For more information on the awards and a list of recipients since 1991, click here.

This year's recipients are:

Service in Administration - Sandy Pavlic
An enthusiastic supporter of the archdiocese, Sandy Pavlic is the chairperson of the executive committee of the Campanile Society for major donors and has been a member of the committee since its inception in 1992. Sandy has had a tremendous impact in raising awareness about the Campanile Society and the importance of leadership gifts to the Church through her numerous creative fundraising efforts. Sandy is also an eloquent spokesperson for the Catholic Stewardship Appeal and an advocate of the archdiocese. A generous donor to the Campanile Society and Catholic Stewardship Appeal, Sandy is a wonderful example of stewardship in donating time, talent and financial gifts. She is a member of St. Dominic Parish in Brookfield.

Service to the Church - Marion Kessenich
Marion Kessenich has volunteered her time and talent extensively in her parish and the archdiocese, offering her experience and knowledge of parish structures and adult formation. She showed effective leadership in helping St. Malachy and Immaculate Conception parishes merge into the newly formed Sacred Heart Parish in Dodge County this year. Marion served on the parish council at St. Malachy for many years and recently served on the interim council at Sacred Heart. Marion actively recruits other parishioners to help in the parish while continually offering her own services to others. She is also a valuable member of the Archdiocesan Implementation Commission that oversees the parish mergers throughout the archdiocese.

Service in Communication - M. Shawn Copeland, Ph.D.
M. Shawn Copeland is a tenured associate professor of systematic theology at Marquette University and an adjunct associate professor of systematic theology at the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans. She has published 70 articles, reviews and commentaries covering topics such as suffering, identity and difference, the common human good, and freedom. Shawn also has raised awareness among her colleagues about the importance of ethnicity and race in religion, and she is recognized as one of the most important influences in North America in drawing attention to the issues surrounding black Catholics. She is currently the vice president of the Catholic Theological Society of America and will serve as president in 2003-2004. She is a member of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee.

Service in Ecumenism - Rev. Richard Schlenker
Rev. Richard Schlenker is a charter member of the United Methodist-Roman Catholic Dialogue in southeastern Wisconsin, faithfully serving as its co-chair since its inception in 1983. With his help, the dialogue produced When United Methodists and Roman Catholics Marry, guidelines for ecumenical and inter-faith marriages for use in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. He also worked with the dialogue in crafting a response to Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, a landmark document produced by the World Council of Churches. He has also played a valuable role in developing Lutheran-Catholic dialogues and has published several articles on the subject.

Service in Education - Sr. Joel Read
A member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, Sr. Joel Read has served as the president of Alverno College since 1968 and has helped to break new ground in education through Alverno's ability-based approach to teaching and learning. She is known as a leader who works with faculty and staff, supports them in their work, and helps find the resources they need to work effectively. She has been recognized for helping women succeed with programs she has helped develop, including the Weekend College, the Career Development Office and the Resource Center on Women. She is a member of numerous academic and organizational boards, and she volunteers her time and talent to improve Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

Service in Education - Rev. Robert Wild, S.J.
Rev. Robert Wild is in his sixth year as the president of Marquette University. Under his leadership, Marquette has improved academic quality, increased and stabilized enrollment, and enhanced partnerships with the city of Milwaukee and community groups. Fr. Wild is building on Marquette's core strengths: an academically rigorous, values-centered curriculum; solid, practical preparation for work in a world of increasing complexity and diversity; formation for life for students as ethical and informed leaders in their religious, cultural, professional and civic communities; and graduating women and men who will dedicate their lives to the service of others. He is a biblical scholar, the author of two books and scholarly articles, and a member of numerous academic boards.

Service to Families - Pilar Gomez
An invaluable activist in the School Choice movement, Pilar Gomez has helped organize and educate Milwaukee parents on how to be politically active with education issues. She is the parent training coordinator for the American Education Reform Council and often helps members of the Hispanic and Asian communities understand the education system in Milwaukee. She helped initiate the Milwaukee-based Parents for School Choice in 1994 and helped to organize more than 4,800 parents to advocate school choice with the group. Her primary focus was with the near south side Catholic schools and St. Michael Parish, of which she is a member. Pilar continues to work relentlessly so that parents have the choice of Catholic education for their children. She is active at Prince of Peace/ Principe de Paz, her children's school. She is also a member of the Charter School Review Committee for the city of Milwaukee.

