PROVIDENCE — More than 75 young people and adult volunteers who have dedicated their time and service to strengthening the faith through scouting and youth ministry programs will be honored at the diocesan Catholic Youth Ministry and Scout Awards Celebration taking place at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul this Sunday, March 12.
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin will present the awards following 1 p.m. Mass at the annual celebration. In addition to the Catholic scouting awards which young people earn within the context of their scouting organizations, Bishop Tobin will present several awards sponsored by the Office of Catholic Youth Ministry to recognize outstanding contributions to youth ministry in a parish, school or youth center setting by young people and adult volunteers.
“We’re very grateful that Bishop Tobin continues to support this because we believe that young people and the adults who work with them need to be recognized when they make sincere efforts at being devoted to their faith,” said Louise Dussault, director of the Office of Catholic Youth Ministry.
Scouting awards that will be presented on Sunday include the Ad Altare Dei Emblem, the Pope Pius XII Emblem, the Pillars of Faith Award, the Bronze Pelican Award and the St. George Emblem for Boy Scouts and their adult volunteers and the I Live My Faith Medal, the Mary, the First Disciple Medal and the Spirit Alive Medal for Girl Scouts. Bishop Tobin will also present the Margaret “Peg” Roberts Memorial Award to a Girl Scout who is dedicated to service above and beyond the requirements for Girl Scout recognitions and who will be announced at that time.
Youth Ministry awards that will be presented include the St. Timothy Award, a national award which honors young people who live as disciples of Christ and exhibit Christian leadership in parish, school or community settings and the Companions on the Journey Award, a national award which honors adults who have been active in parish, school or diocesan activities for youth for at least five years.
“I’m thrilled at the increased level of nominations for the St. Timothy and Companions on the Journey Award. Once again we have a tremendous field of recipients,” said Dussault. “My deep appreciation to the awards review committee for their dedication at reviewing the nominations so very carefully in order to ensure the integrity of the awards.”
In addition to the annual Youth Ministry awards, Bishop Tobin will present the Bishop’s Award for Outstanding Service to Youth, an award selected by the Office of Catholic Youth Ministry and presented to an individual who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to ministry and service to youth within the Diocese of Providence.
This year’s recipient is John Boni, president of the board of directors of the Father Marot CYO Center, Woonsocket, and a parishioner at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket. Through his involvement with the regional youth center and role as a confirmation catechist at his parish, Boni has dedicated more than three decades of service to youth ministry in the diocese. According to Dussault, his contributions at the diocesan level include assisting in the development of a diocesan youth ministry website and serving as a member of a parish outreach team.
“John has never lost sight that this is about the work of youth ministry for the young people of this area,” said Dussault. “He just is so generous of spirit and so very, very generous with his time.”
Boni first became involved with retreat programs at the Father Marot CYO Center in the 1980s and began serving on the board of directors in 1990. In recent years, he has taken on many of the duties of a director of the center on a volunteer basis and continues to actively participate in programs such as Search retreats and Monday night prayer meetings, a ministry he said serves approximately 15 to 25 young people every week.
“The man is the definition of humble. Nothing’s beneath him,” said Dussault, who noted that in addition to performing many of the managerial duties of the center, Boni can often be found serving lunch to confirmation students on retreat.
Despite the decline in active youth participants in parishes and youth centers around the state, Boni said the Father Marot CYO Center continues to meet a need for teenagers interested in pursuing their faith beyond the requirements of a religious education program and taking on leadership roles in the center’s retreat programs, which supplement the offerings of parish youth ministry.
“I definitely think there’s still a need for the kids,” he said. “I think a lot of the youth programs try to be social things that the kids don’t necessarily need. Here they get a little more of the faith. I think the kids are still looking for that.”
Boni also highlighted the role of a dedicated staff and board of directors coordinating the day-to-day operations of the center and continuing the ministry of its founder, Father Roger Marot, who passed away last year.
“We really are looking to continue that vision of Father Marot. He’s still the inspiration for the place,” he said.
