Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

BRIDGEPORT— Celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph is also the appropriate time to recognize the unique sacrifice made by Chaplains and pastoral care providers who served victims of Covid, Bishop Frank J. Caggiano said during the Pontifical Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral on Saturday morning.

The Bishop conferred special St. Augustine Medals of Service on 26 priests, deacons and women religious who have served as chaplains and members of pastoral care teams in hospitals, nursing homes and healthcare facilities around the diocese.

The Pontifical Mass also formally brought the Year of St. Joseph to a close, as the bishop concelebrated Mass with priest leaders including Fr. William Platt, Diocesan Director of Hospital Chaplains.

“Actions speak louder than words,” the bishop said, noting that many people today, including leaders, fail to match their words and actions. “There is not a single word spoken by St. Joseph recorded in sacred Scripture, but his actions spoke what he believed.”

The bishop said that St. Joseph’s life was “unambiguous and transparent” in his protection of Mary and Jesus. It was St. Joseph who would have been responsible for teaching Jesus to read and write and for taking him to the temple. Joseph also left his livelihood and homeland and became a refugee to protect his family.

Likewise, the honorees who serve in pastoral care left behind their own health and safety during lockdown “and went into the breach at a time when no one knew how the virus was transmitted,” the bishop said.

He said that the chaplains and pastoral care workers generously accepted the lonely burden of ministering to the sick and dying who were cut off from their own families and loved ones during the worse of the virus outbreaks.

They brought the presence of Christ to those who were suffering and alone, and in some cases they brought the few possessions and last words of those who died to the grieving families who could only say goodbye behind glass partitions.

“You went out and brought hope where everyone else could not go. You formed the front lines of the Lord’s compassion, tenderness, forgiveness, and love,” the bishop said, recognizing their “countless hours of holding hands” both in ordinary and extraordinary moments.

In the Blessing of the Medals the bishop prayed, “Send down your blessings on these your servants and upon the medals which recognize the sacrificial work they have accomplished in service to the sick and dying… Bring us all into the peace of your kingdom.”

 
As Al Barber, retired president of Catholic Charities, called the honorees forward, the Bishop congratulated and thanked them on behalf of the entire diocese and those “who were unable to say, ‘thank you’” during the worst of the crisis.

At the end of Mass, Bishop Caggiano processed to the statue of St. Joseph at the back of the Church and asked those present to join him in reconsecrating the diocese to St. Joseph as he led a brief prayer.

“Last year on this very day and in this very place, I consecrated the faithful of the diocese to Saint Joseph during the special year dedicated to his patronage. Now at the close of the year dedicated to his patronage, I ask that we offer the same prayer together to ask for his continued intercession,” the Bishop prayed.

The conferring of medals at the special Mass marks the first time that the St. Augustine Medals have been presented outside of the annual ceremony in the Fall of each year. The St. Augustine Medal of Service was instituted in 2005 to recognize the “unsung heroes” who unselfishly give of their time and talents to build up parish communities and in diocesan ministries. Since that time, hundreds throughout the diocese have received the medal at the yearly prayer service ceremony.

Pope Francis had proclaimed a “Year of St. Joseph” from December 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021, to mark the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as patron of the universal church. He said St. Joseph is an example of sacrificial father- hood and purity and as an intercessor in healing and fighting the world’s evils.

Photos by Amy Mortensen

Special St. Augustine Medal Award Recipients