Service in Liturgy - Rev. Michael Witczak
Rev. Michael Witczak has been a faculty member at Saint Francis Seminary since 1983, as well as at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at the Pontifical University of St. Anselm in Rome since 1992. In particular, he likes to return to the original documents and rites of the Church and then interpret them for the present, using documents of the Church today. Fr. Witczak exhibited leadership in the planning for the Eucharistic Congress last year, bringing in national and international experts on liturgy. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission for 12 years and as a member of the Archbishop's Consultation for Theological Issues for three years. He is currently the vice-rector and professor of Liturgical Studies at Saint Francis Seminary.

Service to Missions - Sr. Angelyn Dries
Sr. Angelyn Dries is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and is an associate professor and the chair of the Religious Studies Department at Cardinal Stritch University. She has made invaluable contributions to the study of mission history and the role of women in mission in the United States. Her book, The American Catholic Missionary Movement, has opened up a new field in Catholic studies, and she is the acknowledged expert in this area. She is deeply committed to mission not only in her academic work, but also through her pastoral work with the Korean Catholic Community in Milwaukee. Illustrating her desire to build bridges across cultures, she has helped develop a relationship between her community of sisters and a community of sisters in Cameroon, Africa.

Service in the Priesthood - Rev. Philip Reifenberg
Rev. Philip Reifenberg has spent most of his priestly life serving in the central city of Milwaukee. Instrumental in the founding of MICAH (Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope) in 1988, he continues to give his time and talents to the organization and received an award for distinguished service in 1999. In the early 1990s, he was an integral part of the team that planned the consolidation of nine central city parishes into two. He went on to serve faithfully from 1994 to 1998 at St. Martin de Porres, one of the two new parishes. Fr. Reifenberg is a presenter for the Engaged Enrichment Program and has served as a chaplain for the past 20 years in the New Horizons Ministry to the divorced and separated in the archdiocese. He is currently the administrator for St. Therese Parish in Milwaukee.

Service in the Priesthood: Bishop Richard J. Sklba
Encompassing a combination of service, compassionate pastoral care, and theological and biblical expertise, Bishop Richard Sklba has served as Milwaukee's auxiliary bishop for over 21 years. He is a gifted preacher whose message is always grounded in scripture and is relevant to daily life. Embracing the ideals of Vatican Council II which he experienced during his graduate studies in Rome from 1962-65, he has absorbed the documents in his head and lived them out with his heart. Bishop Sklba is deeply committed to ecumenical relationships, both locally and nationally, and he currently serves as the co-chair of the National Evangelical Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue. He has been a member of the Catholic Biblical Association of America since 1968 and served as its president in 1982. Prior to being ordained a bishop, he served as associate pastor for St. Mary Parish in Elm Grove and as professor of Old Testament and rector at Saint Francis Seminary.

Service in the Priesthood - Rev. Albin Sowinski
Fr. Albin Sowinski served faithfully for 45 years in parish ministry and is known for his vigilance in visiting the sick at home, in hospitals and in nursing homes. He ministered for 23 years at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Milwaukee before going to St. Helen Parish in 1974, serving first as administrator and later as pastor. He served on the first pastoral team at St. Vincent de Paul Parish and oversaw the effort to build a new school there. A gifted preacher, he preached both in Polish and English, and often put together meaningful homilies on the spot. Fr. Sowinski served as a spiritual director for many young women entering religious life and was a great promoter of vocations to the School Sisters of Notre Dame. He was the confessor for the Dominican Sisters at St. Anne's Home for 25 years. Fr. Sowinski served for over 22 years at St. Helen Parish until his retirement in 1996.

