Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP has honoured more than 60 Catholics for their service to the Church in areas as diverse as music ministry, accounting, and building renovation. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The Dempsey Medal, which has been running since 2017, is named after James Dempsey, a lay Catholic stonemason who oversaw the construction of several of Sydney’s most historic sites, including St Mary’s Cathedral.
The award recognises the contributions of both laity and clergy in the Sydney Archdiocese of Sydney for outstanding service or witness to a parish, community, or diocese, although it is primarily intended to recognise those who have enriched their local parish.
“Our medallists’ true prize, we know, is yet to come when Christ rewards all those who went down into the tomb with him in baptism and self-sacrifice, that they might rise with him to the fullness of eternal life,” Archbishop Fisher said in his homily at St Mary’s Cathedral on June 28.
Recipients this year were aged between 45 and 100 and include several married couples. The youngest recipient, Basman Rassam, hails from Baghdad and came to Australia in 2006, quickly establishing himself as a chorister in the Syriac Catholic Church.
Today, he is chorister and choir leader, conductor and sound designer. He said what he loves most about serving the Church is seeing people become more engaged with their faith.
“My choir is not that big, sometimes 15 or just over 20 members. But what’s great about it is when you see the community engaged,” he said.
“Some people tell me that without the hymns, they might not be as interested in coming every Sunday.”
This year’s oldest recipient is Irene Burnheim, a lifelong parishioner of St Michael’s Parish in Stanmore.
She increased her involvement in parish ministry after her husband died, taking on the responsibility of opening the church for funerals and weddings in addition to her commitments as a Eucharistic minister.
“It was marvellous, and I got so involved in the Church, it was a part of me,” she said before the ceremony.
She became emotional when speaking about her deep love for Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, and credits that for her proudest contribution to St Michael’s – refurbishing a disused alcove into a Divine Mercy shrine.
FULL STORY
Archbishop honours Sydney’s quiet parish heroes (By Tara Kennedy, The Catholic Weekly)
