service in Education: James Burg, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, North Lake, Monches -- Burg’s service to the parish includes teaching sixth grade religious education classes and a summer participant in week-long work camps. An active Mass server, Burg also trains new servers at the parish.

Youth Service in Society: Erin Anderson, St. Mary Parish, Hales Corners -- A recent college graduate, Anderson is currently working as a volunteer at the Red Cloud Indian School in South Dakota. She also served as an adult leader on Pius XI’s mission trip and spent part of her summers as a counselor and prayer coordinator for the Program of Christian's Leadership’s Summer Workshop in Leadership and Vocation.