Catholic Charities honors supporters

By Tanya Connor | The Catholic Free Press

    Catholic Charities Worcester County awarded the Emerald Club for supporting Mercy Centre programs, and its board clerk Kevin Kieler for helping with the acquisition and sale of property.
    The awards were presented at the annual Catholic Charities meeting, held Nov. 21 at St. John High School in Shrewsbury.
    Bishop McManus celebrated Mass for the gathering, and board member Msgr. John E. Doran concelebrated and preached.
    “For years and years we’ve been getting help” from local organizations and companies, said Anthony D. Rozevicius, out-going president of the board of directors of Catholic Charities. So in 2018 Catholic Charities established the Bishop Robert J. McManus Good Neighbor Award to recognize them.
    “Last year, the award was given to Table Talk Pies, and The Broadway Restaurant and Catering, for all their efforts and donations of goods for the annual bishop’s holiday dinners,” Mr. Rozevicius said.
    “This year, the board wanted to recognize all the efforts of Worcester’s Emerald Club in their support of our Mercy Centre programs,” which serve developmentally disabled adults. “Their contributions have provided us with a van, iPads, computers and art and music therapy programs, among other things.”   
    Bishop McManus presented the Emerald Club’s award to Steve Mills, its president, at the Nov. 21 meeting.    
    Another award, which is not given annually, is the Monsignor Edmond T. Tinsley Award, named for a former Catholic Charities director and treasurer, now deceased, Mr. Rozevicius said. This award recognizes Catholic Charities staff, volunteers and board members who have reached certain milestones or gone beyond the call of duty. At the meeting Bishop McManus presented it to Mr. Kieler.
    Mr. Kieler was chosen “for the countless hours he dedicated over the last few years dealing with our two property acquisitions and the sale of our Granite Street site,” Mr. Rozevicius said.  “He met with pastors, inspectors, zoning departments, contractors, etc., and these projects would not have come to fruition without him.
    “In the end, we purchased the convent at St. Stephen’s Parish in Worcester in order to expand our transitional housing program for homeless families, and Bishop McManus gave us St. Cecelia’s convent in Leominster in order to start a residential addiction recovery program for women,” Mr. Rozevicius said.     
    He said Catholic Charities is selling its property at 133 Granite St., where it operated its family shelter, then called Youville House. The shelter is now called Catholic Charities Family Shelter and located in St. Stephen’s former covent at 4 Caroline St. Catholic Charities named the building St. Teresa of Kolkata Center because Mother Teresa stayed there overnight in May 1976 when receiving an honorary degree at the College of the Holy Cross, Mr. Rozevicius said.    
    He said speakers at Catholic Charities annual meeting were the administrator of Catholic Charities Women’s Recovery Program, Angelique Bodziak, who told her story of recovery, and Tabitha Perry, a former Youville House guest, who told how she received help there.
    Giving remarks were Bishop McManus; Timothy J. McMahon, executive director of Catholic Charities, Worcester County; Mr.  Rozevicius and Henry J. Camosse, the new president of Catholic Charities’ board of directors, who had been vice president.
    The new vice president is Sandra Bauer Mahoney. Daniel Ricciardi succeeded Michael Bovenzi as treasurer. New board members are Susan Hillis and Joanne Powell. Mr. McMahon thanked J. Michael Grenon, outgoing board member and a past president, for his service.