Benemerenti medal. Image from Wikipedia
MANILA, Philippines—Pope Benedict XVI conferred the Benemerenti awards on two Filipino Americans their exceptional service to the Catholic church.
Titus Verzosa, a resident of Fresno, California, received the papal medal in recognition of his 17 years of dedicated service and leadership as a choir director, finance council member and coordinator of several fund raising events for St. Mary Queen of Apostles parish.
The medal and a certificate from the Holy See were presented to him on February 20 during a Sunday Mass, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco said in a statement.
Nellie Hizon, meanwhile, will receive the award with the medal and insignia of the Papal Honor on August 14.
Currently the vice chair of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council in San Francisco, Hizon was instrumental in institutionalizing the Simbang Commissioning Celebration in the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2008, the first archdiocesan-wide celebration in the US.
“The Commissioning is about the sending forth of the Filipino community on a mission to be the light in their respective parishes. By the ceremony, the Archdiocese recognized the significant spiritual impact of the Filipino tradition of the Simbang Gabi,” the consulate said.
Consul General Marciano A. Paynor, Jr. expressed his elation over the papal awards.
“I am proud that our kababayans have received the Benemerenti Awards, which recognized their exceptional ministry to their respective churches. May they continue to be shining lights of exemplary dedication to the church, faith and community that they serve,” Paynor said.
Instituted by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, the Benemerenti medal ranks second after the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice and is bestowed upon Catholic men and women who have rendered significant service to the Church and society.
The Benemerenti is a gold Greek cross depicting the image of Christ, His hand raised in blessing. On the left of the transverse arm of the cross is a depiction of the tiara and crossed keys, and to the right is the shield of the current pope and his motto. On the reverse is the word Benemerenti, which means “good merit.”
According to accessible records, only about 75 individuals have received the award from 1949 to the present.
Last year, Pope Benedict awarded Oscar Pioquinto Batucan and Miriam Alvez Batucan the Benemerenti award. This was the first time that a Filipino-New Zealand couple was awarded the papal medal.