Service to Society - Vicki Thorn
Vicki Thorn is the founder and executive director of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing and the founder of Project Rachel, the post-abortion reconciliation and healing ministry of the Catholic Church. She is dedicated to helping heal the deep wounds abortion has left in multitudes of women and men. She compassionately cares for the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of people, taking an ecumenical approach to her ministry. She is a national and international expert on post-abortion aftermath, its healing and post-abortion reconciliation and healing ministry. Through her efforts, Project Rachel has grown to serve people in 145 dioceses across this country as well as Canada, Guam, New Zealand, Australia, the Bahamas and Austria. Her work enables health professionals and priests across the country to help those affected by abortion to work through the healing process. Vicki is a member of St. Catherine Parish in Milwaukee.

Young Adult Service to the Church - Reggie Anderson
Reggie Anderson is a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Milwaukee and a junior at Dominican High School. He is actively involved in Dominican's Campus Ministry and faithfully attends its early morning meetings to help plan liturgies, coordinate sandwiches for the Peacemaker van, and plan school events. Reggie offers his musical talent to others and has sung in his school liturgical choir since junior high. Reggie is a lector for school Masses and participates in Catholic Relief Services. Though actively involved with football at school, he also gives his time for others. For example, he helped prepare and serve meals at the St. Ben's Meal Program during his freshman and sophomore years. Reggie also volunteers at the Dominican High School Urban Garden Project in the central city and has taken organic gardening classes to sharpen his skills. He is known for his quiet yet strong presence and humble service to others.

Young Adult Service in Communication - Sarah Schneider
Sarah Schneider is a sophomore at UW-Madison and is enrolled in the Physician's Assistant Program. She has been an active member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Milwaukee and was a valuable leader in its youth council as a high school student. A natural speaker with a wonderful sense of humor, she co-facilitated the Bishops' Youth Congress on Scripture at the National Catholic Youth Conference in St. Louis in 1999, and was instrumental in helping shape the "Youth Friendly Liturgy" workshop and "Celebrate Youth Ministry" workshop for the Tomorrow's Present ministry program. She is a member of the National Catholic Student Coalition and serves on a committee to plan the 2001 Catholic Student Coalition of Wisconsin Leadership Conference. She also volunteers at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison and is currently a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Mount Carmel Health and Rehabilitation Center.

Young Adult Service to Education - Ann McGinnity
A sophomore at UW-Milwaukee, Ann McGinnity is majoring in special education, having volunteered her time and talents to children throughout her young life. She is a student coordinator at UW-M's Service Learning Institute and has developed and implemented training procedures for student volunteers. She works closely with participants to enhance their experience with service learning, and she organizes and facilitates group reflections. As a high school student, she created and implemented the Grand Tutoring Project to pair high school tutors with elementary students. She also developed a workshop for lay educators on incorporating service learning into their curriculum. Her work at Milwaukee's Grand Avenue School has inspired similar service learning projects at schools throughout the city. Ann is a member of Blessed Trinity Parish.

Young Adult Service to Missions - Jessica Ackley
Jessica Ackley has a deep and sensitive understanding of the universal Church, participating in mission work locally, nationally and internationally. She has been involved locally as a leader in the Tomorrow's Present ministry program and was the rallying force for the Wind Lake team's "Youth Friendly Liturgies" presentations on liturgy. Nationally, Jessica has worked with the Sisters of Charity at the Navajo nation in Gallup, New Mexico. She also traveled to St. Lucia with the Global Youth Mission Program for 2001, raising her own funds to participate in the experience. Jessica is an active member of St. Clare Parish in Wind Lake and a senior in high school.

Young Adult Service to Society: Abraham Piņon
A 2001 graduate of Marquette University High School, Abraham Piņon worked in the Orgullo Latino homeroom there for four years and led a Kyros retreat his senior year. He has volunteered at Nativity Jesuit Middle School for four years and helped establish a program there with Marquette High to bring in more students to work with children through the Christian Life Community. Abraham also participated in the Somos Amigos summer program, offering service in the Dominican Republic for three weeks last year. Abraham also organized dances to raise funds for scholarships to Marquette High School. He planned service projects to South Dakota and the Dominican Republic, encouraging other youth to help people in need. He received the 2001 Jesuit Secondary Education Award from Marquette High School for exhibiting the five qualities of leadership in Jesuit Education. Abe is a member of St. Sebastian Parish in Milwaukee and a freshman at Boston College.